Liverpool Transfer Rumours: Sylvain Marveaux and 10 Other Recent Anfield Rumours
I am a lifelong Liverpool fan and as I am writing, I am wearing my Robbie Fowler jersey circa 2001. I love the club with all my heart and have supported them through thick and thin for years. Bearing that in mind, Liverpool Football Club are a dismal excuse for a top notch football team.
They are atrocious. With poor organisation, lackluster defending, an inability to move the ball in midfield, little guile and less goalscoring threat, they have less hope of winning the Premier League than Djimi Traore has of winning a second Champions League medal.
The most optimistic analysis would suggest they have, in my view, seven players on the squad who to deserve to wear the jersey (Reina, Carragher, Johnson, Gerrard, Meireles, Kuyt and Torres).
The rest are at best average (Lucas, Agger, Skrtel, Ngog) and at worst sheer, unbridled liabilities (Konchesky, Maxi, Babel, Poulsen, Cole, Jovanovic, etc). The club desperately needs fresh blood and new hope.
The following slideshow is an overview of some of the names of players who have been associated with the club that we would charge, if they were signed, with the duty of lifting this proud club out of the wilderness, and a look at some players that are rumored to be headed out the Anfield exit.
Sylvain Marveaux
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Sylvain Marveaux is hot property. Hailed as the ‘new Malouda’ he has pace, power, skill, decent vision and an eye for goal. At 24, he is still young and at the rumoured price of £1.5 million, he could turn into a steal big enough to get him cast in ‘Oceans 14.’
The left wing is one of many problems for Liverpool. Between Joe Cole, Ryan Babel and Maxi Rodriguez, Liverpool don't even have one competent left winger.
Marveaux could be the man to solve this problem. He is by no means a home-run sure thing solution, but if he is eager and willing to work and develop his game, he could certainly turn into an upgrade for the position.
The 'new Malouda' talk is slightly frightening to a man who once heard Bruno Cheyrou referred to as the 'new Zidane'. The French league is not a particularly high standard, and for every Nic Anelka there seems to be a Djibril Cisse.
But at £1.5 million, there is not much being speculated here, so if he fails, it isn't financially crippling.
He could be a superstar waiting in the shadows and, even if the lad only turns out to be an average winger, that is an improvement on what Liverpool have currently and that makes this a shrewd piece of business.
Ashley Young
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Ashley Young is valued at roughly £14 million. Can I say straight off the bat that he is not worth it?
At 25, he has played a lot of Premier League football at a mainly decent club. He has at times looked quick, incisive, dangerous and skilled. He has used the ball well and scored some great goals.
At other times he has looked stupid, naive and aimless. He has lost possession criminally and wasted glorious opportunities.
He is certainly an upgrade on any winger Liverpool have in the squad at the moment. That is not in question. He is in fact, in my opinion, a good footballer.
But £14 million is still a lot of money and for that kind of cash, especially for a non-rich club like Liverpool, he would need to be a certain superstar. Young is not a certain superstar. He is a good winger. No more, no less.
He is overvalued and the pressure on him arriving at the club to justify his price tag would doom him to always be seen as a letdown. From his point of view, it is a bad move. From Liverpool's point of view, it is a good move at a bad price.
I just don't buy it.
Johan Elmander
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Johan Elmander is another rumoured target for Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson. The rumours suggest that a bid in the region of £8 million would be enough to secure his services.
The 29-year-old Swede has been in fine form this season, netting nine times in 20 appearances for the surprising sixth-place Bolton.
Elmander has average pace but great strength, is good in the air and could create chances for Fernando Torres. Also, if Torres were to be injured, as he frequently is, Elmander has shown he is more than able to lead the line by himself.
I like Elmander. He is a good, hard-working player who is having a strong season. Good for him. But consider David N'gog has scored 8 goals in 24 appearances this season. Elmander has 9 in 20. Is there really that much of a difference?
Can that difference be used to justify spending £8 million on a guy who has never come close to scoring 20 goals in a season before, and who will be out of contract at the end of the season anyway? I think not.
Elmander is a good player, but he is not world-class and is not even that far removed from the second striker Liverpool currently possesses . I could not justify spending £8 million on him.
If Liverpool are going to buy another striker, they ought spend top-end money and get a younger guy capable of being a 20 goal a season striker.
If they cant afford to do so now, then they shouldn't buy anyone at the position. Spending £5 million- £10 million on older strikers who will only ever be decent at best is a waste of money in the long term.
Ronaldinho
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£7 million for a Brazilian wizard? Eh...no. Please please no.
We all know what he used to be able to do at Barcelona. He was a genius and one of the greatest players of this generation. His feet were spellbinding and every time he got the ball, opposing defenders seemed to forget how to tackle. He was magnificent.
But then he got fat, slow and lazy. Then he demanded crazy wages and faked injury. Then he fought with his manager and his teammates. Then he was unceremoniously dropped and sold.
He has been OK at Milan, but in reality he has just been a shadow of his former self. He doesn't care anymore. His money is made, his legacy is cemented.
He has won domestic leagues. He has won the Champions League and World Cup. He has been named World Player of the Year. He has no more mountains left to climb.
The fire is not there as it once was, and I for one do not think Roy Hodgson is the man to relight it.
Ryan Shawcross
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So far this has been a rather negative article. I feel like a cynical hack. What I badly need is a talented young player to step forward and wow me as a potential transfer candidate. Step forward, Ryan Shawcross.
He's young. He's strong. He's fast. He's good in the air. He has good character. He's a leader of men. He is composed and reliable. He is a rock in the heart of a Stoke defense that without him would be lost at sea.
I must say I love Ryan Shawcross. He is a ready-made replacement for the aging Jamie Carragher. He could provide stability and reliability for years to come, and could be the keystone in a new defensive wall.
Stoke have put a huge value on his head of £20 million but this is to warn clubs he wont be cheap. In reality the price tag wont be that high although it could be well over £10 million.
Stoke are right to charge a lot. This guy has the quality to make any price look like an absolute bargain.
Robert Huth
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Nopety nope nope.
Robert Huth is not a good football player and never will be. Maybe I am being harsh, but it boggles my mind that teams continue to pay money for him.
He is slow, inconsistent, unreliable and prone to Titus Bramble-like lapses in concentration.
I would have no confidence in him in the team. I would flinch every time I saw him or heard his name.
The last player Liverpool had that I can honestly say that about was Djimi Traore. I think that says a lot.
Jose Reina
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Pepe is the best 'keeper in the Premier League. It is thus little wonder that clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal are rumored to be seeking his signature.
He is consistently and dependably excellent. He makes no mistakes and often goes above and beyond anything that could be reasonably expected of him. He is an elite goalkeeper and possibly Liverpool's best player, all positions being equal.
Defense is built on goalkeepers. A calm and resolute 'keeper who issues direction to his back four and is a constant safety net presence in goal is a rare and valuable commodity. Liverpool struck gold with Reina and should not let him go for any money.
Fernando Torres
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El Nino increasingly cuts a frustrated figure as he stalks the field hoping against hope that one of Liverpool's inept midfielders might actually pass him the ball in a dangerous location.
One can almost see the cogs turning in his head as he trudges forlornly back to the dressing room after another wasted 90 minutes. 'Wouldn't my talents be better used somewhere else?'
Short answer...Yes. Long answer...Yes.
Fernando Torres is wasted on Liverpool at the moment and although as a fan it grieves me to say this, for his own benefit he may be better off jumping ship to a better club more befitting his outrageous quality.
He is still a top-notch player and he deserves to be playing at the highest level. Liverpool cannot offer him that. From his point of view, a move may seem like the best option.
But this may not be bad news for Liverpool. Torres has flashed his predatory brilliance this season (His evisceration of Chelsea springs to mind) but in general he has looked off form and a bit slow.
He is perpetually injured and it is very possible he may have lost some of the pace that made him such a masterpiece of a striker a few seasons ago.
He is still brilliant and dangerous and a top rate player. But he may be on the downturn and there is no telling when the next long-term injury is going to creep up.
It may actually be better for Liverpool to get the money for him now when they still can, rather than keep him and let him get hurt again to a point where he is worth nothing to the club and his great ability has been wasted.
Milan Jovanovic
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I put this one in almost as a joke. Although I, like most Liverpool fans, am not laughing.
To put it bluntly...Jovanovic is useless. He can leave anytime he likes.
At £50,000 a week, he is indicative of the overpriced and overpaid perpetual under-achievers that Liverpool have specialized in recently and who have brought the club to this inauspicious juncture in its illustrious history.
Apparently, Genoa and Hamburg are both willing to pay £3 million for him. If that's the case I have some striped paint I can sell them as well...
Edin Dzeko
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BOOM!
That's the sound of my (beautifully chiseled) jaw (covered in stylish stubble) hitting the floor. I just read this rumor two seconds ago. I suppose that's what I get for living in a cave on Mars. With my eyes closed. And my fingers in my ears.
This guy is a classy operator. He has all the pace, all the power, all the talent and all the finishing ability that any club could ever dream of. He is the real deal.
I doubt very much that Liverpool will get this guy. He is valued in the £27 million range, which is not exactly cheap, and the Citizens are apparently kicking his tires as well. Given the size of their chequebooks, I wouldn't give Hodgson much of a chance at sealing the deal.
Still though...a man can dream...
Rafael Benitez
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OK, so this is kind of cheating but I desperately want to vent my spleen on this particular rumour.
Roy Hodgson is a joke. He is over-matched by the job and needs to jump before he is pushed. But replacing him with the man fired before him? How short are our memories?
Benitez made some strides with Liverpool. He won a Champions League and an FA Cup, he signed some good players and he had us competitive domestically. All of this was great.
He also signed some terrible players. This I can forgive. I can even forgive his rotation policy and his hyper-fastidious over technical management style.
Hell...I'll even give him a pass on Zonal marking. The American owners can also take a lot of blame for the clubs troubles under Benitez. All this can be forgiven.
But I will not forgive the sale of Xabi Alonso. Liverpool had possibly the best side in the league three years ago. After a slow start we finished 2nd with our league record points tally. We lost only 3 games - a league low.
In one week, we beat Madrid, Villa and Man Utd (In Old Trafford) by scoring 14 goals and conceding only 1. We were headed for big things.
But we had a team that was built on one player. Above and beyond Reina, Carragher, Torres and Gerrard, Xabi Alonso ran the team. When he played well we won. He was playing the best football of his life. And Rafa sold him.
The arrogance, stupidity, carelessness and complete lack of forethought by Benitez in allowing the sale of his so called 'football son' cannot be forgotten. Benitez built something nearly great, and then dismantled it in front of our eyes
Whats to stop him doing it again?
Questions still exist around Liverpool. Hodgson is not the answer. But neither is Benitez. He wasn't then and he isn't now.
Conclusion
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Liverpool need new blood badly, and they desperately need to weed out the players who consistently damn the club to mediocre performances.
But throwing money at the problem will not solve it. Liverpool need to be wise. Buying a bunch of average players for mid-range money will only serve to make Liverpool an average team. And average is not good enough.
In order for Liverpool to return to the glory of the past, they need a complete overhaul. A new manager with new staff and a new club dynamic is required.
The focus needs to be on young, high class players who can grow and develop into world class footballers. If done right (a la Arsenal), this needn't be extortionately expensive.
But it is important for Liverpool to note also that one great player is better than 3 average players, and if money is to be spent it makes sense to buy the best players available and not have the same recurring problems year after year.
This will improve the club instantly, create a higher standard of squad competition and, in the long run, be more financially sensible.
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