At this stage of the window would you sell? If you do what will you do up front and how harmful do you think losing him will be... in short are you looking at dropping down the table as a result?
I don't think we'll sell, but if we do I'm quite sure we'll have a replacement at half the price lined up that barely anyone will have heard of who we'll then sell for silly money next season. It's our business model.
We could have done a twat for twat swap if you'd been a little quicker - Osvaldo for Balo. At least he would have punched Lallana...
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, 25, is expected back at Anfield this weekend after a successful rehabilitation process in the United States following hip surgery and could make his first-team comeback at Manchester United on 12 September. (Guardian)
I'd have taken the swap. Put Oswaldo on a one week contact and don't renew. No compensation and Balotelli's gone
Signing of the summer for people then? Shortlist of Payet, Ayew, Milner, Cech and Shaqiri for me On Sturridge.,. not sure what he's done to his hips but I've broken the bone + ripped my hip flexor on two occasions whilst playing sport (rugby + football)... it takes a week/two weeks to walk comfortably (quite fast) but took several months for me to run freely, or even go up stairs properly. Then trusting yourself to sprint and move dynamically....it's no surprise Sturridge has been recovering this long. I did both aged 15/16... still get hip pain after extended exercise, lost about 45 degrees flexibility in both legs... not a nice thought!
Still don't rate him then? I actually expect him to have a much better season for you than last year.
£15m and he's yours. For me, he's not that good. I did like him at Soton and thought he was a tidy player at the level. But he's not a starter for a top 4 team. I did think he could be a squad player but even as a squad player, he's underperformed. He has most of the tools to succeed - technically and right attitude. However, he lacks the main attribute to separate players who look good to ones who are good and that's intelligence. He looks very silky and technical but there's very little substance.
Southampton can have Lallana back for how much Jimmy?. Certainly they are not going to pay close to £25m.
A mistake a lot of players make when moving to big clubs, needs to just play his natural game. I wouldn't take him back, he had his chance of having legend status down here and ruined it with comments/actions. I thought he would do well at you eventually once settled in, suprised you say he lacks intelligence as I always thought he had that. Maybe he just suited being one the best players in a team rather than a part of a team with loads of good players around him. Big season for him either way.
I'd honestly sell him for nothing less than £15m. I don't see the point of keeping him because a) he's not contributing and b) he's blocking the path of more talented youngsters i.e. Ibe and Markovic.
