[Macros]

The window has been open near two weeks and this thread hasn't been started???


anyway, the big questions (in my mind) that remain are;
what's going to happen with Bale
what's going to happen with Ronaldo
what's going to happen with Suarez
who will make the stupidest purchase
who will make the best purchase (last season for me was Michu @ 2m)


on transfer front that I care about, Pool have signed Kolo on a free (needed exp) and Aspa (sp?) for about 7, never heard of him
were rumoured to be after Alberto for 7m, which I like
some Armenian chap for 20, never heard if him
Erikson, which I would love
and popadommopilius, need a new CB.

Alos rumours abound of Pepe heading to barca at the end of this season, so the Migolet speculation is good, hes a stopper with average distribution, a year with Riena will really bring him on.
and Luis, there's 40m buy out clause in his contract, but will anyone trigger it?

Carroll looks to be gone for about 16m

[Tiste Simeon]

Suarez won't stay but Liverpool will make sure they get big money & possibly another player thrown in the mix seen as he almost single handedly kept them near the top last season...
Bale, well I'm not sure. If he goes, I don't think it will be to another English/Welsh team (though I bet Cardiff would love him!!)
If Ronaldo comes back it will be to United. He loves the team & the fans on the whole love him!

For Utd, I'm cautious about expectations this season. Change at the top for the first time in 28 years or whatever it was, thats got to shake things up a bit - though not as much as in 2-per-season Chelsea, obviously... I like Moyes but he is unproven at the level Utd are used to being at...

City to make the stupidest signing but it won't be apparent at first... Kind of like Robinho again. (Was it Robinho?)

[Tapper]

The armenian chap is Mkhitaryan, who is Shaktar's playmaker. Considering Shaktar made it past the first round of the CL the past two years, he's a guy with international experience and at age 23/24, can be expected to improve and adapt to the EPL. The one problem is that he's another midfielder. With Allen, Lucas, Gerrard and Coutinho in the mix plus Shelvey on the bench and Suso in reserves, that's one crowded centre of the field and that's not even mentioning Sterling, Henderson, Downing and Borini who fight for the wing spots.

[Dolmen 2.0]

In my mind the coaches will run rampant. My eye is on Rooney. He cant be happy playing second fiddle and hitting a decline in form. I am also suspecting a new CDM as we will likely lose some midfield power.

Hey I am actually keen to see who the premiership teams manage to catch from the bundesliga. I know top flight players like Reus are untouchable but I'd like to see Dante, Alaba or Lahm get enticed into talks. I think Saurez will go aswell. Bad publicity is not worth the goals he scored but its still publicity and he majorly stands out right now.

I would like to see Neymar move to Barca, they need to spice it up. In the back would like a new cb for that sideThe defense they sport just isnt up to scratch. Puyol and Pique are awesome but raising up some serious flags.

[Macros]

Non related,but why would anyone want to go play in the MLS??
just went to watch the galaxy play Portland, what a piss poor standard of football

[Tattersail_]

http://www.liverpool...d-selling-smart

Very interesting article! Bring on Aspos and Alberto

[Macros]

Tomkins is usually a solid read, really liked that article.
aspas and Alberto done, both circa 7m each. I worry we have our perennial problem. Too many fucking midfielders.
Saurez is gonna leave, we need a world class striker, need competition for Enrique and skrtel.

[Satan]

An honest letter from Pepe:

Quote

It is a strange feeling for me to think that next season I will not be a Liverpool player. For the past eight years, that is all I have known. The club, the staff, the city, the people and the supporters have played a massive part in my life. Liverpool is special in a way that only those who are lucky enough to experience the club close up can understand. It has given me memories that will live with me forever and friendships that will last just as long. But more than anything else, it has given me an understanding of what it is like to play for the most wonderful English club. I may not have won as many trophies and medals as I would have liked since joining in 2005 but the experiences I have been a part of are as important as any silverware. I now understand how supporters can lift a team and inspire them to do special things. I appreciate that there is something unique about Anfield and the atmosphere it creates. I believe that anything is possible no matter what the situation is because at Liverpool there is no such thing as a lost cause. And I have been humbled by the fight for justice for the 96 which showed me that the Liverpool people will always fight for what they believe in.

I know that I have been blessed to be part of a Club like that and I hope that in return I have always given my best and represented Liverpool in the right way. There have been good times and bad times but no matter what the situation has been I hope that my passion has been clear. I have been asked what my favourite Liverpool moment was and if I had to pick one it wouldn’t be a save or winning a trophy. It would be my celebration against Manchester United when David Ngog scored a late goal. That is probably the quickest I have ever run in my life! It shows what playing for Liverpool meant to me and also that there was nothing better than winning a big game at Anfield. I used to look at the Kop when we scored those kind of goals in big games and I would be jealous of the supporters going crazy. If the closest I will get to that is running the length of the pitch and jumping on my team mates backs then that will do for me.

Obviously, I won’t be able to do that next season but I hope that the supporters and my team mates will be able to enjoy many more moments like that. They deserve the best of times and it would give me so much pleasure to see Liverpool back where they belong, challenging for trophies and getting back into the top four. That was where the club was when I first arrived and although I am leaving a different club, one with new owners, a new manager, new players and new challenges, I honestly believe that Liverpool can reach those levels again.

I am disappointed that I will not be part of that and although it was not my decision to leave I will accept it just like I have always accepted any decision that Liverpool have taken for me. They signed me, picked me, gave me some of the best experiences of my life and looked after me. If they feel that the best thing for me and for them is for me to go on loan to Napoli for a season then so be it. Napoli is a new challenge for me and I know that the fans are just as passionate about their team as the Liverpool fans, so I am really looking forward to playing for them this season and I will give my all.

But if I have one regret, it is the way that I am leaving. It is only natural that I would be disappointed that the Liverpool management agreed to loan me to Napoli without telling me first, I thought that I deserved better than that even though I understand that difficult decisions have to be taken in football. A lot has been made about me informing the club that if an offer came in from Barcelona that I would have liked them to consider it. But I had also spoken to the club about the possibility of extending my contract if the offer was not made. I told the manager that I wanted to play for Liverpool and that Barcelona would only become an option for me if the opportunity arrived, like the rumours said it would, as it would be a chance for me to go back home. When it didn’t come I was happy to fight for my place so I was surprised that Liverpool decided it was in the club´s interests to send me to Napoli instead.

None of this will change my feelings for the club or the people in any way and now I have to look forward to a new challenge with Rafa Benitez, who I consider to be the best manager I have worked with, and I am fortunate to be going from one great club to another. Napoli remind me in many ways of the Liverpool I found in 2005, in all the affection they have shown me on my arrival, in having an ambitious project, even in coinciding and working with Benitez again…This memory which in part unites me with you, makes me happy and feel very motivated to begin this new project.

This is my chance to say thank you to everyone for everything that you have given to me and to my family. My children consider Liverpool to be their home and hopefully their love for the city and also for the club will only grow while we are away. I would have liked to have been able to say goodbye in a different way but because of the way the move came about this was not possible.

Maybe in the near future I can do it properly so that I can show my appreciation to you but all I would ask now is that you keep on inspiring the manager and the players just like you always have done and help Liverpool to become the club that you deserve once again. I would like nothing better than to come back at the end of my year away and for Liverpool to be back where they belong.

Thank you for everything. Good luck. I will see you soon.

Pepe Reina.

I'm going to miss the man. I still think he was a decent enough keeper, even if he wasn't on quite the level of his first few year at the club. I also think that he'd come back from that. Granted, he's been down in a trough for a couple of years now, but look at Cech. He used to be brilliant, turned shit for a year, and now he's brilliant again. A year with both Reina and Mignolet would have been wonderful, and then Reina could have gotten the adieu he deserved at the end of the season.

I'm fairly certain that Suarez will stay. I can't imagine Liverpool will sell to a rival for anything resembling a reasonable price, and bargain buying is too ingrained and hard wired into Wenger's way of being that he wont pay £60 million for a single player. If Real Madrid gives up on chasing Bale, they may come after Suarez again and get him at a relative knock-off price. But the rumours have cooled off a bit since a few months past, so I don't know if that'll happen. I also believe Liverpool when they say they wont sell last day of the window, so the longer this drags out, the more certain I am that he'll stay.

[Tapper]

Suarez usually gets what Suarez wants - how he moved from Groningen to Ajax was a bitter experience for Groningen despite financial compensation: he lost a court case, then refused to play. And Suarez seems to have a hard time letting go of bad habits. I see a court case incoming, really, over this 40 mln clause - and I think a refusal to work might also be amongst his options.

Honestly, as an Ajax and Liverpool fan I enjoyed Suarez a lot on the pitch, but I can't help feeling that history is repeating. Let's also not forget that he didn't play for 18 games in one-and-a-half-season-plus-six-games... Finally, with all the transfers that have happened over the summer, especially concerning forwards that could replace Suarez, what would 60 mln been spent on? A proactive stance by Liverpool, trading Suarez for a bag of cash plus Higuain and/or Morata with Real Madrid would have benefited the club more than winning in court, then seeing the player refusing to play, and ending the story of Suarez with Liverpool FC with a dump-off price.

[Tattersail_]

I think he will stay, this season at the very least. We (Liverpool) are in desperate need of a defender. One player away from a top 4 finish I think.

[Satan]

Tiste Simeon, on 19 June 2013 - 06:33 AM, said:

City to make the stupidest signing but it won't be apparent at first... Kind of like Robinho again. (Was it Robinho?)

Jonathan Wilson's take on this transfer window.

Quote

In retrospect, appointing Arrigo Sacchi as technical director of Real Madrid in 2004-05 was probably never going to be a raging success. He was the high priest of the team game, placing the structure of his pressing above all else, demanding players subjugate themselves to the system. The galácticos squad was a monument to individualism and celebrity, while the policy of "Zidanes y Pavones" was the definition of what Sacchi opposed in football.

"It was about managing the characteristics of individuals," he said. "And that's why you see the proliferation of specialists. The individual trumped the collective. But it's a sign of weakness. It's reactive, not proactive. We were like that at Real Madrid. There is no project, it was about exploiting qualities. So, for example, at Real, we knew that Zidane, Raúl and Figo didn't track back, so we had to put a guy in front of the back four who would defend. But that's reactionary football. It doesn't multiply the players' qualities exponentially. Which actually is the point of tactics: to achieve this multiplier effect on the players' abilities.

"In my football, the regista – the playmaker – is whoever had the ball. But if you have Makelele, he can't do that. He doesn't have the ideas to do it, though of course, he's great at winning the ball. It's all about specialists. Is football a collective and harmonious game? Or is it a question of putting X amount of talented players in and balancing them out with Y amount of specialists?"

Some clubs do stand for collectivity and harmony: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona all have a clear philosophy in which the team is paramount, and it is no coincidence that they have been the most successful sides over the past few years. But in the era of the superclub, as football essentially becomes the entertainment wing of the oil industry, it increasingly seems that transfers become almost an end in themselves, with little thought to the overall tactical picture.

For the new money that makes sense. How better for Monaco to alert the world to their arrival back in the French top flight than by picking up one of the most sought-after strikers in the game, signing Radamel Falcao for £50m or so. Look at us, that signing said: we are a major force, the sort of club who can attract top talent and pay big money. Manchester City did it with Robinho. It's the signing as advertisement.

Paris Saint-Germain, though, perhaps are still locked in the same mentality. Buying Zlatan Ibrahimovic last season was their way of announcing themselves, but with a squad that already contains Ezequiel Lavezzi, it's hard to understand where Edinson Cavani fits, particularly not given the presence of Javier Pastore, Lucas Moura, Jérémy Ménez and Marco Verratti at the club. Is there a rationale behind it, or did they just sign the Uruguayan because he was available and they know he's a good player?

But what's really baffling is when fans start demanding transfers almost for the sake of it, as though they need a £30m deal every summer just to convince themselves they still support a big club. You see it on deadline day each window, people taking to Twitter and comments sections to berate their club for not being involved – when of course the truth is that, in the vast majority of cases, deals done on deadline day are hurried and not necessarily well-conceived. Or take the reaction among some Manchester United fans to the signing of Shinji Kagawa last season: there was a discussion to be had about his ability and his capacity to adapt, about where he'd fit in the team, but at least some expressed frustration he was "only" an £18m player. The urge to sign Cesc Fábregas seems to follow a similar logic: that United must somehow "prove" they are backing David Moyes by making a glamour signing.

Or take Arsenal's sudden desire to spend, something so all-consuming that even Mikel Arteta has started talking about how exciting it is to be competing for big-name players. Arsenal, of course, have not actually signed anybody yet beyond the annual France youth international, but with others there is a horrible sense of clubs rushing around buying anything they clap their eyes on: a Mies van der Rohe chair here, a Turner seascape there, chuck in a Le Corbusier sofa, a Persian carpet and an Isamu Noguchi table – does it all fit together? Never mind, that's what Claudio's for.

This is the transfer as comfort food. Would Real Madrid be talking about breaking transfer records for Gareth Bale if they'd won la Liga or the Champions League last season? Or is this a way of convincing themselves that, despite the rise of the Bundesliga and the wave of cash running through the Premier League as a result of the new TV deal, they are still the big boys? There's a reason the curve rises so steeply when it comes to the most expensive players and that is vanity: the value of the deal is itself part of the value and so at the top end of the market there is a self-inflationary effect.

In no direct sense – footballing or commercial – can Bale be worth getting on for double Falcao or Cavani, but for pumping the self-image of Madrid he's ideal. But what seems to have been overlooked is the issue of exactly how he would fit in a side with Cristiano Ronaldo, or what the impact for Real Madrid might be of losing the industrious counterbalance of Angel di María.

Even Barcelona have perhaps gone down that route. After the embarrassment of losing 7-0 over the two legs of their semi-final against Bayern Munich, they brought forward the signing of Neymar from Santos: a star name to soothe a bruised ego. Talented as he undoubtedly is, though, there has been little evidence in his performances either for Brazil or at club level that he can become a cog in the wheel, that he can perform his defensive duties responsibly.

Dortmund and Bayern both seem to have bought sensibly, answering specific needs in their squad, while the Brendan Rodgers project at Liverpool, however clouded it may be in guruspeak, has the virtue of being a project, of buying a particular type of player to fit an overall scheme. But actually, the club who have probably performed best so far in the transfer market are Manchester City.

The club were much mocked for saying Roberto Mancini had been sacked as part of a drive to a more "holistic" approach, but the coherence of their philosophy is becoming increasingly clear.

The chief executive Ferran Soriano said in March that City would look to bring in "three or four players" and that he felt they had made the squad bigger but not better the previous summer. Sure enough, four major players have arrived: none of them perhaps are absolutely stellar names but the role of each in the squad is clear.

Fernandinho adds a creative edge from deep and can release Yaya Touré; Jesús Navas adds pace and penetration on the right; Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic relieve the pressure on Sergio Agüero, Negredo offering muscularity and goals and Jovetic technical ability and cover not just at centre-forward but as a second striker or a wide man.

Theirs has been a calm, coherent spree. Perhaps, given the determined Luddism that still governs large parts of English footballing culture, "holistic" wasn't the wisest choice of words, but as others snatch at stars, they have taken a major step towards the harmonious style that has brought success to Barcelona and Bayern.

In short: ManU's fallen into the trap of (attempted) glamour buying, while ManCity actually have a plan.

This post has been edited by Satan: 31 July 2013 - 07:50 AM

[Tattersail_]

Interesting read, the owner of the post could go further, it feels like he had only started to make his point. He could have gave better examples, talked about different tactics. I could have continued to read.

[Macros]

Thoughts on the window so far?

Liverpool definitely need another striker, and a right back, Johnson has just become such a liability at the back, and going forward to.many of his passes are wasted.

[Tapper]

Macros, on 05 August 2014 - 06:43 AM, said:

Thoughts on the window so far?

Liverpool definitely need another striker, and a right back, Johnson has just become such a liability at the back, and going forward to.many of his passes are wasted.

Liverpool has done well, especially if Moreno joins. I guess Kelly/Flanagan can combine for the right back position, and apparently there's a 2 year loan for a Spanish youth international (Manquilo) in the making as well. I don't know which striker would be available with suitable CL experience. In the end, when you see Swansea wants 25 mln for Bony, then the 32 Chelsea paid for Diego Costa was an absolute bargain. Would have liked to LPL buy Lukaku, but I guess he's not the Rodgers type.

[Tattersail_]

Tapper, on 05 August 2014 - 07:09 AM, said:

Macros, on 05 August 2014 - 06:43 AM, said:

Thoughts on the window so far?

Liverpool definitely need another striker, and a right back, Johnson has just become such a liability at the back, and going forward to.many of his passes are wasted.

Liverpool has done well, especially if Moreno joins. I guess Kelly/Flanagan can combine for the right back position, and apparently there's a 2 year loan for a Spanish youth international (Manquilo) in the making as well. I don't know which striker would be available with suitable CL experience. In the end, when you see Swansea wants 25 mln for Bony, then the 32 Chelsea paid for Diego Costa was an absolute bargain. Would have liked to LPL buy Lukaku, but I guess he's not the Rodgers type.

Yeah Manquilo looks set to cover Johnson at right back, 2 year loan with option to buy is excellent business.

I hope they do seal the Moreno deal, he seems like the only left back available that is worth any salt.

Lastly, regarding the striker situation I am very worried. We have one more friendly left and then the season starts. Going in with only Sturridge who is class we are going to struggle. We 100% need a better striker than Lambert to cover, or even start. Yes we have added depth to our team but we have not added a first team regular player. Names bandied about, I would prefer Cavani/Ibrahimavic or Higuain. Finally if these players are not achievable even with the large sum of money we have then we could go for another upcoming Talent in Finnbogason.

Rumours are we are definitely after a striker.

[Tapper]

Tattersail_, on 05 August 2014 - 07:42 AM, said:

Tapper, on 05 August 2014 - 07:09 AM, said:

Macros, on 05 August 2014 - 06:43 AM, said:

Thoughts on the window so far?

Liverpool definitely need another striker, and a right back, Johnson has just become such a liability at the back, and going forward to.many of his passes are wasted.

Liverpool has done well, especially if Moreno joins. I guess Kelly/Flanagan can combine for the right back position, and apparently there's a 2 year loan for a Spanish youth international (Manquilo) in the making as well. I don't know which striker would be available with suitable CL experience. In the end, when you see Swansea wants 25 mln for Bony, then the 32 Chelsea paid for Diego Costa was an absolute bargain. Would have liked to LPL buy Lukaku, but I guess he's not the Rodgers type.

Yeah Manquilo looks set to cover Johnson at right back, 2 year loan with option to buy is excellent business.

I hope they do seal the Moreno deal, he seems like the only left back available that is worth any salt.

Lastly, regarding the striker situation I am very worried. We have one more friendly left and then the season starts. Going in with only Sturridge who is class we are going to struggle. We 100% need a better striker than Lambert to cover, or even start. Yes we have added depth to our team but we have not added a first team regular player. Names bandied about, I would prefer Cavani/Ibrahimavic or Higuain. Finally if these players are not achievable even with the large sum of money we have then we could go for another upcoming Talent in Finnbogason.

Rumours are we are definitely after a striker.

Cavani? Ibrahimovich or Higuain? I honestly doubt any of them would want to come to Anfield. In case of Ibrahimovich and Cavani, Liverpool can't top the PSG salary (Sakho was a special case, he wanted out because of the competition at PSG for his spot).

The Cavani kind of striker is not available to us; we're still an intermediate station to Barcelona/ Real Madrid/ Man City/ Bayern (if Liverpool have ever a player they want) until we're firmly settled as a top 4 EPL, quarter final Champion's League club. None of those guys would join to function as a Sturridge back-up/ in a time-share with Sturridge, either.

Borussia Dortmund has much better results than Liverpool in the past few seasons and they hardly can get a whiff of interest from players like the three you named

As an illustration: Lavezzi is a step down from those 3 and he apparently snubbed Liverpool. Most of our purchases in the last 4 years have come from smaller clubs in the EPL and abroad, I think that trend will continue.

[Macros]

Lavezzi has his heart set on Italy apparently.

I don't really who, but we need something, unless Borini hits the ground running (I'd like to give him a chance, he was solid last year for Sunderland but I don't see him as a world beater and we will miss suarezs creativity)
Bony is crazy money, Id take him at 15

[Tattersail_]

Tapper, on 05 August 2014 - 08:01 AM, said:

Tattersail_, on 05 August 2014 - 07:42 AM, said:

Tapper, on 05 August 2014 - 07:09 AM, said:

Macros, on 05 August 2014 - 06:43 AM, said:

Thoughts on the window so far?

Liverpool definitely need another striker, and a right back, Johnson has just become such a liability at the back, and going forward to.many of his passes are wasted.

Liverpool has done well, especially if Moreno joins. I guess Kelly/Flanagan can combine for the right back position, and apparently there's a 2 year loan for a Spanish youth international (Manquilo) in the making as well. I don't know which striker would be available with suitable CL experience. In the end, when you see Swansea wants 25 mln for Bony, then the 32 Chelsea paid for Diego Costa was an absolute bargain. Would have liked to LPL buy Lukaku, but I guess he's not the Rodgers type.

Yeah Manquilo looks set to cover Johnson at right back, 2 year loan with option to buy is excellent business.

I hope they do seal the Moreno deal, he seems like the only left back available that is worth any salt.

Lastly, regarding the striker situation I am very worried. We have one more friendly left and then the season starts. Going in with only Sturridge who is class we are going to struggle. We 100% need a better striker than Lambert to cover, or even start. Yes we have added depth to our team but we have not added a first team regular player. Names bandied about, I would prefer Cavani/Ibrahimavic or Higuain. Finally if these players are not achievable even with the large sum of money we have then we could go for another upcoming Talent in Finnbogason.

Rumours are we are definitely after a striker.

Cavani? Ibrahimovich or Higuain? I honestly doubt any of them would want to come to Anfield. In case of Ibrahimovich and Cavani, Liverpool can't top the PSG salary (Sakho was a special case, he wanted out because of the competition at PSG for his spot).

The Cavani kind of striker is not available to us; we're still an intermediate station to Barcelona/ Real Madrid/ Man City/ Bayern (if Liverpool have ever a player they want) until we're firmly settled as a top 4 EPL, quarter final Champion's League club. None of those guys would join to function as a Sturridge back-up/ in a time-share with Sturridge, either.

Borussia Dortmund has much better results than Liverpool in the past few seasons and they hardly can get a whiff of interest from players like the three you named

As an illustration: Lavezzi is a step down from those 3 and he apparently snubbed Liverpool. Most of our purchases in the last 4 years have come from smaller clubs in the EPL and abroad, I think that trend will continue.

I think if we to sign Cavani then he would be our main striker, number one. Out of the three, he would be my top choice that I think we could sign. Cavani is stated as unhappy at PSG and there is major hype about him coming over to England. Now out of the options, would he go to city with their 4 top strikers, or Chelsea with Costa or Arsenal with Sanchez and Giroud? Out of those he'd probably choose Chelsea but if Liverpool are in the mix I think he'd choose us. Who do you think? I don't think bony is good enough.

[Tapper]

Tattersail_, on 05 August 2014 - 08:14 AM, said:

Tapper, on 05 August 2014 - 08:01 AM, said:

Tattersail_, on 05 August 2014 - 07:42 AM, said:

Tapper, on 05 August 2014 - 07:09 AM, said:

Macros, on 05 August 2014 - 06:43 AM, said:

Thoughts on the window so far?

Liverpool definitely need another striker, and a right back, Johnson has just become such a liability at the back, and going forward to.many of his passes are wasted.

Liverpool has done well, especially if Moreno joins. I guess Kelly/Flanagan can combine for the right back position, and apparently there's a 2 year loan for a Spanish youth international (Manquilo) in the making as well. I don't know which striker would be available with suitable CL experience. In the end, when you see Swansea wants 25 mln for Bony, then the 32 Chelsea paid for Diego Costa was an absolute bargain. Would have liked to LPL buy Lukaku, but I guess he's not the Rodgers type.

Yeah Manquilo looks set to cover Johnson at right back, 2 year loan with option to buy is excellent business.

I hope they do seal the Moreno deal, he seems like the only left back available that is worth any salt.

Lastly, regarding the striker situation I am very worried. We have one more friendly left and then the season starts. Going in with only Sturridge who is class we are going to struggle. We 100% need a better striker than Lambert to cover, or even start. Yes we have added depth to our team but we have not added a first team regular player. Names bandied about, I would prefer Cavani/Ibrahimavic or Higuain. Finally if these players are not achievable even with the large sum of money we have then we could go for another upcoming Talent in Finnbogason.

Rumours are we are definitely after a striker.

Cavani? Ibrahimovich or Higuain? I honestly doubt any of them would want to come to Anfield. In case of Ibrahimovich and Cavani, Liverpool can't top the PSG salary (Sakho was a special case, he wanted out because of the competition at PSG for his spot).

The Cavani kind of striker is not available to us; we're still an intermediate station to Barcelona/ Real Madrid/ Man City/ Bayern (if Liverpool have ever a player they want) until we're firmly settled as a top 4 EPL, quarter final Champion's League club. None of those guys would join to function as a Sturridge back-up/ in a time-share with Sturridge, either.

Borussia Dortmund has much better results than Liverpool in the past few seasons and they hardly can get a whiff of interest from players like the three you named

As an illustration: Lavezzi is a step down from those 3 and he apparently snubbed Liverpool. Most of our purchases in the last 4 years have come from smaller clubs in the EPL and abroad, I think that trend will continue.

I think if we to sign Cavani then he would be our main striker, number one. Out of the three, he would be my top choice that I think we could sign. Cavani is stated as unhappy at PSG and there is major hype about him coming over to England. Now out of the options, would he go to city with their 4 top strikers, or Chelsea with Costa or Arsenal with Sanchez and Giroud? Out of those he'd probably choose Chelsea but if Liverpool are in the mix I think he'd choose us. Who do you think? I don't think bony is good enough.

I think Cavani would demand a 300k a week salary, and I'm not sure Liverpool wants to pay that. Suarez was also happy playing from the flank when Rodgers put Sturridge in a central role, and one reason why Cavani wants to go, is because PSG plays him from the side.
If we put Sturridge on the right flank to cut inside, where would we put Sterling? At 10, he'd cut into Coutinho's best position. And that's without taking Lallana or Markovic in consideration.

Regarding Bony: he was sensational at Vitesse Arnhem, and he did well in the EPL considering all the issues Swansea had with coaching. It's just a pity that we'd pay so much for picking him up a year later, both in fee and in salary.
He's imho also a striker who does well with space in front of him, so he's better on the break than with consistent pressure on the opponent.

Huntelaar would be my main preference. He's got a great nose for the goal, is good in small spaces, can shoot with both feet and is a marvellous header of the ball and he seems an unselfish guy with loads of experience and 2-3 years at the top level in him.

[Tattersail_]

You make Bony sound so much better than what I saw of him last year. I think Huntelaar does not fit the right age group. We already have Lambert at that age and experience.

Edit, it makes me happier to sign Bony and not as doomed as I thought we'd be.

This post has been edited by Tattersail_: 05 August 2014 - 08:38 AM