Suarez said he was nailed on to leave last season until Rodgers convinced him, and you can add on the ~£30m in CL money and ~£10m extra in PL money to that piece of negotiation
Moreno for around £12m is very good business. We have the option to buy Manquillo for around £4m I believe. Emre Can for £10m is also quality business combined with £20m for Coutinho and Sturridge. How much was Ilori as well? Don't forget Origi at around £10m. These are all quality Young players with bright futures - all of whom cost around £60m mark. There's almost a full first team that can be developed and nurtured over the coming years. The committee have done a good job in signing quality youngsters at good prices, and I feel they are under appreciated at times. Even when you look at Markovic at £20m - he's on another level to the other players in terms of potential so £20m is not bad especially when you look at what Isco, Hazard, Illamerendi etc all went for. The problem this summer is that the senior, first team players that BRENDAN clearly wanted I.e Lallana and Lovren have made very little impact. That's not to say the committee are perfect - the best clubs have a success rate of around 50% but if you were to ask me who I would trust to spend the cash between committee and Rodgers, I'd choose the committee. I think some people assume that managers know everything about football - training, coaching, nutrition, motivation, picking players. It's such a vast role that you need specialists in each area. Scouting and identifying players is a task which should be left to the specialists (committee). Rodgers's skill set is in developing youth and coaching attacking football. That's what he needs to stick to.
Jackson Martinez's agent is pimping him out - he has a clause of £27.5m. Established and experience striker - think he's a good striker but don't think he'll develop further. He's 28 and should be in the prime of his life. Would love to have him at LFC but something tells me that it's a risk. If he were 24, then I would definitely have him because he would have time to progress and develop. As mentioned above, we're buying a striker who should be in his prime but is still plying his trade in Portgual. To sum it up - I rather we signed Lacazette who is younger, more versatile and suitable for our team. But I wouldnt mind Martinez
A good job signing quality youngsters at good prices? Are you on crack? They paid £20m for Markovich who even the most ardent red would have to admit looks a complete nothing player and a pisstake @ £20m. I keep hearing that Can is 'quality' but he's not deemed good enough to get game time ahead of the might Joe Allen and from the little I've seen of him, he looked bog standard. Origi - 4 goals in 20 games this season in a crap league..... Ilori - deemed that good that he's been shipped out on loan @21 to France You talk as if these players are going to blossom into stars when the reality looks far different
To be fair, not many people are good enough to get ahead of the mighty Joe Allen. At least if you're Brendan. Or Magic. Not sure that's a reflection on his quality. No issue on the rest of your post, though I have hopes for Origi. I'm not writing Markovic off yet either, but 20m does not look like good negotiation right now.
This isn't aimed at just you Jimmy so don't go getting your knickers in a twist Why do people think there is a committee versus Brod situation...? They are one and the same! Both Brod and Ayre have clearly said the committee includes Brod who has the final say on any signings. That means both parties need to be in agreement before any player is signed but Brod MUST be in agreement. There is no committee or Brod signing!
So most of these players I have mentioned played regular competitive football at a young age: Moreno at Sevilla Can at Leverkusen Ilori at Sporting (might need to check on that) Origi at Lille and even for his national team Markovic for Benfica and Serbia What are you expecting? These players to come straight into the first team and become world class? They are YOUNGSTERS!! They're supposed to be raw. Do you think every world class player was world class at the age of 18? No - most of them take time to develop and don't really show their true ability until mid 20's. Not everyone can be a Sterling or Messi who play for the first team at the age of 17 and deliver. So yes, we have found good youngsters who are highly rated and at good prices. Markovic has been poor - I cannot dispute that. But he was bought for the future. And I maintain £20m is actually 'cheap' for a player of his potential. As you don't really know much about football outside of England, Markovic is one of the most talented youngsters in football hence his price tag. I've given you comparisons of other teenagers who went for even more money highlighting that we did a decent job in negotiating a deal.
I agree that he is a part of it but I do feel there is lack of cohesion. Rodgers has his own set of targets as mentioned by the local reporters. He wanted players like Vorm, Williams and Bertrand. That is widely documented. Instead, he got Mignolet, Sakho and Moreno. The fact he is so quick to drop Sakho after a mistake, but was persistent with Lovren (his own choice) is all the evidence you need. He did the same with Manquillo and Moreno (even though they've been pretty good). Not to mention the fact he always mentions Mario and calls him a calculated risk, a last resort. If Mario was a player he personally wanted, he would not be criticising him in public the way he has. I just feel that the whole situation is getting very political and Rodgers is trying to make it clear that he does not want the committee.
So Rodgers really wanted Sakho and Balotelli? He may have had a 'final say' but it's quite clear that some players are imposed on him.
"The fact he is so quick to drop Sakho after a mistake, but was persistent with Lovren (his own choice) is all the evidence you need" Just to point out that Lovren isn't playing because he's been poor, same with Sakho so lets not make things up to suit an agenda.
I do not beleive that. Rodgers will say what he says when he is sacked but the fact is if he's been allowing these buys with his mouth shut he deserves the sack Rodgers is in these deals up to his neck and so is fallows... ergo all must go.
The fact is there is nothing that can be done whilst he's injured - whose to say he wouldn't have gone in instead of Toure if he was fit? I'm almost certain he would have.
