I'll remember him as a great keeper and a leader on and off the pitch. Shame things turned it out but he did flirt with Arsenal and Barcelona as well so I don't have much sympathy.
Liverpool target Guillermo Ochoa will leave Ajaccio when his contract expires in June - although AC Milan have not made an approach for the Mexico goalkeeper. Brendan Rodgers is keen to provide solid back-up for first-choice goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and Ochoa, who has been trailed by the Reds for the past two seasons, is an option. The 28-year-old's agent Jorge Berlanga says the former America man will not extend his deal at French club Ajaccio and says he already has a variety of offers from across the continent - but insists he is in the dark about reports linking the stopper with Milan. When asked about the San Siro side, he told Calciomercato: "There has been no contact. My client is fascinated by Italy, but at the moment there is nothing. "Renewal is not an option at the moment. We are already talking with other teams, but they are not Italian. France and Spain? We have several options in these countries, but also in other championships. "Obviously I cannot name names, but the market for goalkeepers will be very active in the summer." (Better than Jones but think he wants to be a starter) The Daily Mail says Richards is not prepared to sign a new, five-year deal. He has struggled for games under Manuel Pellegrini, yet the club are keen to keep him and the right back has been offered an increase on his £80,000-a-week deal to stay. The 25-year-old’s contract does not expire until the end of next season, but City may look to sell him in a cut-price deal this summer to avoid losing him for nothing in 2015. Liverpool, Arsenal and AC Milan are monitoring the situation. (THOSE WAGES THO!) The Daily Mail says representatives of Napoli's Swiss midfielder Behrami are understood to have spoken to Tottenham to gauge interest. The 28-year-old is keen on a move to England. (no, no, no, would rather Inler, Insigne, or Dzemali from Napoli in terms of mids or AM)
Richards is already on £80,000? And (correct me if I'm wrong) hasn't made a single appearance this season? How are we supposed to compete financially with teams that can afford to pay that much to players not even making the bench.
Probably a bit too high in value, but wouldn't mind Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid. If Suarez was to leave, considering his £100m+ value, I would want Isco, Morata, another and £30-40m
Morata is pretty bad. He gets a lot of praise for being pushed through the youth ranks but he's got nothing on Jese and is miles away from even Benzema. I've watched him quite a few times this season and he just hasn't been that impressive.
Bit of a red herring that, he's been injured for most of it! PS...he's made two appearances this season so far, both in the League Cup.
Morata is definitely talented - he has been injured and low on confidence. I do think he will come good though. But I wouldn't want him in a part exchange deal for Suarez. Does anyone remember that left back we were after - Sequeira? He moved to Benfica in the summer and looks like a top target for Real Madrid now.
Bit left field, but as a 2nd choice keeper, how about Tomasz Kuszczak? Has been class for Brighton the last few years in the Championship and contract expires this season so available on a free. Looks like he'll be leaving as is being talking to Prem clubs. Not sure if he'd want to come and be 2nd choice in the Prem though and he's a big like Mig in that he's not the best with the ball at his feet. Probably an improvement on Brad Jones though.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is ready to muscle in on Chelsea's attempts to sign Serbian sensation Lazar Markovic. The Benfica winger has long been a target for the Blues but the Sunday People reports that Rodgers is now on the 20-year-old's trail as he looks to add depth to his squad with Champions League football beckoning next term. The Portuguese giants value former Partizan Belgrade man Markovic at around £20million. Reports in Portugal suggest Chelsea are in the driving seat for Markovic's signature, however, if Liverpool do manage to clinch the Premier League title, their pulling power in this and other transfer tug-of-wars should increase significantly. Liverpool are in pole position in the race to sign Real Madrid and Portugal left-back Fabio Coentrao, writes Tom Hopkinson in the Sunday People. Sunday People Sport understands the Kop outfit are in contact with the player's agent Jorge Mendes - the two parties are believed to have spoken as recently as last week - and that talks are well down the line. Manchester City and Monaco are also keen on the 26-year-old but Brendan Rodgers' title chasers have moved to the head of the queue. Real want at least £11.5million for Coentrao, who struggles to get a game with Brazil defender Marcelo preferred. Coentrao was a target for Manchester United in January, and Tottenham were also interested, but baulked at Madrid's asking price. However that figure has now dropped by more than £3m and is tempting both Liverpool and City. Manchester City are in the race for Bayer Leverkusen star Julian Brandt - but face a massive battle for him, reports the Sunday People's Alan Nixon. The attacking midfielder only joined Leverkusen in the summer but already Chelsea and Manchester United are on his trail. And Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has made a personal check on Brandt too, as he looks to expand his squad for the Champions League. Brandt picked Leverkusen in the summer as he wants to play regular football - and that will still play a part in his decision.
Yes to Markovic and Brandt please. Two exciting talents Coentrao can f*ck off. Decent going forward, fast, injury prone, useless at defending and on big wages. I think we already have one full back like that already.
Arsenal are considering a £17m summer move for Paris St-Germain striker Marco Verratti, 21, despite the fact the Italian has not scored in 50 appearances since signing for the French club in 2012. That's from bbc gossip pages taken from metro. He prob hasn't scored because he's a defensive midfielder FFS!!
Coentrao can be a top player when he's in form. Don't think he's as bad at defending as made out. Certainly better than Flanagan and Cissokho there. EDIT: Few decent players in that Benfica side - Markovic, Rodrigo, Silvio, Gaitan, Garay.
Verratti is a seriously classy player, would love to have him but can't see him leaving PSG anytime soon. M'Vila has been in the papers today - his coach has had a go at him for having a poor attitude amidst interest from LFC in January.
No seen much of Coentrao but I do know he is very good going forward and can play LM too. To say he is better than Flanno at defending would suggest to me that he is a very good all rounder or are you another one that doesn't appreciate our Flanno?
I'm saying that people generally exaggerate the defensive problems of attacking fullbacks. Every time I've watched Coentrao for Madrid or Portugal he seems athletic, combative and tidy on the ball. I'm a fan of Flanagan, but his reputation for being 'solid' seems to come a lot from making a few crunching tackles... He's not doing anything a Portuguese international and Madrid player couldn't do. EDIT: For instance Diame ripped Flanagan apart in the first half on Sunday - would that happen to Coentrao?
