“……At the End of the Storm, there’s a Golden sky,
And the sweet silver song of the Lark…..”
The everlasting lines from the immortal kop anthem have never meant more to any Liverpool supporter. After enduring a nightmare season and parting ways with the only manager that has brought true joy to them in the last 20 years, the Anfield faithful have been desperately praying and hoping for a tinge of that golden sky on the horizon.
History of this great club need not be reminded. There is no need to justify the pride one feels while wearing the revered jersey of the Reds. However, the fact remains that a whole generation of fans has grown up watching this legendary club do its utmost to win their 19th English crown, only to falter at crucial moments in some, while limping far behind the champions in most other seasons. Their ability to believe was restored by a Spanish genius who planted his legacy in Liverpool’s folklore after that one night in Istanbul. He brought the club closer to winning the elusive Premier league than any other man in the last 20 years.
But so atrocious was the year 2009-10 for the Reds that the man who secured a second place finish only a year ago had become the major source of disillusionment for the players and fans alike. A seventh place finish in the league and early exits from all the cup competitions made it one of the worst seasons ever for anyone supporting the Reds.
The famous Kop
Off the pitch matters have also reached an all time low. Under the Americans, Hicks and Gillett, LFC’s finances have plummeted to unimaginable depths. But there was a soothing announcement in April this year when Martin Broughton was brought in to oversee the sale of the club. The potential interest of six to seven parties in buying the club was doing the rounds and the mood around the club would have been so much jollier today had any one of them materialized. The prospect of the club’s sale has hardly been in news until recently when Chinese businessman Kenny Huang made a bid to the RBS to buy the club’s £237 million debt. Mr. Gillett, meanwhile, has told RBS that he is in advanced negotiations with Syrian businessman Yahya Kirdi. Whoever succeeds in buying the club, the fans would be hoping that Hodgson will have enough time and money available to lure talented players to LFC.
All this has made the transfer summer of 2010 one of the most important transfer seasons in the club’s history. On this summer hinges the future of the club’s financial stability, its reputation as a footballing superpower and also the future of some truly great Liverpool legends. Let’s have a look at how Liverpool Football club have fared so far in the transfer market.
Every end signals a new beginning..
Rafael Benitez had already cemented his place in the annals of LFC history with his exploits. But even he knew it was time to move on. The Spanish Gaffer had tried everything he could under the grasp of the Americans but in the end he had only a Runner’s up medal to show for it in the league. Reluctantly, the club and the fans let him go, wishing him the best of luck in future endeavours and hoping not to come up against him in Europe. For the record, Rafael Benitez has his place assured alongside Paisley, Shankly, Fagan and Dalglish in Liverpool history as a legend.
Rafa was still among the elite
The English press was never kind to Benitez; often taking his comments out of context and portraying him as stubborn and arrogant. However, the new man hired for the hot seat couldn’t be more opposite. Roy Hodgson is nothing short of a media darling with one of the most polite and charming demeanours you’ll ever find in an English manager. The English press, who fondly call him Uncle Woy, was quick to heap praises on the LFC management for this righteous appointment.
The man, who has often been dubbed as the nicest man in football, has a credible record as a manager. He is credited, along with ex-Indian national team manager Bob Houghton, as the person who transformed the landscape of Swedish football; winning the league championships no less than 6 times with 2 different teams. He also tasted moderate success with Inter Milan and FC Copenhagen. But he was better known for leading Switzerland to being the third ranked team in the world before he went on that miracle run with Fulham last year taking the Cottagers to the Europa League finals.
Uncle Woy happy with colour Red!
But did these achievements really deserve to be awarded with one of the most prestigious jobs in club football? The jury is still out on that with many claiming the appointment signified a loss in ambition for the club. Majority of the fans seem to have agreed with the decision, with the rest starting to support him acknowledging the fact that it could be a lot worse.
Liverpool Newbies…
Joe Cole
No surprise who the biggest name is to arrive at Anfield this summer so far. Once a true blue, Joe Cole was released by Chelsea and was snapped up by Hodgson as one of his first and biggest signings. This transfer surprised the media and the fans alike, as there were no strong rumours leading up to his signing. Always touted as the most skillful English player of his generation, Cole has won the Premiership thrice with Chelsea and will provide Liverpool with much needed pace and guile down the wings. His partnership with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres could develop to be one of the most feared in the league and the Reds’ fans will be hoping to see some cracking goals from the cockney lad. Cole has signed a four year deal with the Reds.
Source of hope for Liverpool supporters..
Milan Jovanovic
The Serbian International, popularly known as “The Snake” by the Standard Liege supporters, was already in talks with the club when Benitez was at the helm. Rafa’s departure however did little to dissuade the former Belgian Footballer of the Year from signing a three year deal with LFC. Jovanovich is a very talented and versatile player and can play as a striker and a left winger. Fans will be hoping to see him strengthen the left flank which has been a major worry in recent seasons as well as chip in with a few goals. Not too much to expect from Serbia’s top scorer in World Cup Qualifying, is it?
Danny Wilson
The 18-yr-old central defender signed a three-year deal with LFC for £2 million after completing a victorious season with Glasgow Rangers. He was given the ‘Young Player of the year’ award for his solid performance in the Rangers’ title winning campaign and is widely regarded as one of the best young talents in Britain. With Carragher looking a bit shaky nowadays, it could prove to be an inspired move.
Jonjo Shelvey
The highly rated 18-yr-old English midfielder signed with LFC for a fee of £1.7 million (initially) after becoming the youngest player to play for Charlton Athletic. He is part of the long term development plan at Anfield and his being English is an added advantage.
Fabio Aurelio
The left back was released in May following the expiry of his contract. However upon learning that he hadn’t found a new club, Hodgson asked him to come and train at Melwood with the team so that he and his staff could analyze him. Hodgson was quite impressed with him and offered him a two year extension till 2012.
L to R: Milan Jovanovic, Danny Wilson, Roy Hodgson and Joe Cole
No longer Reds…
Albert Riera
The Spanish winger was certain to leave the club after his public outburst against Benitez last season. The change in management didn’t alter his decision and he was transferred to the Greek side Olympiakos for an undisclosed fee after they made an offer for him.
Yossi Benayoun
The Israeli international apparently had a fallout with Benitez and made his interest to leave the club public in an interview. Chelsea came calling with a £6million offer and Yossi jumped at the chance. Benayoun was an important player in the side and his ability to unlock defences (especially of ‘lesser’ teams) will be sorely missed.
Other low profile departures..
-24-year-old goalkeeper David Martin moved to MK Dons on a free transfer.
-22-year-old left back Robbie Threlfall was released and has signed a permanent contract with Bradford City.
-21-year-old defender Mikel San Jose has moved to Athletic Bilbao for an undisclosed fee.
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LIVERPOOL RUMOUR MILL
Potential departures..
Javier Mascherano to Inter Milan
According the latest reports, Mascherano had wanted to leave the club as back as last summer when he was attracting interest from Barca and Inter. But with Benitez gone now, he is almost certain to leave, most likely back to his old boss at Inter Milan. The reported transfer fee is of the order of £25million which will be highly useful in the hands of Hodgson who’s already started to look for his replacement.
TheHardTackle’s probability verdict: HIGH
Emiliano Insua to Fiorentina
Liverpool had accepted an undiscosed fee from Fiorentina for the services of the Argentine left back. But talks seem to have been stuck now with Fiorentina not willing to meet his personal demands and if rumours are to be believed Insua will catch up with the Liverpool team for the friendlies soon. But the two parties in all probability will settle this dispute as the major negotiations have already been done.
TheHardTackle’s probability verdict: HIGH
Phillip Degen
The right back has been told to look for a new club after talks with the new manager and will most likely be picked up by Olympique De Marseille who had shown interest in him even before his talks with Hodgson.
TheHardTackle’s probability verdict: HIGH
Meanwhile, Maxi Rodriguez has also been linked with a move back to Spain following Rafa’s exit and Dani Pacheco has been linked to La Liga side Real Sociedad.
Potential arrivals..
Christian Poulsen – Juventus
Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta has claimed that Liverpool wants to sign the defensive midfielder. According to recent reports Hodgson has also confirmed his interest in the Dane as a direct replacement for Javier Mascherano who’s almost certain to leave.
TheHardTackle’s probability verdict: HIGH
Loic Remy – Nice
The 23-year-old Nice striker has been linked to a host of clubs including West Ham, Arsenal and Lyon along with Liverpool. His agent has claimed that he’s desperate to move to Liverpool. But he’s an agent. So it’s hardly a measure of the player’s actual plans. Will be a good acquisition if LFC do manage to get his signature but he’s likely to remain in France with a host of home clubs pursuing him.
TheHardTackle’s probability verdict: Medium
Maynor Figueroa – Wigan
The scorer of the ‘Goal of the season’ last year has been linked with a move to LFC for quite some time now with his agent (surprise surprise) claiming the deal is almost in place. He’ll be looking to slot into the left back position at Anfield.
TheHardTackle’s probability verdict: Medium
Others
–Carlos Salcido (PSV Eindhoven) and Jorge Fucile (FC Porto) for left back.
–Steven Defour (Standard Liege), Stiliyan Petrov (Aston Villa), Scott Parker (West Ham), Marek Hamsik (Napoli) and Sulley Muntari (Inter, straight swap with Mascherano) for the defensive midfield role.
No confirmed news on any of these link-ups except the usual tabloid reports that often circulate in the silly season.
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For LFC though, the biggest news this summer has been the news of Steven Gerrard opting to stay and Fernando Torres also acknowledging that he would like to remain at the ‘Best Club’ in England. A good defensive midfielder and a left back are the priority now. And whoever else comes or goes, realistically, LFC will be looking for a comfortable top 4 finish come the end of the season to get into the Champions League. And without it’s distraction this year, maybe it’s finally the right time to aim for the top of the league and pull out the major resources week in week out to achieve the consistency which is rarely associated with Liverpool.
“This Year Will Be Our Year!” – the hope returns…