Liverpool FC Forum

[account deleted by request]

The Mancs have just announced that Vidic has signed a new contract (day after it was announced they were going to offer him one),and from what I understand John Cofie has decided to join them rather than us (even though we have been after him for over 12 months)

I have thought for a while that our approach to contracts, transfers etc seems almost amaturish in comparison to the Mancs. (Maybe its just they handle the media better?) We always seem to take ages getting things sorted, quibble about paying a few quid extra, and as a result seem to lose quite a few signings or finish up paying way over the odds.

A case in point is Mascherano, he has been outstanding for us this season why not show our appreciation by offering him a contract and signing him now, rather than waiting, hoping to get him on the cheap, and risk losing him.

From what I understand we lost Vidic over a disagreement on price of less than £500k, now maybe if we had signed him we wouldn't have got Agger, but thats not the point. The point is that we lost a good prospect/player by not sorting a deal out quickly enough.

I understand that we can't always match the price clubs want for their stars, or even offer the wages that the said stars want. What we can do is be efficient and cut the protracted negotiations to a minimum, thereby reducing the likelyhood of our rivals entering negotiations and pushing the price of both the transfer and the contract through the roof.

As I said it may be just an impression or media spin but we do seem to be 10 years behind the times when it comes to the business side of the game.

[Thingy]

Very good point Saint. If it was the mancs who had Mascherano, if i were a betting man ( I actually am ) Id think theyd have him signed up permanently by now, or at least on the track to doing so. We fuss about way too much. Maybe now with the new owners in future that extra 500 Grand wont be a problem.

[66-1112520797]

Well in the famous words of Sabre & LFC2007, its all just media speculation   BUT from what I can gather is basically the same things you have said there S@int.

[Leonmc0708]

So lets get this straight.

Wenger is the greatest manager.

United is the greatest Club.

[account deleted by request]

So lets get this straight.

Wenger is the greatest manager.

United is the greatest Club.

and Chelsea have the best players

[66-1112520797]

So lets get this straight.

Wenger is the greatest manager.

United is the greatest Club.

Oh sh.ut up you doom munger.

[Leonmc0708]

So lets get this straight.

Wenger is the greatest manager.

United is the greatest Club.

Oh sh.ut up you doom munger.

NEWSFLASH

This is the internet, and there is no sound.

I just wanted clarification.

[Elchris]

Got to agree , we should offer mascherano a contract fast , but i'm sure we'll do it . Because of this transfer policy of not paying a bit more , we lost cristiano ronaldo , simao and daniel alves , but i guess with the new owner where we will have much more spending power , we'll sign the players that we really want even though it will be more pricy

[stmichael]

The Mancs have just announced that Vidic has signed a new contract (day after it was announced they were going to offer him one),and from what I understand John Cofie has decided to join them rather than us (even though we have been after him for over 12 months)

F#ck Cofie, tea's where it's at.

[66-1112520797]

So lets get this straight.

Wenger is the greatest manager.

United is the greatest Club.

Oh sh.ut up you doom munger.

NEWSFLASH

This is the internet, and there is no sound.

I just wanted clarification.

OH GIVE OVER YA BIG JESSE.

[Ola Mr Benitez]

I can see what you are saying, but it could also be that more top flight players would prefer to play for Utd because of the success they have had over the last 16 years??

[account deleted by request]

I can see what you are saying, but it could also be that more top flight players would prefer to play for Utd because of the success they have had over the last 16 years??

In a straight fight over a player yes/maybe, but when we get in first and then lose out because we are quibbling over the transfer fee/ contract is a different matter. i.e. Malouda seemed from the off to be more interested in Chelsea than us (stupid of him but fair enough). Vidic was supposedly willing to sign for us, we hesitated over the transfer fee and the mancs stepped in. Similar thing with Sylvester under Houllier, we negotiated agreed a transfer fee, stalled on the contract and the mancs again stepped in.

Maybe we are still living in the past when players jumped at the chance to join us rather than our rivals, unfortunately that no longer seems the case.

[Sabre]

Well, I'm biased. I can't give an opinion about Manchester United and Arsenal because I haven't seen any of their games in 3 seasons, bar when they play against us and CL finals and semifinals, which they don't reach often enough. I don't know well their players, I don't find them particularly interesting, nor a model to look at football wise. Wake me up when they win CLs.

However the topic that S@int introduces is interesting and worth a debate.

Forgetting about english archrivals, and focusing on what we do, we can spot several mistakes (and also successes) in Rafa's management re contracts:

* It písses me off that this year we have money, we hadn't bought a CB. Heinze is doing great as CB alongside Metzelder in Real Madrid, he has sat down IMHO a great CB, Cannavaro. IMHO that bástards have a better back four because of that signing up than us. Rafa should have had a second option, because you can foresee the bloody Mancs will try to hinder you.

* I disagree those who find a dig in mascherano's case to Rafa. They say "if it had been Manchester he would have signed already". Well, the fact is that Mascherano was brought by a enterprise to England, and Rafa was quicker than other rivals to spot his quality. In Tevez case the bástards were quicker, but in this case Rafa was quicker, so fair play to him. Now we have all the options and the best chances to keep the player on the long run.

* As I've said earlier (and already discussed) Rafa has done well to keep key players in the team, and defend the club from the temptation of other big clubs.

* Rafa has signed many patches instead of great players. It's true he has been hindered by money and the previous chairman didn't back him as expected. So he had to consider players like Victor, Arbeloa, patches that were not really the man he wanted. Unlike in the Heinze's case, that's not his fault

[account deleted by request]

Liverpool eager to secure Javier MascheranoNov 9 2007
by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo

RAFA BENITEZ today told of his desire to keep Javier Mascherano at Anfield.

The Argentinian midfield general is currently halfway through an 18 month loan deal but the Liverpool manager is keen to see the deal made permanent.

Mascherano has established himself as a key member of Benitez's squad thanks to a string of magnificent performances and the Reds boss does not want to see him go elsewhere.

Although Barcelona are keen to sign the 23-year-old Liverpool are well placed to conclude a permanent transfer with Mascherano having informed Media Sports Investment - the company which holds his economic rights - that he wants to remain at Anfield and does not even wish to consider going elsewhere.

The ball is now well and truly in Liverpool's court and the club now has to agree a fee with MSI and a contract with the player himself for a permanent deal to be secured.

Benitez said: "Mascherano wants to stay, he is very happy here.

"He is a key player for us and I have been talking with him and he is really pleased to be at Liverpool.
"His family are settled here and his wife is learning English and he is very comfortable here.

"Javier also knows that the supporters like him and I think if everything is okay he will stay with us.
"We are happy with him so it would be good for everyone if he stayed at Liverpool."

Representatives of Barcelona have informed MSI that the Spanish giants want to take Mascherano to the Nou Camp when his loan deal with Liverpool expires at the end of this season but, under the terms of the loan, Liverpool can make the deal permanent by buying him outright for a fee in the region of £17 million before June 30 next year.

[stmichael]

Anyway, it's a shame we missed out on a very promising youngster but in we've got bigger fish to fry. We've recently been closely watching Ben Arfa and Benzema at Lyon (had a scout at the CL game this week). Never really seen either player but apparently both are pretty good. Better than Cheyrou anyway.