Summer transfer rumours, speculation and out-and-out b*ll*cks.

[BILL DE VALL]

Wouldnt have minded Adam but over priced considering his one season

So wheres Liverpool suddenly getting all this money from?

Their wage bill must make for some heart stopping moments-for the accountants
Quote from the grauniad
Despite signing Henderson prior to the European Under-21s Championship Liverpool have struggled to land several leading targets – including Young, Phil Jones and Connor Wickham – and are yet to agree a price with Blackpool for Charlie Adam. Their difficulties have been compounded by a lack of interest in several high-earning yet unwanted players at Anfield, with Alberto Aquilani, Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen, Paul Konchesky, Milan Jovanovic, Brad Jones, Philipp Degen, Nabil El Zhar and Emiliano Insúa all still on the club's payroll.

Jovanovic, at least, appears to be edging towards an Anfield exit one year after he arrived on a free transfer from Standard Liège and proceeded to collect £120,000 a week. The Serbia international made two appearances under Dalglish and FSG is understandably keen to remove him from the wage bill to release funds for other targets.
understatement of the year

[Rip Van We Go Again]

BULLET DODGED

Stoke are close to wrapping up a deal for Scott Dann and CAMERON JEROME

[Rick_avfc]

Apparently they have to get rid of a whole raft of players and reduce the wage bill by £13m.  I thought we had it bad. 

[Concrete John]

I really cannot believe some of the hysterical nonsense being spouted on this thread. Nothing has happened yet and we are already running of to the lifeboats with July still young. Things are not really that bad and they won't be that bad.

Are we signing two players of equal ability to Downing and Young then?

Well, if we get N'Zogbia then that's one sorted and the emergence of Albrighton might account for the other.

As the man said, it ain;t as bad as some would like to make out.

[Rick_avfc]

Lichaj, might be off on loan again to leeds

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11677_7023180,00.html

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I really cannot believe some of the hysterical nonsense being spouted on this thread. Nothing has happened yet and we are already running of to the lifeboats with July still young. Things are not really that bad and they won't be that bad.

Are we signing two players of equal ability to Downing and Young then?

Well, if we get N'Zogbia then that's one sorted and the emergence of Albrighton might account for the other.

As the man said, it ain;t as bad as some would like to make out.

N'Zogbia is good, more direct, but not as good as Ashley.
No way is Albrighton in the Downing bracket, still a lot to prove.

[TheSandman]

I really cannot believe some of the hysterical nonsense being spouted on this thread. Nothing has happened yet and we are already running of to the lifeboats with July still young. Things are not really that bad and they won't be that bad.

Are we signing two players of equal ability to Downing and Young then?

I don't know. I might know in two months time. We are heavily linked with N'Zogbia who has chalked up a decent number of goals and assists at Wigan. At a better team, supplying a better striker like Bent that is bound to increase. He could easily be as good as Young or Downing. I reckon after a rest and a good pre-season Albrighton could come back into the team and do well. I don't think he will be as good for us as the other two were last season but he will still contribute a decent number of assists. We might sign another winger too. Even then we have a few players who can do better than they did last season that will improve the team creatively like Ireland if we get his head right and maybe Bannan and Delph.

The league is shaping up to be mediocre. Arsenal and Spurs look like losing some of their better players and whilst Liverpool have spent big on players the fact remains that they have signed players who are at best mediocre and are not quite top four quality. I don't think we will finish ahead of these teams (though if few of our wildcards work out we might be surprised) but we are hardly going to be in the bottom half or relegated. We will also have the advantage of a full season of Bent which will help.

If at the start of the season we have signed poor players then I will be worried. Not now as it is too early to say.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

We'll see.
But at the moment there seem to be a lot of 'if's' and 'mights'

[oldtimernow]

Albrighton is not in the Downing bracket yet, but he plays with heart and has feeling for the club so that makes him more valuable for me.

Needs to improve his tackling but then in comparison there's no comparison

[Rick_avfc]

Quick question, what was Nzogbia's performances before the last games of the season where he seemed to make a name for himself?  A lot of people have seemed to take notice since he pulled off some great performances for wigan at the end of their campaign and scored something like 6 in 6?  What was he like before that?

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Quick question, what was Nzogbia's performances before the last games of the season where he seemed to make a name for himself?  A lot of people have seemed to take notice since he pulled off some great performances for wigan at the end of their campaign and scored something like 6 in 6?  What was he like before that?

Scored 10 for them last season, 7 the season before.
With the right players and framework around him, I think he could get 15 for us.

[Concrete John]

N'Zogbia is good, more direct, but not as good as Ashley.
No way is Albrighton in the Downing bracket, still a lot to prove.

Last season Young got 11 assists to N'Zobia's 8, but only scored 7 goals, which insluded penalties, to N'Zogbia's 9.  So you're right in that he's more direct, hence more goals and less assists, but to say 'not as good' is subjective really when you look at how effective each is.

As for Downing/Albrighton, it's 7 goals and 9 assists for Stewart and 5 and 7 for Marc.  Considering we'd expect improvement from a player as young as he is and that Downing played more games, then I don't see how you can say that.   

[Rip Van We Go Again]

As for Downing/Albrighton, it's 7 goals and 9 assists for Stewart and 5 and 7 for Marc.  Considering we'd expect improvement from a player as young as he is and that Downing played more games, then I don't see how you can say that.   

It's not just goals and assists though is it John.
You can't tell me that Albrighton's all round play is better than Downing's.

[oldtimernow]

maybe not as yet but we are looking at an experience differential of some years though

[Concrete John]

As for Downing/Albrighton, it's 7 goals and 9 assists for Stewart and 5 and 7 for Marc.  Considering we'd expect improvement from a player as young as he is and that Downing played more games, then I don't see how you can say that.   

It's not just goals and assists though is it John.
You can't tell me that Albrighton's all round play is better than Downing's.

No, but that's part of the game he'll learn as he plays more PL games.  But if he gets to Downing's level of goals and assists I won't really care.