January Transfer Window 2012

If Juventus is willing to part with Krasic, it will only mean he got some big issues. Why else would a title chasing team let a key player go!!!

Krasic would be a huge improvement on Downing.

ragbirjosh wrote:Krasic would be a huge improvement on Downing.

i assume you havent seen krasic this season?the guy has been extremely poor

I've liked Krasic, but haven't followed him this season. The more I think back to previous rumors, I believe Turan would have been a good addition to the squad. (Not sure how well he's doing this season though)

turan is being great in Ateletio,one of their few highlights so far this season

Liverpool Plot £16.6m German International Bid as Anfield Side Look to Beef Up Attack

Just to entice Messiakanino . . . .

Dude its just Caughtoffside . . they have redesigned but yet majorly crap

http://www.caughtoffside.com/2011/12/21/liverpool-plot-16-6m-german-international-bid-as-anfield-side-look-to-beef-up-attack/

PODOLSKI !!

Sepi wrote:PODOLSKI !!

I don't think we should sign anyone.

We're playing well as a team and I just think it'd be way too expensive to bring in a player who'd be a certain improvement to our overall quality.

Moreover, it's been just a few months since we last bought a bunch of players. We should stick with what we've got and see where it takes us and only buy when it's clear(er) what and who we need to improve ourselves.

I don't think it would be smart to try to get through the second half of the season with only one DM.

And with Spearing and Lucas out we haven't look all that good as a team, either.

We need to sign in January.

We're behind Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs now, and 2/3 of those are going to improve their side.

We're in desperate need for a poacher, and hopefully Vertonghen.

RedOranje wrote:I don't think it would be smart to try to get through the second half of the season with only one DM.

And with Spearing and Lucas out we haven't look all that good as a team, either.

In the long-term (with injuries aside), we haven't got the need for a DM so investing in one doesn't look feasible to me. A five-month loan-deal maybe, but I wouldn't buy in this area.

ynwa wrote:We need to sign in January.

We're behind Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs now, and 2/3 of those are going to improve their side.

We're in desperate need for a poacher, and hopefully Vertonghen.

We might currently be behind those teams in the table, but in terms of performance-level, I think we are matching them and will do so even if they buy in January.

And a poacher when we've got Suarez, Carroll, Kuyt and Bellamy? No thanks. Only if it is, again, a loan-deal or a Bellamy sort of transfer. But even in that case I surely don't have to remind anyone here about wages and how those can be a pain in the ass, not after the summer clear-out we had to do?

My point is, it would be way too expensive to be certain of strengthening the squad and I don't want to spend 10m+ on a player we don't need in the long-term or cannot be 90% sure will truly improve our current team.

So I'd buy no one.

Art Morte wrote:

RedOranje wrote:I don't think it would be smart to try to get through the second half of the season with only one DM.

And with Spearing and Lucas out we haven't look all that good as a team, either.

In the long-term (with injuries aside), we haven't got the need for a DM so investing in one doesn't look feasible to me. A five-month loan-deal maybe, but I wouldn't buy in this area.

There's no certainty that Lucas will return as the player he was... just look at Momo as an example. Big injuries can have unexpected consequences. Also, Adam hasn't really convinced, so buying someone who could potentially partner Lucas in the long run is not a bad idea either.

RedOranje wrote:

Art Morte wrote:

RedOranje wrote:I don't think it would be smart to try to get through the second half of the season with only one DM.

And with Spearing and Lucas out we haven't look all that good as a team, either.

In the long-term (with injuries aside), we haven't got the need for a DM so investing in one doesn't look feasible to me. A five-month loan-deal maybe, but I wouldn't buy in this area.

There's no certainty that Lucas will return as the player he was... just look at Momo as an example. Big injuries can have unexpected consequences. Also, Adam hasn't really convinced, so buying someone who could potentially partner Lucas in the long run is not a bad idea either.

I think it'd be risky to spend big money on a DM when it's probably more likely that Lucas will be back to the level he was prior to his injury.

In any case, I would wait until summer before spending any significant money on players. The current team needs a full season, in my opinion, to show where it is compared to its rivals.

Or, well, there can be some exceptions, of course, if there are great opportunities to be grasped. Hoilett just sprung to my mind, I hope he doesn't re-sign with Blackburn and if we bid for him in January, that's the sort of transfer I would approve of.

Buying a poacher wont be bad. Kuyt & Bellamy are 30+ and why wait till summer (or beyond) if we can find some one suitable.

Also, Kuyt, Carroll or Bellamy hasn't been menacing (Bellamy perhaps being the best of the bunch) and we need to better scoring record to finish top-4.

We do need a DM and that wouldn't hurt in the long-term either.

We've scored 20 goals in 17 games now. If we want to be in Europe, we NEED a striker. Kuyt, Bellamy and Carroll may look like adequate cover on paper, but they're not doing very well this season. And Bellamy plays more on the wings, then upfront. We have the lowest goal from shots ratio in the league, and the likes of Blackburn and Bolton who are the two bottom last in the league have scored more goals than us this season. iftikhar's post above is also a great point. Kuyt isn't getting any younger and Carroll is still a massive question mark atm. He hasn't fitted into the pass and move, and we can't rely on Suarez to both create and finish off chances.

I read an interesting point off of a decent poster on RAWK where he said managers like to build their teams from the back before they move into the attacking department. So far, that looks like the case. We've got the best defence in the league which is actually been vital to our PL campaign this season due to our poor finishing. Our midfield has been great, we've controlled 3/4 of the games played this season and are making chances for the people upfront. The only problem is that they are hardly contributing to the goals we score. Only Adam has done so but at the moment has to try and adapt to a new defensive structure due to the injury of Leiva. We need players running into the oppositions box similar to how we played at the end of the last season to help put pressure on the opposition for our strikers and to put the ball into the back of the net.

Hoilett's a good option and I agree with on that. He is going to be a gem. If we could get Hoilett (we do need an extra winger) and a forward, I will be delighted with the winter.

I could see us throwing a bid for James McCarthy though. Comoli has been spotted at a couple of Wigan games and it's been rumoured that we've had a bid rejected in the summer.

hmmmm hopefuly abramovich signs enrique this window

He's never scored against you guys. =(

ynwa wrote:He's never scored against you guys. =(

I guess that is actually why, it would be a good buy! ! cause the one who did score has turned out a "Lemon" . . . .

Signing in summer would do nothing to alleviate our current CM/CDM problems, Art. We need someone in now, especially if top 4 is the ultimate goal of the season.

Buying a DM will not be a bad investment in the long-term. Lucas was actually a CM who adapted to an exclusive DM role. Spearing is young and can be groomed to a more fluid role.

Considering Shelvey and Henderson are pretty young while Gerrard is ageing, options in MF will help cover for injury, age and form.

We just bought Henderson and Adam in the summer, we've got Shelvey showing a lot of promise, Gerrard coming back from injury, Lucas will be back next season and Spearing is an OK option, too, and you lot still want to buy a CM? Geez, guys, money doesn't grow in trees and we've already got players who deserve to be playing.

Art Morte wrote:We just bought Henderson and Adam in the summer, we've got Shelvey showing a lot of promise, Gerrard coming back from injury, Lucas will be back next season and Spearing is an OK option, too, and you lot still want to buy a CM? Geez, guys, money doesn't grow in trees and we've already got players who deserve to be playing.

And a CDM? Considering if jay either get injured or simply isn't up to snuff then how would we cover the loss of Lucas?

Because simply without a DM our midfield has been overrun to the point of embarrassment.

Well, who would you guys get for DM, then, and how much you think your player would cost?

Jay is usually fit and has the benefit of having played with this team before. And we're talking about a half-a-season need here, would be non-sense to eye someone as a permanent replacement for Lucas at this point.

I've seen only the Aston Villa game lately, but Arq's "midfield overrun to the point of embarassment" seems highly exaggerated to me. I'd be ready to play Kuyt - Gerrard - Hendo - Adam - Bellamy -midfield, with Suarez or Carroll as the lone striker. Or why not with three CBs with Agger pushing up to the DM role when feasible. Or try Aurelio there (if he's ever fit), he's done that before. That is, if Spearing is injured or has shocking form - something he didn't have late last season when he got some games, for instance.

I would only look for a half-a-season loan-deal if this matter was up to me. A permanent CM / DM signing now in January seems only too likely to be waste money and has no guarantee of improving us beyond this season.

German media linking us with Podolski. First real link I've seen (the only one before was CaughtOffside). I for one hope there's something in the German reports...

Art Morte wrote:We just bought Henderson and Adam in the summer, we've got Shelvey showing a lot of promise, Gerrard coming back from injury, Lucas will be back next season and Spearing is an OK option, too, and you lot still want to buy a CM? Geez, guys, money doesn't grow in trees and we've already got players who deserve to be playing.

Henderson - CAM/RM (one for future)
Adam - CM/CAM (been iffy)
Shelvey - CAM/SS
Gerrard - CAM/CM/RM (aging)
Lucas - CAM/CM (cannot assume anything about his return from injury)
Spearing - CM/CDM (young, good squad but not starter)

It's not as though we're swimming in DMs when we only have 2 that play the role at a high enough level.