Weird that our transfer policy is slagged off using an example of player who we did actually sign (and many fans whinged at the time wasn't a big enough name).
I have no idea who buys who and who wants who these days. Club bought Balotelli to be a superstar name to replace Suarez. Failed. Club buys Ings to be a cheap backup player, does well. It's not about big names and ego, it's about big performances and heart. Liverpool fans, more than anything else, should appreciate such virtues. The likes of Kuyt and Carragher, and more recently Flannagan, are testament to that. The right player will always perform better than the big name in a team. It's a team game. I think it's more the younger generation of FIFA or football manager fanatics who crave superstars and names. I just want to replace quality with quality - and quality doesn't have to be a name, it can be the next up and coming like we have a history of doing.
I agree, however with a caveat being that you do also need a superstar or two to drag the team of runners and workers up to higher standards. It's all well and good signing Milner, hendo, can, Ings all players that are solid players but if you take out Sturridge and coutinho and replace them with balotelli and lallana... Then those players above just form an average squad. You ou need that star quality and unfortunately the last 2 years has shown us what a star player can do to a team of grafters. Not saying hendo Milner etc don't have quality, but it takes someone like Suarez or lesser extent Sturridge or coutinho to bring them up to a higher level. Because the last 3 years we've lost a star player each summer it means we've had to try and replace them with another star which is where we've struggled. The squad players brought in have been very good, it's that top quality where we've spent big money which has so far failed us (balotelli, benteke, firmino although early days for the sat 2)
Buying star quality doesn't mean buying a big name though. Suarez was not a superstar when we bought him, we just bought smart. We then lost him and tried to buy Balotelli who was all ego and name without any real quality. It flopped massively as many of us thought it would. I maintain that Firmino will step up and show he's a top quality player in time without being a big name. Coutinho and Sturridge fulfill that role in part right now, albeit on a lower level than Suarez did. Markovic may yet get there if he's given opportunities in his favoured role, but I can't see him getting back into the squad when he comes back from loan unless no one wants him. You weave talent in between the grafters. Not names and egos. It's the reason Barca were so successful in the last 7 years rather than Real imo.
I agree - some fans think that we cannot compete because we don't spend big on players or buy big names. It's b*llocks - we just need to be shrewd.
Agree the process is a problem because there's too much interference. I say, remove Rodgers from the process. Wages aren't a problem - we offered more than Arsenal for Sanchez, we gave Milner £150k and Skrtel/Johnson over £100k as well .
I have no doubt we can afford more but FSG won't allow it. Low basic wage (in football terms) with significant bonuses to make it very well paid. Sanchez as no bollox and his mrs wanted London. Milner had no transfer fee and is still short of a top wage. Top players get nearer £200k, we didn't even give Suarez or Gerrard that! Having said that, there are quality players that would join for less than the £100k Skrtel gets! The committee idea is a joke. Removing the manager from process is crazy too but I'd rather that than split responsibility.
It's not mate - firstly, Sanchez doesn't have a mrs. Secondly, it was only the Echo and Liverpool journos that said it was because of the 'lifestyle'. Sanchez had a pick of playing for a team who finished in top 4 for the first time in around 5 years and for an unknown manager. Or play for a very stable club like Arsenal, for a manager who is highly regarded in the game and who took the time out to speak to him constantly over the past year and meet up with several times. Am I right in thinking Suarez did get £200k when we made him sign a new contract in his final year? If you're earning £200k a week, then you better be world class. We're not gong to attract world class players even if we did pay that because why would they want to play for us? The only involvement the manager should have in recruitment is identifying which areas need strengthening. That's it. That's how all of the big clubs are run bar Arsenal.
The reports were that Suarez got a contract that increased with each passing season (sounds like FSG to me) and he got £180k initially but moved before the first increment kicked in. Even if he were on £200k, point still stands. It actually fits in with your argument too; be clever with signings target than throw money at the problem. PS...I've previously argued the same point for Sanchez. I think he's a poor example to use. What about Henry Ryan, Willian, Costa, Salah, etc. We approached all well before others showed a interest.
Fair point but look at the teams they ended up joining - Dortmund and Chelsea. Both teams were better than us, and Dortmund certainly wouldn't have competed with us on wages I don't think. At least back then, we had ambition. The committee were targeting quality players before anyone had heard of them. Henri is having a brilliant season, Costa enjoyed two great seasons since we first approached him and Willian is also a good player. Salah was pretty poor tbf.
Yes they eventually joined good teams but we were in way before all of them so none of them should have had a chance. We are eager to over pay of transfer fees but we try to get players as cheap as possible (not always a bad thing) when it comes to wages. Had we offered the going rate straight away would they have dragged their feet enabling the other teams to turn up a few weeks later?
Actually, yep, agree with you! You're right - we were very strict to that policy back then. But since we finished 2nd, the owners have relaxed the rules and we're buying players in mid twenties and offering good contracts.
Unfortunately, since we finished second the transfer fees and wages have inflated dramatically thanks to the boosted £5b TV deal!
We did hence the increased wages we offered this summer PS...try reading the conversation next time dude
I did but the "unfortunately" bit made it sound like you are at some kind of dis-advantage, even Stoke are buying players like Bojan ffs
