Summer Transfer Window 2014

[Edward224]

It is correct.

[Edward224]

Even if we get Lovren, I'd still like to see Virgil van Dijk brought in, as that would give us a long term trio of Lovren, Sakho and van Dijk, with Kelly/Wisdom/Ilori possibilities also.

Unless one or both of Agger and Skrtel are sold then Lovren will be our only centre back purchase.

[Tes]

It is correct.

What is? The £16M price for Lovren?

[Tes]

Unless one or both of Agger and Skrtel are sold then Lovren will be our only centre back purchase.

Exactly, which is why I wouldn't miss the heart palpitations Skrtel causes. For most of his Liverpool career he's been an error waiting to happen due to his lack of concentration, poor awareness, lack of patience and guile when (thinking about) tackling.

Agger deserves to be given the same chance Skrtel was last season. Agger is now in the same position as Skrtel was coming off 2012/13 last Summer.

Defence is the foundation on which successful teams are built. It needs to have more focus given to it. 

[Edward224]

According to Tony Barrett it seems the the potential fee with the add ons included is £20m but the first basic payment is as you say.

[Tes]

According to Tony Barrett it seems the the potential fee with the add ons included is £20m but the first basic payment is as you say.

Considering the noises coming out of St Mary's that's not as bad as I feared it would eventually take to get him.

It seems unless you're pretty much a no-one at your club, with the very odd exception, transfer fees on the whole are ballooning yet again this Summer. So much for FFP hopefully squeezing them downwards.

However until one of the Nouveaux riches or Real/Barca are kicked out of the CL I doubt we'll see any curtailing of huge rises in transfer fees.

[Edward224]

It's the sky money this year which has made transfer sky rocket.

[Tes]

Tottenham set to swap Gylfi Sigurdsson for Swansea's Ben Davies and sign Holland international Michael Vorm for £3.5m

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2699182/Tottenham-swap-Gylfi-Sigurdsson-Swanseas-Ben-Davies-sign-Michael-Vorm-3-5m.html

That's a pretty good deal all round for Spurs. I guess we struggled on the three main aspects:

1. With Pepe's future unclear Vorm's position would also be, whereas he knows he understudy to Lloris at Spurs.
2. Ditto as far as Ben Davies is concerned. We already have Enrique, whereas Spurs only have Danny Rose and he was so poor that Vertonghen had to play out of position
    Additionally there's the uncertainty over whether we're signing an additional left back in Moreno, and there's also the 'Flanno factor'.
    Davies' way is absolutely clear to being the first choice left back straight away.
3. We didn't have a player like Sigurdsson that Swansea wanted. We could have given them  Borini and Aspas to replace Bony who's pretty much odds on to leave. 

[Tes]

It's the sky money this year which has made transfer sky rocket.

I was meaning across Europe. I knew that the TV money had gone even crazier, but it would be good to see teams investing in their academies also.

Some of the valuations knocking about, especially from Italian clubs, seem a lot higher than in the past, or maybe it just seems that way if they're linked with English teams.

[Tes]

Sunderland want Fabio Borini's transfer from Liverpool sorted in the next 24 hours

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/sunderland-want-fabio-borinis-transfer-3887131

"The striker who scored 10 goals for the Wearsiders on loan last season will meet boss Gus Poyet on Monday after the clubs agreed a £14million fee"

Let's hope that's the case, but it seems odd that he's flown to the States if he's meeting Poyet on Monday, unless Poyet's flying to America, or Borini's flying back which makes no sense him going in the first place. Clear as mud.

[Tes]

The market is so unpredictable this Summer:

Manchester United AGREE £16m deal for Borussia Dortmund star Mats Hummels

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/490232/Manchester-United-AGREE-16m-deal-for-Borussia-Dortmund-star-Mats-Hummels

That's a bargain, despite the fact he's untested in the PL, though Mertesacker's hardly struggled, so Hummels should be OK.

[Tes]

Daniel Agger considering Liverpool future as Reds close on £16m Dejan Lovren deal

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/490256/Daniel-Agger-considering-Liverpool-future-as-Reds-close-on-16m-Dejan-Lovren-deal

It's disappointing if he does leave as Agger, Sakho, Lovren and Skrtel is the sort of combination of qualities that we need to be competing at the right end of the league and in Europe, though maybe the headline is a bit unfair on Agger as in the article he is quoted as saying:

"How things turned out last season is not acceptable for me. I am here now and it is up to me to show the coach that I should play."

Hopefully that means he wants to stay, he wants to fight to play as many games as possible (injury permitting, and he has to be realistic about that issue) and he understands it's a squad, not a first choice 11 situation, like maybe in the past.

[the dude abides]

The market is so unpredictable this Summer:

Manchester United AGREE £16m deal for Borussia Dortmund star Mats Hummels

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/490232/Manchester-United-AGREE-16m-deal-for-Borussia-Dortmund-star-Mats-Hummels

That's a bargain, despite the fact he's untested in the PL, though Mertesacker's hardly struggled, so Hummels should be OK.

I was always perplexed as to why we were not in for these german lads this summer.

But I betcha they must be on to wages.

I see today United linked with Vidal again - Juventus will only part for top dollar with him....some reports say 40 million.  And he comes with reportedly Utd offering 200,000 wages per week.

Van Gall is a top manager.  But United are a club taking big risks......spending loads of money, despite already being in a load of debt.

And all in the hope that they can compete again at the top.

[the dude abides]

Either this is incorrect:

Dejan Lovren move to Liverpool IMMINENT after Southampton accept £16m bid

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/490112/Dejan-Lovren-move-to-Liverpool-IMMINENT-after-Southampton-accept-16m-bid

or all the previous reports stating we'd had a £20M bid rejected were false, both and everything's made up BS.

It would be great if true, as £16M is still a lot, and nearly doubles Southampton's money in just one season, but he does seem to be our only genuine centre back target, which has always seemed odd considering our defensive necessities with or without Suarez at the club.   

He's another example of the gross differences in the papers' reporting on this deal:

From http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/390001/Dejan-Lovren-set-to-snub-Tottenham-and-sign-for-Liverpool-within-the-next-48-hours

Dejan Lovren set to snub Tottenham and sign for Liverpool within the next 48 hours

"Liverpool are thought to be forking out £23m for the centre back as another of Southampton's stars heads for the exit."

So is the "1" in the Express's article or the "2" in the Star's a typo? Or something else?

yes, all goes to show that what the papers do not know, they make up.

and then they, and other papers, keep on reprinting the made up figures afterwards, as fact, til the cows come home.

the papers had obviously heard earlier in the summer, that we had made contact for Lovren.  And that he was keen.   But after that, the papers have obviously made the 20 million stuff up.

[Tes]

yes, all goes to show that what the papers do not know, they make up.

and then they, and other papers, keep on reprinting the made up figures afterwards, as fact, til the cows come home.

the papers had obviously heard earlier in the summer, that we had made contact for Lovren.  And that he was keen.   But after that, the papers have obviously made the 20 million stuff up.

Some seem to report it as (for example) "£20M", whereas others report it as "£17M with up to £3M in add-ons", depending on what agenda they're writing to.