Well your point is that you're worried that Pogba couldn't hack it in the PL - which means you have worries about other foreigners adapting. The point I'm making is that some of our best signings in the past decades are foreigners who have no experience of the league. And the majority of 'PL Proven' players we have signed have flopped - Adam, Carroll, Lovren, Lallana, Downing. So if we had to spend £25m on someone like Lallana or someone like Firmino, I know which one I'd choose - and my decision is based on quality, and not on age or experience within England.
That's too simple, I think. Players such as Veron, Shevckenko, Di Maria and Özil have all done very well in other leagues, internationally and in the Champions League, but struggled in the Premiership. Does that mean that they aren't/weren't top players? Or just that players can be better in some situations than others.
That's more a question on how they were used rather than ability to adapt to the league. Shevchenko as an example was never suited to Chelsea - physical dog type strikers like Drogba and Costa succeed their. And Ozil has been good when played centrally. Injuries and being put out on the wing have hampered him. Di Maria has never been world class. A top player who is struggling as a result of LvG's system.
And how much did they cost? Now compare that to Downing, Carroll, Henderson etc? As I said, spend £20m on an English player, or £20m on a foreigner and chances are, you'll get better quality abroad.
I feel we should only ever buy South American players tbh, they tend to be more robust and adaptable. Sanchez, Suarez, Costa - all hit the ground running in the prem and can take a fair few knocks
There is a concern about a player adapting no matter where they come from but certain leagues are higher risk. For example, how many players have had storming careers in the French or Dutch leagues only to flop over here? The success ratio is much lower for those countries than it is for a player coming from somewhere like Spain or Germany. I'd rate the current Italian league lower than the French League, it is very slow paced with players getting plety of time on the ball to make a decision and therefore the player looks much better than they are. In no way shape or form am I saying Pogba wouldn't be good enough, the international performances suggest he is a good player too (although internationals are slower paced too). Nor am I saying we should be focusing on players based in this country, far from it. What I am saying is it is a big risk to pay upwards of £40m for a player plying their trade in such a league. You using Lallana, Lovren, etc as example suggest that you agree with the fees we paid for them and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that isn't the case! And if I was concerned about signing foreign players, would I really say we should be looking to sign players such as Sanchez (before joining Arsenal) Silva (before joining Man City), Neymadge, etc. Obviously all way out of our league and now world stars so there sin't much risk anymore but I mentioned all of them before they reached that level. I have no issue with signing foreign players, none what so ever. My point was merely about risk and that players can seem better than they are in certain leagues.
And how much did they cost? Your money goes a lot further when you're not buying British. Costa and Sanchez, each around £36million (or Andy Carroll), and Suarez for £23 (or close to a Stewie D/Henderson).
Stop using our previous **** transfer dealings as evidence for what you think would be a good deal! Buying Charlie Austin for £25m would seem a good deal right now at the side of paying 35m for Andy Carroll. Clearly though, it wouldn't be
The underlying point I was making is that what you just said - football is not an exact science and every transfer is a risk. I just hate the fact that some fans believe that just because a player has played in the PL, it means they're good enough to play for Liverpool and will slot in with no adjusting period. It's a myth, and I rather take a risk on players who have no experience in this league and are younger, provided they have the talent.
Not really - they're professionals. Would you stay in your current workplace for the rest of your career? Mascherano left us because we had Roy Hodgson and we were sh*t. You do have a point on Tevez but he's someone who will give 100% regardless. So would you rather have someone who stays at the club for 10 years but is decent. Or have someone who is world class but stays for 2-4 years? ...
A good player can be shown up in the wrong system....some of the names mentioned earlier show that. I agree with you though....Of all our signings, Can looks like the one who will be the best and he had no PL experience, is young and is being played out of position....he was also our cheapest signing of the summer. Go figure
The idea of a player being more likely to adjust if they've already played in the PL is based purely on the leagues demands and the individual being able to cope with it. Not all players can. But yes, if they're talented enough then in theory they should be good enough since fitness levels etc can always be worked on. I guess it comes down to their mentality and that's where the risk lies in nearly every transfer deal.
Can, Moreno and Markovic (to some extent) have been good with the first two being starters. All 3 are talented and have bright futures ahead of them - all are young and have no experience in PL. Sakho also had no experience but he's our best defender and arguably best in the league this season.
in general there are too many variables to think about instant impacts. mentality, pace, directness, does he tkae his chances etc etc... stamina fitness... Suarez took a little time to really get going even and he's a streaky player. If you are mentally right and fast and lethal in fornt of goal coming to the prem can still burn you out mid season.... lets face it di maria has a lot of attributes and the colour of his jersey is what most have against him (and his saviour status) but he looks shattered... Who is to say messi to man city for example would be great...
mascherano left us cos he wanted to... rafa persuaded him to stay one more year and he still managed to play in a team finishing 7th. Barca move was on for 18months or more before he moved.
I never said I wouldn't sign them, they do all seem to have the work ethic I seek in a player. My point was they have very little, if any, attachment to the club they play for. Having said that, if we can get them for a reasonable price, get the best out of them and then make a profit on their transfer value then why not? We did it with Mascerano and Suarez. Despite them not being south American the point still stands, we did it with Torres and Alonso too.
