Liverpool FC Forum

by **Raj_Xedos** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 9:18 pm

This was posted on Liverpool FC.TV.....

According to reports in the Turkish press, Rafa Benitez rejected the recent bid from Birmingham for Ryan Babel as they are in negotiations with Turkish giants Galatasaray for a swap deal plus cash for their captain and star man Arda Turan.

The player was widely expected to leave Galatasaray last summer with the club finishing a highly disappointing 5th in the Turkish league, 10 points behind champions Besiktas.

However, it would seem this will now be Arda's last season with the club before moving abroad although Benitez is trying to push through a deal this month as he looks to claw back a Champions League place by the end of the current campaign.

An added bonus for potential suitors of Arda is the player's versatility as he can play on either flank or even in a more central role.

It's no surprise that Liverpool are so strongly linked to the golden boy of Turkish football as Rafa Benitez has been looking to add some much needed flair to his strong outfit.

The injuries to Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun have led Liverpool to attempt to push through a deal as soon as possible with the team lacking its most creative and goal scoring talent.

The 22-year-old Galatasaray midfielder enjoyed an excellent season individually last season even though the team ultimately struggled after scoring 7 goals in 29 league appearances (27 starts).

In the 2007/08 season he also weighed in with 7 goals in 30 league appearances (29 starts) which led to interest from England, Spain and Italy. As new captain of the side, Arda has scored 4 goals in 16 league appearances this season as the club sit 2nd in the league, 1 point behind leaders Fenerbahce.

Arda is a team-mate of former Liverpool star Harry Kewell and reports suggest the Australian has given a glowing report about life at Anfield.

Since breaking into the first team he has scored an impressive 23 goals from 102 (90 starts) league appearances and has become a mainstay of the team that won the 2007/08 Turkish title.

His match-winning performances in Turkey's superb Euro 2008 displays also intensified the growing interest in the exciting winger as well as increased his price tag.

The player is expected to cost around £13m which may not be too much of a gamble for Liverpool if he can realise his amazing potential in England.

Rafa Benitez is reported to have offered £3m and Ryan Babel for the Turkish star which would be good business with the sales of Andrey Voronin and Andrea Dossena comfortably covering that outlay.

Arda has won 35 caps for his country (4 goals) despite his tender age after progressing from the U19 and U21 sides. The youngster is both quick and two footed and has been likened to former Galatasaray legend Gheorghe Hagi in his home country so should give you an idea of how highly he is rated.

If Arda was to join Rafa Benitez' team then the amount of creative attacking talent at the Spaniard's disposal would be hugely increased following the arrival of Maxi Rodriguez this month.

Arda fits the bill in terms of creativity and technical ability but we will have to wait and see if Liverpool can indeed secure the golden boy of Turkish football.

by **NANNY RED** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 10:15 pm

I have said many times i would love Arda here , but i just cant see it happening in January, He is there captain, they are still in the Europa cup and they are also fighting for a place in next seasons champions league, Maybe in the summer tranfer window, Yes i would love it to happen now as i think hes head and shoulders above Babel, bottle , heart ,pace , skill, can put a cross in, and can also bang in the goals.

by **anti-hero** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 12:43 am

NANNY RED wrote:I have said many times i would love Arda here , but i just cant see it happening in January, He is there captain, they are still in the Europa cup and they are also fighting for a place in next seasons champions league, Maybe in the summer tranfer window, Yes i would love it to happen now as i think hes head and shoulders above Babel, bottle , heart ,pace , skill, can put a cross in, and can also bang in the goals.

well not necessarily the case. babel's stock in the transfer market is still pretty high. though some of us here might not rate him, some other people still do, (like birmingham) and that might give galatasary at least some thinking to do.

i like babel, i'm for giving him another chance next season, BUT if we can sell him for a max of 10-12 million now, AND get Turan, i'd rather have that,

THAN

waiting till the summertime, when there is the possibility of Turan's stock getting higher thereby raising his fee and Babel's stock decreasing thereby lowering his price; between that and this, i'd rather sell him now.

other clubs see that potential in babel, and the sooner we cash in the less its going to hurt the club's pockets. because lets face it. we all know the deal with babel. its a dilemma really.

sell him now, or keep him for the rest of the season and hope for the best.

whereby 2 different things might happen:

he performs poorly, and we sell him for a knock down price.

OR

he FINALLY impresses

and ignites a fresh debate over his staying or going.

by **NANNY RED** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 1:42 am

I dont think Galatasary are thinking about his stock at the mo mate, they need him to be in there captaining them to try an win the Europa cup,an there league,He is by far the best player they have, if he comes here he would be cup tied and vice versa with Babel, Turkey are not in the world cup so it wont make much difference to his price rocketing on him turning in a good performance to catch anyones eye there if you see what i mean, were as Babel if selected and does ok for Holland well he could be worth more, I agree totaly though We need rid as soon as , but i just cant see it Galatersaryletting him go easy this tranfer window,

by **tubby** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 1:50 am

anti-hero wrote:he FINALLY impresses and ignites a fresh debate over his staying or going.

The only way that could happen is if a new manager came in and gave him a fresh start. But it wont becasue he isn't good enough anyway.

by **anti-hero** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:48 am

all valid points then nan and bav.

by **stmichael** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:37 pm

Arda Turan issues Liverpool FC "come and get me" plea

Galatasaray midfielder Arda Turan has issued a fresh come and get me plea to Liverpool, stating that it would be a dream come true for him.

The highly-rated midfielder was linked with a move to Anfield in the January transfer window with a part-exchange deal for the then out-of-favour Ryan Babel touted as the most likely option.

Cimbom captain Turan, 22, has received glowing references about the Reds from former players Harry Kewell and Milan Baros - both currently at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium.

The Turkey international is again considering his option elsewhere and has high hopes for a move to Merseyside, despite Rafael Benitez set to be handed a meagre transfer warchest this summer.

He said: “Of course I want to play abroad but it is our board's decision. As I always mention, Liverpool attracts me because of their tradition.

"In Europe, I am a Liverpool supporter, so if I go to play in Europe, I would like to play for them.

“My dream has always been to play for one of the top European clubs, but you shouldn't make concrete plans in your life because sometimes these plans cannot be achieved.

"This is my dream, but for now I'm just working on my football.”

Turan's comments come 24 hours after Palermo defender Simon Kjaer revealed that his preferred destination is Liverpool so that he can forge a defensive partnership with compatriot Daniel Agger.

http://www.clickliverpool.com/sport....a.html?

by **Aussie Style** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:14 pm

stmichael wrote:He said: “Of course I want to play abroad but it is our board's decision. As I always mention, Liverpool attracts me because of their tradition.

"In Europe, I am a Liverpool supporter, so if I go to play in Europe, I would like to play for them.

Well you can't say he isn't making his intentions known.

Would Babel + 5 mil do it?

We can't miss out on him, absolute kwaliteee! Get him Rafa..

by **Waldo** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 12:35 am

Mascha and Pepe sign new deals.....

Then...Jovanovic (Free), Chamakh (Hopefully - Free), Kjaer (£10m) and Turan (Babel + £5m) would be a GREAT summer's work for Rafa.

by **JoeTerp** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 1:22 am

Chamakh seems like a stretch, doesn't he favor Arsenal? Would be made up with Kjaer and Turan and Jovanovic though. Wouldn't mind selling Skrtel and Babel to finance it, maybe throw in Riera as well if we don't have enough cash.

Would have a nice mix of youth and experience in attack/out wide with : Torres, Kuyt, Yossi, Jovanovic, Maxi, Turan, N'gog, Pacheco, and Gerrard

by **JC_81** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:04 am

Why dont we make a play for Turan?? How bout coz he'd laugh in our face. Awsome player. He's no Stu The Red tho... now he was a player

by **metalhead** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 10:18 am

john craig wrote:Why dont we make a play for Turan?? How bout coz he'd laugh in our face. Awsome player. He's no Stu The Red tho... now he was a player

by **Waldo** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 11:15 am

JoeTerp wrote:Chamakh seems like a stretch, doesn't he favor Arsenal? Would be made up with Kjaer and Turan and Jovanovic though. Wouldn't mind selling Skrtel and Babel to finance it, maybe throw in Riera as well if we don't have enough cash.

Would have a nice mix of youth and experience in attack/out wide with : Torres, Kuyt, Yossi, Jovanovic, Maxi, Turan, N'gog, Pacheco, and Gerrard

Yeah, looks like Chamakh has agreed to join Arsenal

I wouldn't sell Skrtel but Babel may have to go in the summer. If we are serious about Cole then maybe Babel, Riera or Yossi will go in order to fund that move and make room in the squad. The most likely one to go would be Babel and he is also probably the most valuable from the 3 I mentioned.

We've got Kjaer and Turan souning out moves to LFC but we don't even know if Rafa is interested in either of them. I bloody well hope so :idea

by **leep33** » Sun Mar 07, 2010 8:00 am

Hopefully Rafa is interested in both of them and we can get the deals done early. If we could get Joe cole as well that would be a bonus.

by **bunglemark2** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:03 am

Joe Cole is interesting Manure, according to a report in the Times yesterday..

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