FAO Dumpstar, regarding Meireles

[GlastonSpur]

Am I really reading this? A Spurs fan, and supporter who's manager is Harry Redknapp lecturing someone about panic buying and spur of the moment deals?

That FF ad with Stelling is probably how Harry spends his summers and January's and how he goes about constructing his squad.

It's your delusion if you get taken in by Harry's public persona and actually believe that - especially with Levy holding the purse strings - he signs players at random, on a whim, in a panic. Spurs have a scouting and transfer system that's as good as any.

You should focus on what he does, rather than what he says. The net spending at Spurs under Harry has fallen a lot, to around 37m in total, spread over 6 windows: an average of just 6m net spend per window.

The only spur of the moment signing that I can recall was for VdV, and that was Levy's doing, not Harry's, when it became apparent at the 11th hour that player was available, willing to come and for a bargain price. Levy spotted the chance and Harry was more than happy to go along with it.

As for rest, Levy often likes to leave it late before trying to seal a deal, because that's when his bargaining skills come to the fore. Sometimes it doesn't work and we fail to buy or sell the player concerned ... that's the price you pay if you don't have mega bucks to splash on fees and wages in order to get deals done early.

But often it does work.

 

[Sarni]

When you come to think of it Meireles would have been a good fit for Tottenham. You'd still make a £20m+ profit off Modric's sale and could for example buy Diarra and Cahill with it, and Meireles would work fine in your midfield alongside a defensive midfielder and van der Vaart.

Trouble is he would probably not want to move. Chelsea are a step up compared to Liverpool, Tottenham aren't.

 

[WireRed]

It's your delusion if you get taken in by Harry's public persona and actually believe that - especially with Levy holding the purse strings- he signs players at random, on a whim, in a panic. Spurs have a scouting and transfer system that's as good as any.

You should focus on what he does, rather than what he says. The net spending at Spurs under Harry has fallen a lot, to around 37m in total, spread over 6 windows: an average of just 6m net spend per window.

The only spur of the moment signing that I can recall was for VdV, and that was Levy's doing, not Harry's, when it became apparent at the 11th hour that player was available, willing to come and for a bargain price. Levy spotted the chance and Harry was more than happy to go along with it.

As for rest, Levy often likes to leave it late before trying to seal a deal, because that's when his bargaining skills come to the fore. Sometimes it doesn't work and we fail to buy or sell the player concerned ... that's the price you pay if you don't have mega bucks to splash on fees and wages in order to get deals done early.

But often it does work.

Redknapp is a transfer muppet, pure and simple. He'd go down a treat on here actually. Look at that Spanish raid he attempted last January for example, throwing all sorts of bids around for 4 strikers without even a hint of planning or careful consideration for what it might do to the existing strikers at his club.

Spurs scouting and transfer network starts and ends on the whims of Arry, only he could call someone a top player one minute and sell him the next for the sake of someone older and with less scope for improvement(see selling Palacios to get Parker in).

The only reason Spurs net spend is lower under Arry is because the chairman is the one wearing the trousers in that particular warped transfer relationship. Arry would run amok without Levy there to remind him of the existance of budgets, balance sheets, wage structures etc, just ask Pompey and HMRC what happens when you let him get hands on in transfer dealings.

I don't know about the last paragraph, but it's bloody stupid to leave things so late, the later you pursue a deal the more desparate you look and the more you'll likely have to cough up, especially for a player the selling club values unlike City with Adebayor, Madrid with Diarra etc.

Redknapp is also the only manager to conduct his transfer dealings through SSN, how many times does he declare he likes a player or he's in for a player from his car window? I've lost count. That's pretty hypocritical aswell btw when he and Spurs have been whining all summer about Modric's head being turned. He's as big a transfer muppet as they come and a hypocritical one at that.

 

[sincher]

"I like the boy, I'd do a deal for im if there's a charnce, shawer."

 

[Team Brian GB]

To be fair, Tottenham are always pretty good in their transfer dealings as far as negotiating is concerned.

Transfers like Pavlychenko are always going to have a risk attached but the worst one in recent times has got to be £16 Million for David Bentley.

 

[sincher]

Spurs have a very mixed record. For every VDV there's a Hutton. They still do too many transfers... Though maybe their level means they get dragged into that. But Harry as a manager doesn't help too much. Think they've sold well in this window though.

 

[peterstorey]

Redknapp is also the only manager to conduct his transfer dealings through SSN, how many times does he declare he likes a player or he's in for a player from his car window? I've lost count. That's pretty hypocritical aswell btw when he and Spurs have been whining all summer about Modric's head being turned. He's as big a transfer muppet as they come and a hypocritical one at that.

He's being paid by Sky to spout shite - no other manager would prostitute himself like that.

 

[Team Brian GB]

Spurs have a very mixed record. For every VDV there's a Hutton. They still do too many transfers... Though maybe their level means they get dragged into that. But Harry as a manager doesn't help too much. Think they've sold well in this window though.

Though the likes of Hutton was a Ramos purchase if I remember correctly, who when he arrived looked very good. Any change in management is going to result in some players losing out badly.

 

[sincher]

Glaston was on about Levy though, as he often is. No question they get good money when they sell, but they overpay quite often too.

 

[GlastonSpur]

When you come to think of it Meireles would have been a good fit for Tottenham. You'd still make a £20m+ profit off Modric's sale and could for example buy Diarra and Cahill with it, and Meireles would work fine in your midfield alongside a defensive midfielder and van der Vaart.

Trouble is he would probably not want to move. Chelsea are a step up compared to Liverpool, Tottenham aren't.

What a shame then, that Chelski are left with Meireles - fallback plan C or D for Modric - whilst Spurs keep the real McCoy.

Step up? Looks to me like it's Chelski who took several steps down on this one.

Diarra? It was always Parker or Diarra, never both, not when we already have Sandro, who IMO will develop into a better DM player than either of them.

Cahill? It's certainly not the case that Spurs couldn't afford to sign him without selling Modric, especially not after a season of record income and having a negative net spend this summer (23m more taken in than spent out, not to mention plenty taken off the wage bill). It's simply that Spurs chose not to engage with Bolton's last minute attempt to bump up the price: I hear that Bolton tried this tactic at the very last minute, after a price had been agreed and a medical arranged. Levy walked away, Bolton then caved in and came back to the original price, but by then it was too late to complete in time.

So having money to spend is one thing (and is something we already had). Being willing to pay more than a player is worth (in the club's estimation) is quite another: we don't operate on a sugar-daddy basis and have to make our own way against clubs that have far bigger income than we do, whilst at the same time aiming to keep our best players.

 

[GlastonSpur]

To be fair, Tottenham are always pretty good in their transfer dealings as far as negotiating is concerned.

Transfers like Pavlychenko are always going to have a risk attached but the worst one in recent times has got to be £16 Million for David Bentley.

Yep, Bentley and re-signing Keane from Liverpool are the two biggest recent failings.

But overall the good deals have outweighed the few bad ones by quite some margin.

 

[WireRed]

What a shame then, that Chelski are left with Meireles - fallback plan C or D for Modric - whilst Spurs keep the real McCoy.

Step up? Looks to me like it's Chelsea who took several steps down on this one.

Diarra? It was always Parker or Diarra, never both, not when we already have Sandro, who IMO will develop into a better DM player than either of them.

Cahill? It's certainly not the case that Spurs couldn't afford to sign him without selling Modric, especially not after a season of record income and having a negative net spend this summer (23m more taken in than spent out, not to mention plenty taken off the wage bill). It's simply that Spurs chose not to engage with Bolton's last minute attempt to bump up the price: I hear that Bolton tried this tactic at the very last minute, after a price had been agreed and a medical arranged. Levy walked away, Bolton then caved in and came back to the original price, but by then it was too late to complete in time.

So having money to spend is one thing (and is something we already had). Being willing to pay more than a player is worth (in the club's estimation) is quite another: we don't operate on a sugar-daddy basis and have to make our own way against clubs that have far bigger income than we do, whilst at the same time aiming to keep our best players.

Are you for real? Real McCoy my arse, all you've done is refuse a ridiculously over-inflated bid for a player worth nowhere near that sort of figure for the sake of keeping him another year/6 months and letting him go for much less next year. Do you not find it disturbing that the "Real McCoy" has also made it crystal clear that he doesn't want to play for Spurs anymore and that he thinks the chairman is a knobhead?

I actually agree about Sandro and his potential to become a proper player but the same could have been said for Palacios not so long ago yet Harry has lost faith and discarded him almost as quickly as he bigged him up to be one of the best CM's in the league. Sandro is injured and with Parker the latest flavour of the month for Harry, I'd not be surprised to see him get few opportunities this season and probably get flogged next year because that's what Redknapp always does.

 

[GlastonSpur]

... Spurs scouting and transfer network starts and ends on the whims of Arry, only he could call someone a top player one minute and sell him the next for the sake of someone older and with less scope for improvement(see selling Palacios to get Parker in)....

Complete nonsense. You seriously believe that Spurs operate their transfers based on "whims"?

Try coming back when you have something credible to say.

As for Parker, he may be older, but he's an upgrade on Palacios and that's the bottom line.

As I've said, you confuse Harry's motormouth tendencies - what he says - with what he does.

 

[WireRed]

Complete nonsense. You seriously believe that Spurs operate their transfers based on "whims"?

Try coming back when you have something credible to say.

As for Parker, he may be older, but he's an upgrade on Palacios and that's the bottom line.

As I've said, you confuse Harry's motormouth tendencies - what he says - with what he does.

How do you explain the scatter gun approach of last January then? Bidding for 4 top strikers from La Liga, if that's not whimsical, I don't know what is. Harry bought Keane back from Liverpool and then realised he didn't know what to do with him and loaned him out before selling him for a pittance, is that not whimsical enough for you? How about buying Bassong from Newcastle for £8m, bigging him up as the next big thing(and he did have potential before Harry again realised he didn't truly need/want him)before trying to offload him like a hot potato yesterday for the next great white hope in Cahill? What about having 3 goalkeepers of a similar calibre who were all promised 1st team football when they signed eating up the wage bill? And how many creative midfield players does one manager need at his disposal?

I understand you're judgement is clouded by bias towards Spurs, and I understand that you'd feel an attachment to a manager who's done better than most you've had in the last few years, but you've a batshit crazy transfer policy that would be even worse if Levy wasn't in charge of the negotiating side of things, that man must get the same feeling as the poor blokes who's credit cards get burned on the high street by their missus' working with Harry.

 

[GlastonSpur]

Are you for real? Real McCoy my arse, all you've done is refuse a ridiculously over-inflated bid for a player worth nowhere near that sort of figure for the sake of keeping him another year/6 months and letting him go for much less next year. Do you not find it disturbing that the "Real McCoy" has also made it crystal clear that he doesn't want to play for Spurs anymore and that he thinks the chairman is a knobhead? ...

Chelski wanted Modric. The ended up for with a lesser substitute: hence Modric is the real McCoy that they wanted compared to what they got. Or is this concept too complex for you?

As for the rest of your confused rambling, it's just a mix of wishful thinking and dodgy opinion.

I suspect that you're just a bit miffed that events have failed to give you an opening to bang on about Spurs being a feeder club.

We have kept our best player, it'll be in his best interest to play his best for us (and so he will). Perhaps even more importantly, every club will think twice now before wasting their transfer window in a fruitless pursuit of a Spurs player if Levy says "not for sale", and every Spurs player on a long contract will no longer think they can just leave whenever they want. This is the bottom line - and in the longer run it's priceless.

 

[Brwned]

Until Modric starts to drop his level just a little bit - just as Ronaldo did, just as Fabregas did - and then leaves, and then everyone realises actually they can leave without too much fuss, really.

 

[WireRed]

Chelski wanted Modric. The ended up for with a lesser substitute: hence Modric is the real McCoy that they wanted compared to what they got. Or is this concept too complex for you?

As for the rest of your confused rambling, it's just a mix of wishful thinking and dodgy opinion.

I suspect that you're just a bit miffed that events have failed to give you an opening to bang on about Spurs being a feeder club.

We have kept our best player, it'll be in his best interest to play his best for us (and so he will). Perhaps even more importantly, every club will think twice now before wasting their transfer window in a fruitless pursuit of a Spurs player if Levy says "not for sale", and every Spurs player on a long contract will no longer think they can just leave whenever they want. This is the bottom line - and in the longer run it's priceless.

I've nowt against Spurs, so WUMing you as a feeder club or whatever is of no interest to me. Your bizzare transfer policy is though, aswell as your idea that keeping Modric for now is some kind of signal that you're now all Billy bigtime. Fact is it ain't, you've just delayed the inevitable and for the time being have to continue with a clearly unhappy player.

Players come and go as they please, Levy showing his cajones for once isn't going to change that. Even Madrid, United, Chelsea and co can only keep restless players for a certain period, in the end the inevitable transfer happens and life goes on. So your little moral victory counts for little despite your wishful thinking to the contrary.

As for Chelsea adapting their search for a CM because Modric didn't go...So what? Sometimes the best bits of business are done despite not being first choice and reactions to not getting initial targets. See Cantona, Solskjaer, Hernandez, and Ronaldo at United. There is every chance of Meireles outperforming the wonderful Modric this season and giving Chelsea what they need at a fraction of the price, which then would decrease your bargaining power even further should they come a knocking for him again.

 

[GlastonSpur]

How do you explain the scatter gun approach of last January then? Bidding for 4 top strikers from La Liga, if that's not whimsical, I don't know what is. Harry bought Keane back from Liverpool and then realised he didn't know what to do with him and loaned him out before selling him for a pittance, is that not whimsical enough for you? How about buying Bassong from Newcastle for £8m, bigging him up as the next big thing(and he did have potential before Harry again realised he didn't truly need/want him)before trying to offload him like a hot potato yesterday for the next great white hope in Cahill? What about having 3 goalkeepers of a similar calibre who were all promised 1st team football when they signed eating up the wage bill? And how many creative midfield players does one manager need at his disposal?...

First of all, how much of your views are based on mere media reports as to what happened last January? And what percentage of media transfer stories are actually true?

As for the rest, all you've really said is that, like most clubs, Spurs sign some players, sell some players and sometimes make one two mistakes along the way. You mention Keane, but don't mention Sandro, Walker, Parker, Coulibaly, Gallas, Naughton and others signed by Harry.

You mention a supposed glut of midfielders: we have to live within a 25 man squad limit (of eligible players) like every other club. Spurs currently have 24 such regulated players, of which just 9 could be properly classified as midfielders, creative or otherwise, central or wide .... that's hardly a bizarre abundance.

And why shouldn't Harry "big up" his new signings? Do you expect him to run them down?

According to you Harry is a brainless, whimsical, out-of-control idiot. I guess it's a miracle we finished 4th and got to the CL QFs.

The only "the scatter gun approach" here is coming from you, seemingly desperate to try and find something to hit.

 

[GlastonSpur]

I've nowt against Spurs, so WUMing you as a feeder club or whatever is of no interest to me. Your bizzare transfer policy is though, aswell as your idea that keeping Modric for now is some kind of signal that you're now all Billy bigtime. Fact is it ain't, you've just delayed the inevitable and for the time being have to continue with a clearly unhappy player.

Players come and go as they please ...

Modric didn't.

And nor have I said that keeping him makes Spurs "Billy bigtime". Instead I've simply said that keeping him is in the best, long-term interests of the club, for the reasons I've given.

You say it's "fact", that we've just delayed the inevitable. Well, actually it's just your opinion. You don't know for a fact that Spurs won't finish in the top 4 this season, thus be playing in the CL again and thus that Modric won't decide he wants to stay. Nor do you know for a fact that Levy would otherwise choose to sell him next summer, when he'll still have 4 years left on his contract.

Right now we have Modric, who is probably one of the best 3 or 4 CMs in the Prem. That'll do to be going on with and tomorrow will take care of itself.

 

[TheReligion]

One thing I do know is I doubt you will get an offer of 40m for him again Glaston unless he has another great season and gets his head straight.

If not I could see him gone next summer for less money.

Him not feeling right to play us the other week would have rung a few alarm bells if I were you. Even Nasri turned out for Arsenal against Liverpool and was probably their best player in the match.

 

[Devilton]

Meireles was liverpools best midfielder last year and they treated him very shabbily after Kenny got his hands on a little yankee money. I hope he comes back with Torres and ruins their day.

 

[njred]

Meireles was liverpools best midfielder last year and they treated him very shabbily after Kenny got his hands on a little yankee money. I hope he comes back with Torres and ruins their day.

Dalglish and Comolli -the new Godfathers. whats done is done

Barzini is dead. So is Phillip Tattaglia. Moe Greene. Stracci. Cuneo. Today I settled all family business so don't tell me that you're innocent. Admit what you did. ...get him a drink

 

[Sarni]

What a shame then, that Chelski are left with Meireles - fallback plan C or D for Modric - whilst Spurs keep the real McCoy.

Step up? Looks to me like it's Chelski who took several steps down on this one.

Diarra? It was always Parker or Diarra, never both, not when we already have Sandro, who IMO will develop into a better DM player than either of them.

Cahill? It's certainly not the case that Spurs couldn't afford to sign him without selling Modric, especially not after a season of record income and having a negative net spend this summer (23m more taken in than spent out, not to mention plenty taken off the wage bill). It's simply that Spurs chose not to engage with Bolton's last minute attempt to bump up the price: I hear that Bolton tried this tactic at the very last minute, after a price had been agreed and a medical arranged. Levy walked away, Bolton then caved in and came back to the original price, but by then it was too late to complete in time.

So having money to spend is one thing (and is something we already had). Being willing to pay more than a player is worth (in the club's estimation) is quite another: we don't operate on a sugar-daddy basis and have to make our own way against clubs that have far bigger income than we do, whilst at the same time aiming to keep our best players.

Chelsea have a far better team than you and are certain to finish above you this season. They will also definitely play in the Champions League next season and most likely in each of the next five while I can't see Tottenham making it into CL more than once or twice during that period and even that would be a good result.

Modric wanted to go to Chelsea for the same reason - they are a better side and far more likely to be successful.

Great tactics with Cahill then, walk away from negotiations when you desperately need a defender. It will probably cost you around ten points this season but at least Levy comes out of it as a tough guy, eh?

I don't get your fascination with Levy. All he did in that transfer window was to make a daft statement about your playmaker never leaving in spite of the fact that he didn't even know what bid Chelsea was going to come up with it but knew damn well that he wanted to go. Then he dragged negotiations with your potential targets for far too long which resulted in you not strengthening the areas that needed it most. Even Adebayor was an average deal seeing as it's only a loan and he will be gone for good at the end of season.

 

[Ramshock]

So he's coming toward the end of his career? Hardly fecked. He can still contribute a great deal in the next 3 seasons. Just look at giggs who was suffering massively with hamstring injuries in his early 30s and turned it around.

Giggs is a different breed to most. Gerrard won't have Giggs longevity!

 

[Sarni]

Giggs is a different breed to most. Gerrard won't have Giggs longevity!

Who knows? Remember that Gerrard used to be a part of the best midfield in the world by some distance for a few years when they had Sissoko, Biscan and Hamann, protected by the best defence in the world which included Traore, Carragher and Finnan, so he didn't have to do much running. He will have plenty of energy left.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Giggs is a different breed to most. Gerrard won't have Giggs longevity!

Indeed. Giggs probably still has the knees and hips of a 25 year old because he doesn't run, he glides.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Who knows? Remember that Gerrard used to be a part of the best midfield in the world by some distance for a few years when they had Sissoko, Biscan and Hamann, protected by the best defence in the world which included Traore, Carragher and Finnan, so he didn't have to do much running. He will have plenty of energy left.

It's not just energy, though. You generally need a certain guile and wit about you as a footballer to last despite losing a lot of the physical traits that made you great. You have to make up for it by being being smarter and pulling off the skills that don't necessarily require youthfulness (passing, dribbling in tight spaces).

Gerrard is and has been a fine player. But his strengths are more in his ball striking, pace and power, two of which will be a lot less influential as time passes.

 

[WireRed]

First of all, how much of your views are based on mere media reports as to what happened last January? And what percentage of media transfer stories are actually true?

As for the rest, all you've really said is that, like most clubs, Spurs sign some players, sell some players and sometimes make one two mistakes along the way. You mention Keane, but don't mention Sandro, Walker, Parker, Coulibaly, Gallas, Naughton and others signed by Harry.

You mention a supposed glut of midfielders: we have to live within a 25 man squad limit (of eligible players) like every other club. Spurs currently have 24 such regulated players, of which just 9 could be properly classified as midfielders, creative or otherwise, central or wide .... that's hardly a bizarre abundance.

And why shouldn't Harry "big up" his new signings? Do you expect him to run them down?

According to you Harry is a brainless, whimsical, out-of-control idiot. I guess it's a miracle we finished 4th and got to the CL QFs.

The only "the scatter gun approach" here is coming from you, seemingly desperate to try and find something to hit.

You make it sound like I've an agenda or something...Not the case, I'm just pointing out something I and many others, including your own fans, see but you just can't/refuse to.

Harry is a good manager, don't get me wrong, but he's also a bit of a headless chicken when it comes to summers and January's. Where is the long-term planning? Where is the faith in his squad? You don't see Fergie gallavanting about every January slapping bids all over the shop, nor do you see him reel off his list of targets to SSN from his car window every summer.

Some odd deals you've listed there to back up your point. I mean how can you be sure that Walker, Coulibaly, Parker, or Naughton will be a success. They've one game between them for Spurs so far and two of them signed a few years ago.

 

[M'n'M]

Couldn't disagree more. Meireles to Adams is a step down.

Firstly, can we nip this thing in the bud before it gets out of hand. It's ADAM, fecking ADAM. Got that AlwaysRedwoods?

Secondly, good article for you to rip to shreds from Rory Smith in the Telegraph.


Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli, at the behest of the club's owners, have ushered 19 players out of Liverpool's doors. The final two, Raul Meireles and Philipp Degen, departed with just minutes of the transfer window to spare. The past is finished. Let the future begin.

Fourteen players have been sold or released, and a further five dismissed temporarily, on loan, most notably Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani.

An astounding £30 million has been wiped from the wage chitty, and a little over £20 million raised in funds.

The phrase "trimming of the squad" does not quite fit; this has been all-out attack on the errors of the past. Only Brad Jones and Danny Wilson remain of Roy Hodgson's signings, and only three of the 14 signed by Rafael Benítez in his final two years at the club. Less than a year after the putsch which brought Fenway Sports Group to Anfield, Liverpool have undergone a second Night of the Long Knives. This one, though, has lasted all summer.

Some were rather more willing than others to stand aside. Paul Konchesky accepted a wage cut to join Leicester. Nabil El Zhar, Emiliano Insua, Milan Jovanovic and, eventually, Degen agreed to cancel their contracts, albeit for lucrative settlements.

Liverpool will continue to pay for the mistakes that have gone before. Lille insist Liverpool will continue to supply 60 per cent of Cole's £80,000-a-week wages, meaning Anfield's finances will be drained to the tune of £2.5 million for a season in which the 29 year-old plays in France.

Christian Poulsen’s move to Evian has been subsidised, too, but that is rather the point: FSG see their glass as half-full, not half-empty. At least the £2.5 million paid to Cole while he is in France is a saving of £1.65 million. That is the ruthlessness that has pervaded Liverpool’s summer.

FSG were determined to build a more cost-effective squad, and were prepared to withstand the short-term financial cost to do so. Hence their decision to spend big and spend early, regardless of the knock-on effects later in the summer.

"The owners were happy to take risks and happy for us to spend money," reflected Comolli. "A lot of owners would have said the squad is too big, so you need to reduce, and then when you have done that, bring some players in, but that was never the approach. I told them we would need to buy first and they were very, very brave to accept that."

Nowhere was that cut-throat approach better witnessed than with Meireles. The Portuguese was not desperate to leave Anfield, but was left with no choice after seeing Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam recruited in midfield and a promise to augment his £35,000-a-week wage, should his first season be a success, broken.

Discussions over a pay rise never started. In the end, he had to hand in a transfer request and forego a loyalty payment to smooth his escape to Chelsea.

Few Liverpool fans would have sold Meireles, particularly not to a bitter foe and especially not for £12 million, roughly what Hodgson paid for the Portugal international last summer. That is the measure of the new Liverpool, though. Those who are not required will be cast aside. Dalglish wants only those soldiers he deems necessary; a bloated squadron is a cumbersome one.

"For me, the players they have signed have largely been British, which takes me back to when I started watching Liverpool," said Craig Bellamy, the final piece of incoming business carried out by Dalglish. "It looks so familiar to me, so to be part of it is such a huge honour."

Dalglish has built the squad he wanted: young, energetic, mostly home-grown, and with a passion for the club – but it fits FSG's vision, too. The squad is streamlined – 22 senior players, supported by youth – with this summer's six signings, Bellamy apart, earning a combined, and relatively modest, £13 million-a-season in wages.

That is a saving of £17 million-a-season. FSG are no asset-strippers, though. They have spent £114 million on players in eight months, plus wages, with £75 million regained in transfer fees. This is not a rerun of Liverpool's recent past. This is the start of the future.

Key Anfield departures: Raul Meireles (Chelsea) £12m, David Ngog (Bolton Wanderers) £4m, Paul Konchesky (Leicester City) £1.5m, Daniel Ayala (Norwich City) £800,000, Gerardo Bruna (Blackpool) £750,000,Joe Cole (Lille) loan, Emiliano Insua (Sporting Lisbon) undisclosed, Chris Mavinga (Rennes) undisclosed, Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Wolfsburg) undisclosed, Christian Poulsen (Evian) undisclosed, Alberto Aquilani (AC Milan) undisclosed, Milan Jovanovic (Anderlecht) undisclosed, Tom Ince (Blackpool) undisclosed, Nabil El Zhar (Levante) undisclosed

 

[africanspur]

I'm not going to bother getting involved in the inevitable slagging match that occurs every time Glaston pops up, I'm not really sure why so many of you have a problem with him. But:

Bolton asked for 18 million or money and Defoe for a defender untested at the top level and with one year left on his contract. He may end up becoming a world class player but the way some people talk about him, its as if we're looking to buy Nesta. Sometimes you have to pay over the odds to get what you want. Sometimes you have to say feck off.

As for Palacios, he was an absolute monster for us. Then his brother was kidnapped in Honduras, Wilson paid the ransom and the kidnappers then murdered his brother anyway. Apart from a couple of performances, he hasn't been anywhere near the same since. I would find it very difficult to blame Redknapp for that. If anything, he's persevered with Palacios for too long after a severe drop in performance.

 

[Feedingseagulls]

"Downing" and "superstar" don't belong in the same sentence.

I disagree - they work well in the sentence:

Downing is not, and never will be, a superstar.

 

[Feedingseagulls]

Why the feck did Wenger screw up this symmetry by signing Arteta???

Because the French Revolution is well past its successful period?

 

[Kraftwerker]

Firstly, can we nip this thing in the bud before it gets out of hand. It's ADAM, fecking ADAM. Got that AlwaysRedwoods?

Secondly, good article for you to rip to shreds from Rory Smith in the Telegraph.


Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli, at the behest of the club's owners, have ushered 19 players out of Liverpool's doors. The final two, Raul Meireles and Philipp Degen, departed with just minutes of the transfer window to spare. The past is finished. Let the future begin.

Fourteen players have been sold or released, and a further five dismissed temporarily, on loan, most notably Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani.

An astounding £30 million has been wiped from the wage chitty, and a little over £20 million raised in funds.

The phrase "trimming of the squad" does not quite fit; this has been all-out attack on the errors of the past. Only Brad Jones and Danny Wilson remain of Roy Hodgson's signings, and only three of the 14 signed by Rafael Benítez in his final two years at the club. Less than a year after the putsch which brought Fenway Sports Group to Anfield, Liverpool have undergone a second Night of the Long Knives. This one, though, has lasted all summer.

Some were rather more willing than others to stand aside. Paul Konchesky accepted a wage cut to join Leicester. Nabil El Zhar, Emiliano Insua, Milan Jovanovic and, eventually, Degen agreed to cancel their contracts, albeit for lucrative settlements.

Liverpool will continue to pay for the mistakes that have gone before. Lille insist Liverpool will continue to supply 60 per cent of Cole's £80,000-a-week wages, meaning Anfield's finances will be drained to the tune of £2.5 million for a season in which the 29 year-old plays in France.

Christian Poulsen’s move to Evian has been subsidised, too, but that is rather the point: FSG see their glass as half-full, not half-empty. At least the £2.5 million paid to Cole while he is in France is a saving of £1.65 million. That is the ruthlessness that has pervaded Liverpool’s summer.

FSG were determined to build a more cost-effective squad, and were prepared to withstand the short-term financial cost to do so. Hence their decision to spend big and spend early, regardless of the knock-on effects later in the summer.

"The owners were happy to take risks and happy for us to spend money," reflected Comolli. "A lot of owners would have said the squad is too big, so you need to reduce, and then when you have done that, bring some players in, but that was never the approach. I told them we would need to buy first and they were very, very brave to accept that."

Nowhere was that cut-throat approach better witnessed than with Meireles. The Portuguese was not desperate to leave Anfield, but was left with no choice after seeing Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam recruited in midfield and a promise to augment his £35,000-a-week wage, should his first season be a success, broken.

Discussions over a pay rise never started. In the end, he had to hand in a transfer request and forego a loyalty payment to smooth his escape to Chelsea.

Few Liverpool fans would have sold Meireles, particularly not to a bitter foe and especially not for £12 million, roughly what Hodgson paid for the Portugal international last summer. That is the measure of the new Liverpool, though. Those who are not required will be cast aside. Dalglish wants only those soldiers he deems necessary; a bloated squadron is a cumbersome one.

"For me, the players they have signed have largely been British, which takes me back to when I started watching Liverpool," said Craig Bellamy, the final piece of incoming business carried out by Dalglish. "It looks so familiar to me, so to be part of it is such a huge honour."

Dalglish has built the squad he wanted: young, energetic, mostly home-grown, and with a passion for the club – but it fits FSG's vision, too. The squad is streamlined – 22 senior players, supported by youth – with this summer's six signings, Bellamy apart, earning a combined, and relatively modest, £13 million-a-season in wages.

That is a saving of £17 million-a-season. FSG are no asset-strippers, though. They have spent £114 million on players in eight months, plus wages, with £75 million regained in transfer fees. This is not a rerun of Liverpool's recent past. This is the start of the future.

Key Anfield departures: Raul Meireles (Chelsea) £12m, David Ngog (Bolton Wanderers) £4m, Paul Konchesky (Leicester City) £1.5m, Daniel Ayala (Norwich City) £800,000, Gerardo Bruna (Blackpool) £750,000,Joe Cole (Lille) loan, Emiliano Insua (Sporting Lisbon) undisclosed, Chris Mavinga (Rennes) undisclosed, Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Wolfsburg) undisclosed, Christian Poulsen (Evian) undisclosed, Alberto Aquilani (AC Milan) undisclosed, Milan Jovanovic (Anderlecht) undisclosed, Tom Ince (Blackpool) undisclosed, Nabil El Zhar (Levante) undisclosed

A revolving door transfer policy of replacing deadwood with deadwood has been in operation at Liverpool for years. Hardly anything new.

 

[CnutOfAllCnuts]

With regards to that Rory Smith article.

- £30m wiped off the wage bill, through getting rid of 14 players?

That's £41k per week per player in average. No fecking chance. For a start, they had to pay off Jovanovic, so that's £30m minus £5m, if he was on the rumoured £100k a week.

Added to that, they've signed 8 players. They are hardly playing for free.

 

[Dumbstar]

That's what I was thinking. The numbers don't seem to add up.

But the 'disappearance' of these names from LFC - priceless!!

 

[M'n'M]

With regards to that Rory Smith article.

- £30m wiped off the wage bill, through getting rid of 14 players?

That's £41k per week per player in average. No fecking chance. For a start, they had to pay off Jovanovic, so that's £30m minus £5m, if he was on the rumoured £100k a week.

Added to that, they've signed 8 players. They are hardly playing for free.

Your maths would be correct if every one of those players had only one year remaining on their contracts.

 

[CnutOfAllCnuts]

Your maths would be correct if every one of those players had only one year remaining on their contracts.

So he was referring to the full value of their contracts?

Still don't add up, when you take the new players into consideration.

 

[antihenry]

Glaston, doesn't it bother you even a little bit that your best player doesn't want to play for you anymore?

Maybe it's just me but I'd hate the idea of holding on to someone who publicly humiliated my team and its support and spent all summer demanding to leave for another club. How can you seriously go to the games and cheer him on knowing all along that he hates being there? Do you really believe that Levi's hard stance is enough to fix what transpired over this transfer window?

Believe me, if any CFC player has done what Modric did, I'd be praying we ship him out before he poisons the dressing room with his attitude. I'd be angry with the player, sure, but I would never ever hope to keep someone who doesn't want to play for Chelsea. I'd take it as an insult. Yous seem to consider it a positive.

 

[M'n'M]

So he was referring to the full value of their contracts?

Still don't add up, when you take the new players into consideration.

Bloody hell it's not rocket science. By getting rid of those players we have saved £30m which we would have had to pay if we hadn't gotten rid of them. None of the players we got rid of except perhaps Meireles would have gotten any playing time so that is one hell of a saving.

It doesn't add up including the new players as he hasn't included them either .

 

[Kraftwerker]

What sort of contracts were some if those kids on if it totals to £30m?

That's insane. I remember how highly thought of some of those players were amongst Liverpool fans - Insua, Ayala, Pacheco and Ngog.

Rafa's golden generation (of shit). Didn't realise they were all on such big contracts on top of being shit.

That's hilarious. Rafa the master.