Liverpool FC Forum

by **tubby** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 1:10 pm

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has revealed that he passed up the opportunity to sign Sergio Aguero two years ago because he was too much of a 'risk'...

Aguero was heavily linked with Liverpool in the summer of 2006 after rising to fame with his prodigious performances for Independiente.

Then 17 years of age, the Argentine forward instead signed for Atletico Madrid where he has since established himself as one of the most exciting young players in world football.

“Two years ago the agents were talking with us about players and he was one of those but he was too young and [Atlético] paid big money for him, around 18 million euros for a player who was a risk,” Benitez said in The Times. “In the Premier League it’s different and sometimes players will need more time here to improve.”

The Reds boss opted to draft in strikers Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy for a combined fee of £18million that summer - £4million more than Atleti paid for Aguero. While Kuyt has since become a valuable, if not prolific, performer for Liverpool, Bellamy was moved on after a single tumultuous season.

Another player who got the chop at Anfield is Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who was sold to Recreativo Huelva in May 2007 to make room for the impending arrival of Fernando Torres.

Fittingly, the French forward is now in Atletico's ranks after penning a four-year deal in July and is likely to face his former employers when they visit the Vicente Calderon for Wednesday's Champions League clash.

“We had a lot of confidence in him, we knew that he’s a good player but he needed to play games,” Benítez said of Sinama-Pongolle, who was recently handed his first international cap by France coach Raymond Domenech. “We had Crouch, we were bringing in Torres, it was a question of space.”

Torres has been ruled out of a return to his old stomping ground after injuring his hamstring last week while on World Cup duty with Spain.

Mike Maguire

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Personally I would have preferred we blew the lot on him at the time. Imagine if we had him and Torres now.

by **Reinas No.1 Fan** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:07 pm

I remember that, we were out bid by atletico and although looking back on it, it probably was a bargin but at the time it was risky!!

wish we had taken the risk tho

by **GYBS** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:19 am

Didnt Aguero not really work well together when they were both there at Atletico

He has seemed to flourish since torres has left.

by **woof woof !** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:23 am

17 year old Argentinian for 18 million euros ! think many in here (including me) would have been raging at Rafa especially when if as was likely the lad was REFUSED a work permit, at 17 I doubt if he would have qualified for one. We would have had to farm him out on loan (similar to Gonzalez) and considered him a long term investment , but if we're honest we couldn't afford to splash out that kind of money on long term investments anyway.

by **RUSHIE#9** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:55 am

This is another case of hindsight being 20:20 I think.

I remember us being heavily linked with him at the time, but when I heard how much he'd gone for I knew Liverpool would've baulked at such a high price for a teenager.

As woof points out the lad probably would've struggled to get a work permit back then as well, and considering we were looking for a striker that was the finished article to provide us 20 goals a season I don't think Rafa would be able to justify spending such a huge chunk of his transfer budget on Aguero.

It's another one of those what might have been signings, but at the end of the day had we signed Aguero he might not have gone onto become the player he is now.

by **tubby** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 1:01 pm

I think it was more a case we couldnt justify spending that much on a kid. Then again we even let Walcott go to Arsenal for 12Mil and he even openly stated he was an avid Liverpool fan. We need to splash the cash for youngsters when needed.

by **GYBS** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 1:22 pm

If we had the money think we would be ok to blow 10 mil plus on kids but we dont have that luxury unfortunately

by **woof woof !** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 1:34 pm

bavlondon wrote:I think it was more a case we couldnt justify spending that much on a kid. Then again we even let Walcott go to Arsenal for 12Mil and he even openly stated he was an avid Liverpool fan. We need to splash the cash for youngsters when needed.

We must be reading different papers Bav. Don't think we let Walcott go. I read he was a BIG Thierry Henry fan, that plus the input of Walcotts Dad, pushed him to sign for Arsenal.

by **tubby** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 9:08 pm

Perhaps but im sure if we have put up the money Rafa may have convinced him. Henry left after a year anyway so he cant have been that swayed by playing in the same team as him. We didnt even bother bidding though.

by **GYBS** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 11:15 am

prob didnt bid cause we couldnt afford to mate - i think if we did have the money rafa would of gone in for players like bale and walcott and maybe augero

by **Toffeehater** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:29 am

Walcott is overrated any way . have not seen much from him since he has joined arsenal bar a superb run against run in the champions league and the odd goal now and than . Ramsey is looking like the real deal though

by **GYBS** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:05 am

Think you need to watch walcott a bit more mate - the guy has real talent is showing that for both club and country and is really coming on

by **tubby** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 6:58 pm

Seems like he has some dodgey shoulders though. 2nd time he has had a shoulder injury. Both have come out of place now

You dont get strong skillfull players like Fowler these days.

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