Liverpool FC Forum

by **Owzat** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:16 pm

Ciggy wrote:Liverpool had an offer of about £18.5 million for Glen Johnson accepted last night. The successful bid comes after they struggled to raise the money to buy him when he was valued at about £8.5 million in January.

We sold Keane back to spudz in January, albeit quite late January. How could we not find the cash then?

Anyone thinking Rafa is a genius in the transfer market should consider this. He spent near £40m on players last summer, only Riera of the lot really worked out and had the other £32m not been p1 ssed away on Dossena, Keane, Degen, Cavalieri and N'Gog, then maybe we'd have saved near £10m on signing Johnson when the price was right. Maybe Keane could have worked out, not that bad a player, but once the figure got silly then we should have pulled out. We paid £20m (in principle if not all up front) and he was worth maybe £12m as I've said elsewhere, not just for convenience as the £8m difference could have been enough that we bought Johnson.

EDIT : this could easily be this season's "Robbie Keane transfer", a player Liverpool fans might well like to see in a Liverpool shirt, but have deep concerns that too much has been paid. I am getting more and more worried Rafa is showing too many Citeh trends, looking to pay way too much for good but not great players.

Gareth Barry £18m
Robbie Keane £20.3m
Glen Johnson £18.5m?

Good players, no problem with us signing them, but the fees are ridiculous for being British/Irish and the price tag will weigh on everyone's minds. Rafa made a couple of direct hits on Torres and Mascherano when entering the world of £18m bids, but I think perhaps he has too much money and is losing his way a bit. Would Rick Parry sanction such a move? A lot on here slated Parry, but I'd be mighty f in glad if someone were to say "hang on a minute, £18.5m for Johnson? Near double his combined transfer fees to date"

We need a RB, can't argue with that. We need a bit more up in the attacking third and spending £18.5m on a RB rather than putting half it or more towards someone attacking is a dubious move

by **we all dream...** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:17 pm

Ciggy wrote:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 506773.ece

Portsmouth accept Liverpool bid for Glen Johnson

Window watch: England right back could be on his way to Anfield after South Coast club accept £18.5 million offer

Gary Jacob, James Ducker

Liverpool had an offer of about £18.5 million for Glen Johnson accepted last night. The successful bid comes after they struggled to raise the money to buy him when he was valued at about £8.5 million in January.

The Portsmouth and England right back subsequently signed a new four-year contract, but his future club appears clearer with Chelsea unwilling to match the fee for a player they sold for £4 million two years ago. Manchester City expressed an interest, but have not matched the price, which will include add-ons.

Liverpool will raise funds from the potential sales of Álvaro Arbeloa and Andrea Dossena and from outstanding money that they are owed from the sale of Peter Crouch to Portsmouth for £11 million a year ago. The Anfield club have expressed an interest in Micah Richards, the Manchester City defender.

The bit in this that sticks out for me is the last line. Why would they say we are interested in Richards if we were certain to sign Johnson. I simply cannot believe that anyone in our club would put the thumbs up to 18million for johnson and certainly not the yanks. If they are going to buy someone for that cash they would want a classy signing surely.

by **Reg** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:19 pm

Ciggy wrote:Liverpool had an offer of about £18.5 million for Glen Johnson accepted last night. The successful bid comes after they struggled to raise the money to buy him when he was valued at about £8.5 million in January.

Twist that knife......... :blush:

by **Ciggy** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:20 pm

we all dream... wrote:I simply cannot believe that anyone in our club would put the thumbs up to 18million for johnson and certainly not the yanks. If they are going to buy someone for that cash they would want a classy signing surely.

Its not 18 million tho, it will be around 15 with add ons, assuming Arby is off to Madrid thats 9-10 million and they owe us the money from Crouch.

Plus he's versatile you know how Rafa loves that

RB, RW, midfielder and CH all rolled into one.

And English for that silly quota.

by **we all dream...** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:26 pm

Yeh I agree he is good and as you say is versatile, maybe not as much as you say though!! I would like him at Anfield but I would not justify spending that amount of money on him. I am glad we are trying to sign english lads but I personally would rather have an 8 million Micah Richards than a 15/18million GJ. People were up in arms at a 20million Barry when we had Alonso why pay over the odds for Johnson when we have Arby, who had a decent year for us last year.

by **Owzat** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:33 pm

Ciggy wrote:
we all dream... wrote:I simply cannot believe that anyone in our club would put the thumbs up to 18million for johnson and certainly not the yanks. If they are going to buy someone for that cash they would want a classy signing surely.

Its not 18 million tho, it will be around 15 with add ons, assuming Arby is off to Madrid thats 9-10 million and they owe us the money from Crouch.

Plus he's versatile you know how Rafa loves that

RB, RW, midfielder and CH all rolled into one.

And English for that silly quota.

So are we to believe that Johnson is so good an option at RW that he will displace Kuyt? How many goals and assists does Johnson manage? Or that we'd consider playing Johnson at CH (I assume that is centre-half) ahead of Carra, Skrtel or Agger?

Barry could play a number of positions, jack of all trades and master of none is not really what a top team needs other than on the bench and that's not the kind of money we should be paying for a sub/reserve. Richards can player CH and RB, why pay about three times more for someone who CAN also play RW when Kuyt played in every game there last season, scored goals and created them in good numbers and we have Benayoun can play there too.

For £18.5m we should be signing one of the very best RBs in the world, which Johnson ain't, or it would be better spent on a proper RW

If we do sign him, I wonder what odds the bookies will have on us selling him back to pompey come January....................................

by **destro** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:34 pm

Not the end of the world as far as I can see, we needed to strengthen the team and we have done, so far we have added a player NOT taken one away, who cares if its not some exotic sounding player we have signed. Even if it costs us Arbeloa, we have IMO improved that position plus added to a few more with his versatality, better delivery and not afraid to take people on aswell as being able to defend.

Is he overpriced ? lets create a hindsight thread just incase, it was all doom and gloom a few days ago, Alonso is leaving,Mascherano is going,Torres to United :laugh:

Raffa doesnt have any money blah,blah,blah at this moment in time all of them are still Liverpool players and we have just beaten money bags Chelsea and City to the signing of very good player.

Dont worry be happy

by **bigmick** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:35 pm

I actually think Johnson will be a good buy. I think he'll become a top player, and yes I think if we needed to play him right midfield he would be better than Kuyt is there.

by **NANNY RED** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:35 pm

I like Arby he put in some good defensive displays last season, An it will be a shame if he goes tbh,

I cant get me head round Johnson though an that price tag fecking ridiculas.

Id sooner add a couple of million an go for a world class winger :nod

by **Reg** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:35 pm

I hate the signal this sends to the Reserves and the Academy.

by **we all dream...** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:37 pm

Reg wrote:I hate the signal this sends to the Reserves and the Academy.

Yeh, very much agreed.

by **Ciggy** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:41 pm

Owzat wrote:So are we to believe that Johnson is so good an option at RW that he will displace Kuyt? How many goals and assists does Johnson manage? Or that we'd consider playing Johnson at CH (I assume that is centre-half) ahead of Carra, Skrtel or Agger?

Barry could play a number of positions, jack of all trades and master of none is not really what a top team needs other than on the bench and that's not the kind of money we should be paying for a sub/reserve.

I meant if Rafa was wanting to change tactics through a game he could bring on another sub instead, by moving Johnson around, didnt mean he would start a game as a CH or anything like that.

I also dont think he will be a flop either, when Rafa signed Bellamy, Pennant and Keane you just knew it was all going to end in tears these players should not have been no where near our club. I dont have the same feeling about Johnson so its maybe a good move

by **bigmick** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:46 pm

Honestly I don't think I've ever known Liverpool to be on the brink of signing an International player who is in his mid twenties, and everyyone to be so downbeat about it. Guys this fella is a really good player who has been playing in a poor team. He will be a major improvement on Arbie going forward, potentially a really destructive force down the right hand side. Equally, I've always felt he was a right midfielder who plays at right back, I've said that since his Chelsea days and if Rafa were to convert/style/optionalise him to a right midfielder, he would be a revelation I've no doubt about it.

Look I really like Arbie too. I don't even mind Dirky boy. Somewhere along the line though we are going to have to improve. For two seasons now, drawing too many games has cost us the title, and from somewhere we are going to have to find some dynamite to shift the parked buses. To do that, we are going to need new personel in certain areas. Now obviously the right hand side is a major problem for us in a creative sense (well I say "obviously", it's obvious to me anyway). If as seems likely we can't afford to leave Dirk on the bench, for fear we might miss out on the possibility that he might direct the ball into the net with a random body part, we need a new right back. We need one who can do the stuff which Dirk can't, namely beat a player, have some pace etc etc. Glen Johnson is far and away the best candidate in English football, and I for one think he'll be a hit at Liverpool if he signs.

by **NANNY RED** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:50 pm

Its not that i dont like the lad i do hes a good player , but i just dont think hes worth that much money,

by **Ciggy** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:54 pm

bigmick wrote:Honestly I don't think I've ever known Liverpool to be on the brink of signing an International player who is in his mid twenties, and everyyone to be so downbeat about it. Guys this fella is a really good player who has been playing in a poor team. He will be a major improvement on Arbie going forward, potentially a really destructive force down the right hand side. Equally, I've always felt he was a right midfielder who plays at right back, I've said that since his Chelsea days and if Rafa were to convert/style/optionalise him to a right midfielder, he would be a revelation I've no doubt about it.

Look I really like Arbie too. I don't even mind Dirky boy. Somewhere along the line though we are going to have to improve. For two seasons now, drawing too many games has cost us the title, and from somewhere we are going to have to find some dynamite to shift the parked buses. To do that, we are going to need new personel in certain areas. Now obviously the right hand side is a major problem for us in a creative sense (well I say "obviously", it's obvious to me anyway). If as seems likely we can't afford to leave Dirk on the bench, for fear we might miss out on the possibility that he might direct the ball into the net with a random body part, we need a new right back. We need one who can do the stuff which Dirk can't, namely beat a player, have some pace etc etc. Glen Johnson is far and away the best candidate in English football, and I for one think he'll be a hit at Liverpool if he signs.

Good post mate, our left hand side improved immensly once Albert came along, maybe Glen will make the difference on the right.

Albert & Glen :laugh:

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