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Rafael Benitez has confirmed the signing of midfielder Lucas Leiva from Gremio.
Gremio originally confirmed the deal, but today Benitez spoke about Leiva, saying : "He is the captain of the Brazil under-20 side and won the Golden Boot in his country last year so we know he has quality and we also believe he has the mentality and the character you need to do well in England.
"He can play as a holding midfielder but he can also get from box to box and so I am looking forward to seeing him score goals for Liverpool in the future.
"A lot of clubs in England and Spain were asking about him but our scouting department has again been working really hard and it's good that he's coming to us.
"He will arrive in the summer and then will start adapting to football in this country. We know it can take time but I think he has the quality to be putting pressure on Gerrard, Mascherano, Xabi and Sissoko next season."
The signing has come as a surprise, as a central midfielder was not a position we really needed, as we already have Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko and Mascherano, so where he will fit in, who knows?
Owen and other options.
Is this lad really worth all the hustle and bustle going on.
9 million in some peoples eyes sounds as a bargain, but does he actually deserve to come back and wear the sacred red shirt.
What would people think of him if he decided to go to the mancs?
Its being talked about on practically all LFC forums and boards, but we havent really mentioned it here.Who wants him back and who would prefer another option.
Eto and Villa are on the cards , but how realistic is the proposal or is it just us fans talking.
Would we actually take a risk at 25+ million to buy a player not proven in the EPL.Look at Nando and his contribution to Valencia.He was below standards with us and he , as some might say "scoring goals for fun in Spain". Would villa be the same ..and with such a hefty price tag would rafa take the risk.
We have the finances, but do we think Rafa is going to go wild and spend the whole kitty on 2 class strikers ? Has Rafa himself talked about Villa or Eto ? Or is it just his cliche of saying "we are looking at other possibilities " No ??
I hate being in the dark about these things like everyone else , but if your going to buy "world class" atleast mention it.We bought Lucas Leiva From Gremio for what has been said around the 8 million mark.By my calculation that gives us 32 million left plus the money from Pongolle (2.7 mill).
So who would you prefer and lets be realistic about this.Owen or Darren Bent.Untill Eto and Villa are mentioned from the gaffas mouth ..I wont mention them.
Who would you sell too ?
owen
i think owen should come back. he knows how we play and he is a proven scorer. ithink if he is fit he is the one. bent is not worth the money i like villa but i think like you would, he might struggle here. eto yes, i would love him to come. but at nine mil, i think owen is the best option. i know some fans cannot forgive him but everyone deserves , a second chance and deep down owen , is sorry he left. a fully fit owen would score 20 or more a season . and that is what we need. sell bellamy, i would like vincente in and alves.
hurray
here here i agree
If Owen gives up
If Owen gives up International football I'd like to see him back at that price. With the injuries he's had he needs to rest when other players are away on international duty. Shearer gave up at 29 and got to play another 6 or 7 years at club level and was consistantly scoring for the majority of those and remained injury free until near the end. But until Rafa himself mentions Owen or Bent I won't mention them.
Owen is a bargain at 2 million
If we sold Craig Bellamy for 7-8 million to Aston Villa then we could get one of the world's great strikers, Mickey Owen, for 2 million. That's the reality. Owen will score goals for Liverpool. That's a fact. He has had a few injury hit seasons, but if you get him for roughly 1-2 million plus Craig Bellamy can you really call it a risk?
Bellamy is a good player but not in Owen's class and won't get nearly as many goals. We haven't had a world class striker since Owen left. It seems Villa, Eto'o and the rest will cost over 20 million at least and could well fail to settle in English football like Shevchenko.
Owen loves Liverpool, everyone knows that. Ian Rush went to Juventus too but came back and done the business. Owen deserves the 2nd chance. Winning the league at Anfield would mean more to him than any other striker we might buy; and he'll try harder than most to achieve that now he realises his mistake in leaving.
BRING OWEN HOME! (For 2 million & Bellamy it's a no brainer.)
Owen Injury Prone
I would love to see Michael Owen back at Anfield, but in fairness with his injuries, how many games will we get out of him this season. A fully fit Owen would have defenders quaking in their boots, but as mentioned with the injuries he has had, what has that taken out of him, is he still the same player he was when he left Liverpool??
Yeah Rush came back and did the business but in fairness he didnt have the same level and number of injuries Owen had over the years and Owen due to bad luck has a habit of the same bad injuries reccuring to him on a regular basis.
I agree that the spanish players or the players from other foreign leagues will obviously need time to adjust to the Premiership but that emphasises the point even more to concentrate on strikers that are already based in the premiership. The only two that come to mind are Bent and Anelka, and personally i'd go for Anelka, class player, class finisher!!!!!
I can see Eto'o settling in
I can see Eto'o settling in OK. African forwards do seem to settle quikly into the PREM. Yakubu, Drogba and more recently Benni McCarthy are regular scorers in the league. Eto'o is much much better than all of these. It would be a big risk, financially. But I think bringing in Michael Owen is more of a risk, 14 games in 2 years at Newcastle is shocking. Anyone doing a risk assesment would go for Eto'o and any Gambler would see him as a safer bet.
maybey
eto is class there is no doubt, but if mike is fit 9 mil is better than, 20 mil plus for eto . i would like them both .but owen would fit, right in to our team .he is a liverpool player he knows, what to do.eto might require time. both will be a gamble but better the devil you know, than the one you dont.
Owen
I agree,owen should come back but i will admit that i'm weary as to owen being in the same class he was.I haven't seen him play in a while but then again rafa just might be able to bring the magic out again.I say owen more then bent and day and as far as the eto and villa roumors go...well i'd pick eto cause i think he has more spirit!And spirit matters a whole lot.
new away top
Any chance of anyone pointing me in the direction to see the new away top? when is it being launched?
Owen
Michael Owen has lost his spark, and i think he he lost it along time ago. Now you are all calling for his return to Liverpool but a few months down the line the very same people will be complaining about his injuries and asking for a new 20+goals a season man, which is what the majority of fans want right now, not a weary, injury-prone striker. Michael Owen was a god-send for Liverpool in his younger days, and if it wasn't for him the 2001 FA cup would have went to Arsenal, but he is not the answer to Liverpool's striking problems. We want someone who can score 20 goals in the league alone, Owen couldn't do that in his prime, what are the chances of it happening now?!
OWEN
YES HE ONLY SCORED 18 BUT YOU WILL NEVER CONVINCE ME HE IS NOT BETTER THAN BELLAMY CROUCH EVEN,KUYT AT SCORING GOALS.EVEN CISSE , SCORED MORE THAN THEM AND, HE HARDLY PLAYED.I THINK YOU ARE BEING TO HARD ON MIKE.LOOK WHAT HAPPEND, TO ROBBIE HOUILLER. RUINED HIS CAREAR. WHEN THEY SOLD HIM,HE LOST HIS SOUL ALL HE EVER WANTED WAS TO PLAY FOR US OWEN MADE A MISTAKE, TO LEAVE I THINK ,GOING TO NEWCASTLE. HE HAS PAID FOR IT HE NEEDS TO COME HOME JUST, LIKE ROBBIE DID.OWEN WANTS TO COME BACK,IF FIT WE NEED HIM.
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