Premier League Transfers And Liverpool?!

[Uncle Albert]

Not related to City but still quite interesting, especially if you're a Liverpool fan!

Moura's transfer to Man Utd got me thinking about the transfer activity in the Premier League this summer.

United are on the brink of signing him and have already added quality in Kawaga and young talent in Nick Powell.

I have to admit I am most impressed with Arsenal's recruitment drive this summer, Giroud, Podolski, and this new Spanish guy really seem to represent some of the best value transfers that have taken place all summer. If, and it's a big if, they can keep hold of Song and RVP, then I think they will be a real real force this season.

Chelsea, well, they are being the Chelsea of old and buying their way back into contention. I have to say, I really hate how they are going about their transfer business but they really have added class to the front like, Hazard, Marin and Oscar (never seen him play but hyped to be the next big thing I guess). If the do well next season their fans will be praising how well Di Mattieo has managed the team when in fact Roman's money did it.

I guess, with not many players leaving and not many areas needed to improve on, it is no surprise that Manchester City have been very quiet in adding new members to their squad. If they sign Agger or Skrtel, De Rossi and RVP, well...

And this brings me nicely onto the main part of this thread, Liverpool. Although they have recruited one of the best up and coming managers in the league, if not the world (open to debate), their lack of transfer activity and the names they have been linked with have been nothing short of poor, in my opinion, and more importantly, quite worrying. They have lost Kuyt and Maxi, and by the sounds of it, could be losing one of, if not the best (in my opinion), centre back pairings in the Premier League. Yes, they have added Borini, but with talk of Carroll going, that leaves them with two recognised, first team strikers, not exactly ideal and not exactly strengthening the squad.

The likes of Allen, Dempsey, Neil Taylor, Moses and Sinclair have all been mooted as transfer targets, but really, when you look at them, will they really give Liverpool that extra edge that they have been missing in order to push them into the CL spots. Personally, as we go into the first game of the season, I think not.

It's obvious Liverpool aren't going to attract the biggest names in world football at the moment - they will go to Barca, Man City and Man Utd etc - but they can surely be competing with the likes of Arsenal at Tottenham. I think it's more a case of Liverpool finding gems like Newcastle have managed to do, Ba, Cisse, Tiote etc, but that's not to say they can't sign people like Giroud.

However, just as with DM, I'm not writing Rogers off for one minute. For all we know, he could pull some fantastic signings out of the hat. Just as it stands, with the recruiting that the teams around them have been doing, bar Spurs, I don't think they are in any better position, in terms of their squad, than they were last season. I've worded that sentence very carefully because I fully well believe that the squad they currently have, regardless of their performances last season, will perform a damn lot better this season, whether it will be good enough for the top four remains to be seen.

Interesting to see what other people think of the transfer activities in the PL? This is just my opinion and I guess many will think what I have just written is a load of BS!

On a side, interesting to see how busy Norwich, Reading and Southampton amongst others have been!

[_Bristol-City_]

Arsenal to sign Sahin too

[Pickle Rick]

Interesting views

I agree on the Liverpool side of things. It'll be a surprise if they break the top6 let alone top 5. As with signings, they won't be able to get that 'marque' Torres type of player in.

If anything it could well be another bunch over value buys, much like Henderson & Carroll.

Chelsea need at least another season before they really consider pushing as a top 2 team.

Man Utd & Man City again.

1. Many City

2. Man Utd

3. Chelsea

4. Arsenal

5. Spurs?

6. Could be one of about 5 teams

[Lrrr]

Think Everton could be in for a big season this year, top 5/6 I reckon. Seing how Jelavic did in half a season could easily see him being premier league top scorer this season. Otherwise there hasn't been a great deal lost from their first team (Tim Cahill was on the decline anyway) and they've brought in Naismith.

[wilksy]

Liverpool. Although they have recruited one of the best up and coming managers in the league, if not the world (open to debate)

Try not to get caught up in the hype. Rodgers talks a great game, while at Reading (In the Championship) he started talking about European football, but after a few months in charge he was well on his way to guiding them to League One, then he got sacked for under achieving.

He done well at Swansea, but inherited a good side that just needed goals adding. Swansea had been playing great football under Martinez and Sousa previously, its not like he changed the way they played dramatically.

I hope he does well, but its fair to say he is still pretty unproven.

[Cunnyfunt]

Interesting views

I agree on the Liverpool side of things. It'll be a surprise if they break the top6 let alone top 5. As with signings, they won't be able to get that 'marque' Torres type of player in.

If anything it could well be another bunch over value buys, much like Henderson & Carroll.

Chelsea need at least another season before they really consider pushing as a top 2 team.

Man Utd & Man City again.

1. Many City

2. Man Utd

3. Chelsea

4. Arsenal

5. Spurs?

6. Could be one of about 5 teams

Do you honestly think 55m for Henderson and Carroll is value?

[The Batman]

Do you honestly think 55m for Henderson and Carroll is value?

PSG signed Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva for less. :-)

I was best man to my mate last year and he is a huge liverpool fan. Managed to sneak into my speech that he could have all those champs league medals, league trophies and fa cups etc, but last time they played us, they lost in the cup.

never gets boring winding him up about that.

[Barrs Court Red]

Do you honestly think 55m for Henderson and Carroll is value?

Yes, top comedy value

[herman]

why do people still act as if liverpool are a top level club? even before dalglish came in and set them back 5-10 years with his hilariously inept management and irresponsibly awful transfer activity, they were massively in decline.

spurs, man city, newcastle and a number of other clubs have overtaken them. the league table proved that they're not even a top club in their own city. top 6 would be a huge acheivement for liverpool.

hopefully rodgers can get them playing decent football and in 2-3 years they may even be ready to challenge for europa league places, but they are a poor, poor side being carried by 2-3 good players who either should have left when they could (gerrard) or are desperate to leave now (suarez)

[samo II]

Try not to get caught up in the hype. Rodgers talks a great game, while at Reading (In the Championship) he started talking about European football, but after a few months in charge he was well on his way to guiding them to League One, then he got sacked for under achieving.

He done well at Swansea, but inherited a good side that just needed goals adding. Swansea had been playing great football under Martinez and Sousa previously, its not like he changed the way they played dramatically.

I hope he does well, but its fair to say he is still pretty unproven.

I think this post has a lot of truth in it.

He's had two good seasons, both with Swansea, after two distinctly average and brief stints at Watford and Reading.

Swansea were playoff contenders the season prior to Rodgers turning up, missing out by a point, so he inherited a decent side. Rodgers' biggest influence then was getting Scott Sinclair to sign on for them (for a shockingly low half a million) and he was the catalyst for their excellent season. I think he hit something crazy like 25 goals, including that hat-trick in the playoff final.

Rodgers did do well to keep them in the Prem, but relied on players he had retained or had prior relationships with again. Sigurson who he knew from Reading playing a vital post-January and Graham from Watford was a star, although tailed off badly in the final few months of the season.

Asides from players like these (add Borini to that list) he doesn't actually do that well in the transfer market. The two exceptions last year were Vorm and Caulker, and I understand that Neil Taylor had already signed on at Swansea before Rodgers moved there the year before. Outside of these few he seems to struggle to improve on the teams he inherits without signing players he had worked with before.

Not that that is that bad a thing; he get's the max from the players at his disposal, and adds those he knows and trusts to bring a new dimension. Worked well at Swansea where he started out with a very capable side, but at Watford and Reading he couldn't get things going, and flopped. At Liverpool he'll need to BOTH get the absolute maximum from the available players AND find some real gems. He's already got Borini, tried and failed to get Sigurdson, and been linked with Neil Taylor, but few other names (certainly of the calibre 'Pool fans will expect) have come up.

Think he'll do well, but not immediately. Can see them doing ok in cups again this year, with maybe a European run. But league-wise they'll not have the fire power to break the top 4 or maybe even 6 unless he can get in some serious talent.

[Pezo]

Think Everton could be in for a big season this year, top 5/6 I reckon. Seing how Jelavic did in half a season could easily see him being premier league top scorer this season. Otherwise there hasn't been a great deal lost from their first team (Tim Cahill was on the decline anyway) and they've brought in Naismith.

That doesnt really fit the patern though does it? Usually Everton have a good season followed by a poor one - they say Moyes is god then the next season want him sacked then he is god again.