I think Coutinho is a good buy, looks like he has a lot of skill, pacy, can play a few positions and not as light weight as many suggest . Don't think hes first team material yet though as he looks a bit manic on the pitch sometimes obviously needs more match experience which he's struggling to get at inter. My prediction is that take a few years like Henderson and Lucas to really come into form but will be very good if given time. In the mean time I expect everyone to be up in arms saying things like what a waste of money, Rodgers doesn't know what he's doing! but It all depends on what you want, a team which will be cohesive and peaking together in a couple of years, or instant success which we have gone for the last 20 years and has rarely been successful. I'm with Rodgers on this one, if Liverpool want to be a major player in the future then they have to plan long term.
I don't think Coates will be going anywhere unless we get someone else in. Or should that be hope considering the summer activities regarding the forwards My only question on this is how do we go about it. Do we sign someone permanently and loan Coates out meaning we ultimate end up with five CB's come the summer? Do we sell Coates? Or does Carragher retire in the summer? Of course there is another option which I would imagine most of us don't want to see and that is one of the other two CB's leave Plus, as IBWT says here... Wisdom can play CB. Plus, once Kelly returns from injury I am hoping we look at him as a CB to help with injuries
That's fair enough, but I'm talking about the experience and drive Gerrard brings to the team, someone who our potential signings can think "oo, I'd love to play alongside so and so" and in my opinion we only have two players that other signings will think that about, and that's Gerrard and Suarez.
If we were looking for a defender I think it should be a centre back that is comfortable at left back or vice versa. We don't need anything at all on the right as we have Kelly, Wisdom & Johnson there. We are a little short on the left with only Enrique & Robinson (inexperienced) there. Centre back we aren't bad but if Coates goes on loan then we'll obviously need someone there.
Well that narrows it down to a marquee signing which I don't think we are in the market for. As timmy5x says above (#2241), we need to build for a long term future rather than a quick fix. Hence me saying I would rather have a Eriksen/Isco then a Sneijder, Coutinho or Ince, the former are players that are good enough to perform now but have a long career ahead of them and will get better
I honestly think we'll struggle to sign either of them! unless we make the CL, but in an ideal world they would be the best choice.
Also why does he call himself Isco? his real name is Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez. I think we should all refer to him as Frank from now on!
In that case I don't get the argument against Coutinho, you prefer Frank and Erik but you don't think we'll get them(I agree, Bayern will be buying a lot of spanish players this summer), Plus we getting Coutinho at a knock down price, where as competition for those players in the summer will be fierce, so Coutinho is probably the best value for money that we are gonna get.
re coates. I perosnally think rodgers feels carrgher is good enough cover and agger is lasting the pace.... plus now the sharp end of the europa is coming caotes won't ge tin. I think the guy is really talented and i think if he's sent to wigan (what a fate) it could really make him. he really needs games to develop toughness and consistence and of course the eye for the pace of the english league. I'd send him and depend on wisdom and carra. In the long run it could be great for us.. reasonable risk for me. now finally this stuff about age of signings. its bollox. suarez is getting on then isn't he? if he were 23mil we would not buy him so.... i think its arse about face. just buy the BEST at the right price and right wages. Sneidjer wanted 180k odd per week min. this put off utd two years ago. lets be quite fair to the club nobody should pay that unless they are a mad arab or crazy russian. We are paying 70k max now, not even 90k unless you come fit in and show your worth. sturridge is prob o nthe 70k but allen is prob <50k for example. downing is on very high wages so is targetted to go. yet up he pops after finally feeling one of the repeated kics i nthe hole and is playing all the games. When we are in the CL IF we are in the CL we may just start splashing more but only if we can afford it. it really is a simple logic..... i would hower like to think (dearly like to think it) that our situation since that first jauary has not got so bad that if christian errikson is available at 20 odd mil that we'd not buy him cos frankly he is a pure class player who would grace any pitch in the prem. mata.. 20mil.. no way under g&H... silva.. you can count the amount of guys we failed to land while spending 19mil on keane and 20mil on aquilani... please for the love of christ when we paid jovanovic 100k per week for nothing surely.... surely we can afford ONE player this summer at 20mil and pay them 100k. I think we have a nucleus of a side but some players are over rated by our red tinted glasses... they are, nuetral fans don't think so much of our centre halves or our midfield. .... but hey I think there's genuine quality in the squad.
Quite simple really, we have enough potential and a balanced squad IMO. We need players that will improve the first team as soon as they arrive but that will also grow with the team. I used those two as examples because they seem to be the names of the moment, I'm not a scout and I don't watch much foreign football so I have no other suggestions.
If the Coutinho signing would prevent us from signing someone like Eriksen or Isco in the summer, then I wouldn't want him. But I'm under the impression that funds will be available in the summer regardless of what we spend in January (within reason of course). I understand the argument that Coutinho is pure potential but he did have a good run in the Espanyol side which suggests that he could be first team material. But having him would allow us to rotate Sterling more often, and not having to use Downing all the time. But I feel £8m-10m for a highly promising youngster is good deal, and it makes a change from signing overpriced Englishmen!
Selling Carroll in the summer remember too, really need him to get fit and impress for West Ham so his price is up. I'm sure money will be freed up elsewhere too and not to forget the new tv money.
Depends on the agreement. i was under the impression that is was a loan with a conditional purchase of £17m should West Ham stay in the Premier League
Do they have option to buy on Chamak (spelling) as well? Need him to fire blanks if so because him, carroll and c. cole are similar players and i'm sure Chamak's price wouldn't be anywhere near £17m
