mr-r34 wrote:if thats the signing

I also hope not. . .

Btw . . Roma have confirmed our interest. .

“There is a real interest shown by Liverpool for Borini,” Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini said during today’s press conference in Roma’s pre-training camp in Riscone.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2012/07/10/liverpool-fc-s-interest-in-fabio-borini-confirmed-by-roma-100252-31364763/

However, i feel Borini & Dempsey are going to be the actual signings. . . . Can't really relate to what Rodger's said "Exciting player"

donttreadonred wrote:

Art Morte wrote:If Brendan Rodgers is really considering loaning out Carroll then Mr Rodgers can go *bleep* himself, in my honest opinion.

Tbh, it's not a horrible idea under certain circumstances. I like Carroll. I think anybody who has seen my posts over the past season could figure that out. However, there is certainly a possibility that he simply could not function in Rodgers's concept of a CF.

If that is indeed the case, then a loan move would be the best way to get value from a player who by all accounts under-performed for large stretches of last season. His last few months (including the Euros) have been good, so a loan deal could be just the thing to build on his momentum, if he isn't in the plans of the manager. Any good loan spell could only improve his value for a potential sale.

From an objective point of view, the loan could be the best option if Carroll doesn't fit Rodgers system. I think the most likely explanation right now is that Rodgers wants to see Carroll in training before he makes a final judgement as to his suitability to the system.

edulfc wrote:

Art Morte wrote:If Brendan Rodgers is really considering loaning out Carroll then Mr Rodgers can go *bleep* himself, in my honest opinion.

why is that?? Its clear carroll won't fit into rodger's pass and move system. Though i'd prefer he was sold altogether.
I honestly don't see carroll improving on that aspect of his game ie mobility and speed. So we should just count our losses and sell him. The earlier the better cos if he stays we will keep trying to change our style of game to adapt him, long balls and crosses. Clearly that's not rodger's style.

1. Carroll is a good player (imo) and one we paid a shhhload of money for. Loaning out such players without intentions for a permanent move is just bending over for other clubs, imo. Just look at how well we did with Aquilani, paid some £17m for him, didn't perform that well from the start, now he's spent two seasons on loan, got older, run his contract shorter and so we're talking in the region of a few million pounds if he moves away permanently now. A bloody waste.

2. Rodgers' system. This is something LFC fans have began chanting like zombies. I realize I'm in the minority when I'm not too optimistic about him as Liverpool's manager, but here's a question: What if Rodgers' magical system doesn't work? Either in a random tight match or flops in general in Liverpool. Carroll provides a great option to short-passing game. Plus if you look at him play, it's not like he's losing possession left and right. He's got good distribution in midfield. But apparently that's not enough for Rodgers' system and we should have Fabregas as our CF.

3. Carroll had a good finish to the season and performed strongly in the Euros. If Rodgers decides to disregard that and just loan the player out because he doesn't fancy anything but tiki-taka then he is too narrow-minded for a top-level coach, imo. We're not Spain, after all, and nor we will be able to play like them.

Art.... it isn't Carroll's touch and technique that is the major issue and this goes for under Rodgers and under Dalglish.

It's his movement which will have Rodgers pulling his hair out ( what little he has)

His touch and technique is fine to be the CF of Liverpool it's his movement which is the issue and why i personally wouldn't have him as the first choice CF.

I wouldn't loan him out either though, as you say he could be at least given a chance and would give you a decent plan B if things didn't go well for whatever reason.

Yes, Mole, I'm not saying Carroll's flawless to any system, there certainly are more mobile forwards out there. Although one reason why Carroll may sometimes seem less mobile is that there's no point in him changing positions with wide forwards or making runs into empty-but-not-dangerous spaces; he's not a winger or a playmaker, he's as pure a CF as can be and he should stay in the middle of the field, whether it's in midfield receiving long-balls or in the box being your striker.


We're in very uncertain times football-wise, Liverpool FC, and getting rid of one of our most potent alternatives to our game plan would be equal to shooting ourselves in both of our feet.

if you read the quotes, it's clear to see this is all speculation... rodgers was asked if carroll might get loaned out, and responded with (i'm paraphrasing) "i'm willing to do anything i feel will help the team. i'm not going to tell you any player won't get loaned out, because in the case something does happen, i'd look like a liar."

it's a bunch of crap, there's nothing solid going on.

Okay.

Borini in looks set to be done soon.
(Waiting for Spurs to declare interest. *bleep*.)

Regarding Carroll.

Rodgers worked under Mourinho. Mourinho is known for for this type of behaviour to make players hungry and motivated to do well. Could this all be a spin? I'm hoping so.

Going by Borini's agent's comments it seems like Borini himself hasn't even been consulted about the move, so it's still up to him whether he wants to come to Liverpool or stay with Roma.

The good thing is that Borini has been in England before, so it shouldn't be that big a step for him to move back there.

Just my opinion on players we are linked with:

Borini- Would like to get him a lot as long as we dont have to pay too much over the odds.

Ramirez- Haven't watched him bar the odd occasion so don't know as I can really only go on the reaction of others towards the link.

Sturridge- No thanks. He fits in perfectly with the plastics if you ask me.

Dempsey- Dont really see the point, but I wouldnt be pissed if we got him cheap or anything.

Carroll out- Would like to keep him. (Even if he's not always a starter depending on who comes in), he would give us a different option in last half hour of games if we needed to change tactics.

Irish_Catalan_Scouser wrote:Just my opinion on players we are linked with:

Borini- Would like to get him a lot as long as we dont have to pay too much over the odds.

Ramirez- Haven't watched him bar the odd occasion so don't know as I can really only go on the reaction of others towards the link.

Sturridge- No thanks. He fits in perfectly with the plastics if you ask me.

Dempsey- Dont really see the point, but I wouldnt be pissed if we got him cheap or anything.

Carroll out- Would like to keep him. (Even if he's not always a starter depending on who comes in), he would give us a different option in last half hour of games if we needed to change tactics.

The point of Dempsey is versatility. Nice to know that the guy has an endless gas tank and can play numerous positions very well. However, I agree that most don't know how bad his passing really is. He would fit in better at Arsenal and that's what I hoped for, but if he can be the savior at Liverpool it would be huge for American football.

The question becomes whether Dempsey would be happy with the role of versatile back up. I think most want/expect Gerrard to play in the advanced midfield role, with some combination of Suarez, Borini, and Carroll (or his replacement) up top. Dempsey is versatile, but he's not by nature a true CF and definitely not a dedicated WF. As such his role in the squad would likely be that of Kuyt's last season... an option to change a game form the bench or fill in in a number of roles if injury, fatigue, or suspensions demand it. Given Dempsey's age I cannot see him being happy with such a role.

Dempsey wants CL.

He wants wages of over 70k.

He's not going to get that and he won't be a guaranteed starter.

He's only been linked to us because no one currently in the CL needs or wants him as he wants to stay in England.

I don't see us buying Dempsey to sit him on the bench or to play him as a false9. It's absolutely asinine to have Suarez and (for arguments sake) Borini, but play Dempsey as the CF. Both Suarez and Borini have played as a traditional forward. Dempsey is at his best as a SS/CAM. Gerrard's place is safe, and I doubt that we'll be implementing a formation that utilizes a SS/CAM. More likely is a formation utilizing two CMs and a DM with the wide forwards cutting in.

It's obvious we're interested in Borini (and may be close to signing him). Therefore the only real option for Dempsey is one of the wide forward slots. (Whether you believe him to be suited to this position is irrelevant to this particular argument. If he's brought in, Rodgers will have invariably judged him to have the qualities needed to succeed in the position.) This either means that Carroll has no place in the starting lineup, or that Borini is being bought as a backup striker. As I can't see Borini being brought in to sit the bench either, I believe that if we sign both Dempsey and Borini, that Carroll will either move (loan or sale) or be relegated to the bench.

The likely setup for that hypothetical lineup would be this:
--------------Borini
----Dempsey------Suarez
---------Gerrard-Aqua
---------------Lucas
Enrique-Agger-Skrtel-Johnson
---------------Reina

In such a formation, Suarez and Dempsey wouldn't act as wingers, but more like traditional inside forwards or withdrawn strikers. It really isn't that different from the role Dempsey played for Fulham last season. Therefore, Dempsey and Suarez wouldn't be responsible for providing width. Enrique and Johnson would be called on to get forward to provide the width. In other words, it's not a 4-3-3 in attack but actually a 3-4-2-1, setup like this:
-----------------Borini
--------Dempsey---Suarez
Enrique-Gerrard-Aqua-Johnson
-----------------Lucas
---------Agger--------Skrtel
-----------------Reina

It's a crude diagram, but it gives you a general picture of how Dempsey could fit into the lineup should a move materialize. If things work out this way, I won't be elated, per se. Dempsey and Borini will still have a lot to prove. However, if the personnel adjust to their roles well, it could be quite effective.

Food for thought. Nothing more.

If we were to sige anyone from Fulham, it should be Dembele.

I would be concerned if that was the planned approach, largely due to what I've heard and what little I've seen of Borini. It's my understanding that Borini excels in a 'Pedro' type role, using his pace and movement to exploit space and confusion between the fullback and centerback to get into dangerous positions. He lacks the requisite vision to be a consistent threat as a CF. Of course he's young could learn, but it's never a good idea to play a young player coming into a (relatively) new league in a position other than where he's most confident.

I'll be completely honest here, while I do believe that Carroll can adapt to Rodgers' style and could certainly succeed with Liverpool, I wouldn't be completely opposed to selling him for a solid price... but ONLY if there was a replacement lined up, and I don't think Borini/Dempsey fit that for me. Someone like Luuk de Jong, Huntelaar, Soldado (not a possibility since he's just signed an extension), or Gameiro (at DTOR's word) would fit that role.

We have no need for Dembele, though. Central midfield is still one of the areas where we have the most depth, and attacking midfield isn't far off.


Gerrard is best utilised in the most attacking of the midfield positions, given his his tendencies and abilities, and until some players are sold or loaned we're looking at rougly 6 players to fill two midfield positions. If Dembele could confidently deputise Lucas I might be more interested, but as far as I've seen he's never played in a holding role.

Rodallega moving to Fulham.

Dempsey to Liverpool or some other club now?

Just saw this tweet of a guy who claims to live near Borini:

"he lives close to me, and friends met him reported he is already with bags ready. Already a sure transfer."

I don't know how reliable it is though. A good signing if true.

We have numbers in CM but not quality (other than Lucas and Gerrard)

Either Joe Allen or Dembele to replace Adam or the Italian a**hole would be nice.

Allen would be a smart buy, given that he can act as cover for Lucas should it be needed. Again though, Dembele doesn't make sense as he doesn't play deep.

^ He does.

In 2nd half of least season, he played in midfield of 2 with Murphy and was brilliant.

Thing is, both Allen and Dembele are very comfortable with ball on their feet and glide past opponents easily and can carry the ball well and spot a pass.

Dembele is in last year of his contract too.......

I'd be happy with either him or Allen....though having someone nicknamed the Welsh Iniesta in the team would be very appealing.

Dembele played in a midfield two, not as a holding midfielder in a midfield three. There's a huge difference in responsibilities there. IF we're to spend money on a midfielder this summer I'd much rather it be used on a player who can cover a position we only have 1 current player for, not one we have 3 or 4.

What about Spearing?

Is Leon Britton the DM in Rodgers system?

Does anyone really like the idea of Spearing filling in for Lucas for an extended period (if such a need arises again) after last season? I think he proved fairly definitively that he's a central midfielder and not a defensive one. Spearing's passing range and consistency is also concerning if he's meant to be cover for the possession recycling position. He's not bad, but can really struggle some days.

Liverpool FC agree £11million fee with Roma for Fabio Borini

by James Pearce, Liverpool Echo

LIVERPOOL are set to complete the signing of striker Fabio Borini after agreeing an £11million deal with Roma.

The Reds have been given the green light to discuss personal terms with the 21-year-old Italy international who will then undergo a medical.

The transfer should be completed in the next 48 hours and Borini will become manager Brendan Rodgers' first signing.

An agreement between the clubs was reached following lengthy negotiations after Borini made it clear he wanted to be reunited with the Northern Irishman.

Rodgers knows exactly what he's getting having worked with the highly-rated youngster at Chelsea and then signed him on loan at Swansea City towards the end of the 2010/11 season.

Borini joined Parma after his Chelsea contract expired last summer but was swiftly loaned out to Roma.

He made a big impression at the Stadio Olimpico, scoring 10 goals in 26 games in all competitions, and earned a place in the Italy squad at Euro 2012.

Roma bought half of his rights back in January when they entered into a co-ownership agreement with Parma and then last month they bought the other 50%, taking their overall spending on him to around £7million.

Rodgers made boosting his firepower the priority having seen Dirk Kuyt move to Fenerbahce and Luis Suarez called up by Uruguay for the Olympics.

With Craig Bellamy and Andy Carroll facing uncertain futures, Borini is unlikely to be the only striker signed by the Reds during the transfer window.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2012/07/13/liverpool-fc-agree-11million-fee-with-roma-for-fabio-borini-100252-31385026/

As close as we are going to get before an official announcement.

Rumors are that we might sell Carroll if Fulham offer us 9m + Dempsey.

If Rodgers really wants to get rid of Carrol then swapping with players like this makes more sense than selling him outright as Newcastle has 25% sell on clause on Carrol.