Have Liverpool learnt the lessons from the Andy Carroll transfer saga? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Andy Carroll has sealed his move to West Ham permanently ending his turbulent two and half years relationship with Liverpool.
The 24-year-old joined Liverpool in the January transfer window of 2011 for a record fee of £35m from Newcastle United on the transfer deadline day, along with Luis Suarez who joined from Ajax.
Well folks if you're like me you always spend the majority of the summer after the season has finished counting down the days until the fixture list is released. Some people are desperate to decipher how difficult a start we will get, others are dying to see when we face Everton or Manchester United, some saddos even check the clash closest to their birthday.
Premier League fixtures 2013-14: Moyes will face Mourinho on Matchday 2 - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The Premier League fixtures for the 2013-14 season have been announced and it turns out that we will not have to wait too long to watch David Moyes lock horns with Jose Mourinho. Manchester United will face Chelsea in Moyes' first home game of the new season.
The Premier League fixture list for the 2013/14 season has been released and it seems the sadistic computer that spits it out is trying to get David Moyes sacked within his first five matches as Sir Alex Ferguson's replacement at Manchester United. Here's how the league champions open the season:
17 Aug Swansea City A 24 Aug Chelsea H 31 Aug Liverpool A 14 Sep Crystal Palace H 21 Sep Manchester City A
That's away to Capital One Cup winners Swansea on opening day followed by Chelsea with Jose Mourinho back in charge at home, then away to rivals Liverpool, home against newly promoted Crystal Palace and revamping runners-up Manchester City away to round it out.
Marc Bartra's words welcomed by Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Barcelona defender Marc Bartra says he thinks he's good enough to be the long term replacement for Carles Puyol at the Camp Nou, which will be music to the ears of several Premier League bosses.
How will Brendan Rodgers & Roberto Martinez fare at the Merseyside clubs? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez could take the Merseyside rivalry between Liverpool and Everton in a very different direction next season but both bosses are under pressure.
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are both interested in signing Sochaux midfielder Ryad Boudebouz, according to talkSPORT. The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from France this summer, with the Premier League touted as his most likely destination. Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is believed to be considering a move for Boudebouz, as he looks to strengthen his attacking midfield options at Anfield next season.
The most important signing Liverpool will make this summer - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Andy Hughes, Liverpool's new chief financial officer, could be the best appointment the club makes in any capacity this summer.
Hughes has been drafted in to over see Liverpool's financial plans all over the world, including the redevelopment of Anfield which will increase the current capacity of the stadium up to around the 60,000 mark.
Left-back Aly Cissokho has long been linked with a move to England and TalkSPORT are reporting that Liverpool might be the club to finally make it happen. The U.K. based radio station quote the defender as saying: "In the second part of the season I don't have as much playing time, unlike the first.
According to recent reports, the most recent of which coming from BBC Sport, Simon Mignolet would appear to be edging closer to the Stadium of Light exit in favour of a move to Liverpool.
Last season was arguably the Belgian international's finest in the Premier League, and with the opportunity of joining the Anfield outfit now on the table, goalkeeper would appear to be the next spot in need of filling for the Black Cats.
Liverpool FC are being linked with a loan move for Brazilian forward Lucas Piazon. The 19-year-old signed for Chelsea from Sao Paulo in 2011 but has made just one Premier League appearance for the Stamford Bridge side, missing a penalty against Aston Villa in his team's 8-0 win. He was on loan at Malaga in the second half of last season and Brendan Rodgers will be hoping that his past alliance with Jose Mourinho will enable him to do business.
Liverpool's new signing Iago Aspas insists he wants to play alongside Luis Suarez. With the future of the Uruguayan unclear after he declared he wanted to leave Anfield, the £7m spent on 25-year-old striker Aspas was seen as good business should Suarez decide to leave. But Aspas has stressed that he is coming to Liverpool to strengthen the side, not as a replacement.
Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva admits it would be a "great loss" if Luis Suarez left Anfield this summer. The Uruguay international has publicly expressed his desire to quit the Premier League after suggesting negative press coverage surrounding his controversies has had an impact on his private life.
Andy Carroll arrived on Merseyside on the back of the club selling the best striker the club had seen in years, Fernando Torres. At the time the club was in turmoil and Torres had fallen out of form, but young Carroll was peeking for Newcastle and had scored 11 goals in the first half of the Magpies season.
Like last year, a quick knock-up of Liverpool's schedule, looking at the fixture list by last season's league place rather than the team name.
•I'm sure you remember that Liverpool played three teams in the previous season's top four in the first five matches to begin Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool tenure.
We've already seen several key signings by Premier League clubs this summer with many new prospects coming in from La Liga. But in reality, we're also going to probably see several key players leave their Premier League clubs this summer.
Here are the top 10 high-profile players most likely to leave:
With summer on the horizon, some of the biggest names in world football have been linked with big money transfers. Let's take a look at some of this week's top transfer rumors:
1) Gareth Bale
According to The Mirror, Spanish giant Real Madrid is preparing an 85 million bid for Tottenham superstar Gareth Bale.
Liverpool Transfer Round Up: Reds in advance talk for Porto winger - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Liverpool are making smart moves in the transfer market and the fans can expect a few top signings in the summer, if the media reports are believed to be true.
The Reds were linked with a move for Porto's highly rated winger Christian Atsu in the past week, and according to reports from the Guardian, both the clubs are in advanced talks with Liverpool aiming to wrap up the deal for the 21-year-old for a paltry fee of just £3m.
England striker Andy Carroll is set to complete his protracted transfer from Liverpool to West Ham, subject to the passing of a medical, it has been confirmed. It has been widely reported that Carroll would undertake his medical on Tuesday afternoon, and it has since been corroborated by the son of West Ham owner David Sullivan that the deal is done.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed both Liverpool and West ham have agreed a fee to sign Andy Carroll following his successful season-long loan spell at Upton Park and all that is pending is agreeing personal terms with the 24 year old.
The fee is rumored to be around £15 million and the West ham boss is hopeful to secure a deal once the player is back from his Holidays.
Over the past few seasons, Liverpool have become lost in mid-table obscurity. And the main culprit for this sad state of affairs at Anfield has been its defence, which was often found to be desperately lacking last season. Among all the teams that finished in the top seven, only Tottenham conceded more goals than the Reds.
Liverpool is on the verge of signing Shaktar Donetsk midfielder Henrikh Mkhitarayan. The Mirror says Mkhitaryan is due to fly to Merseyside to undergo a medical on Tuesday, and the Anfield giants' boss Brendan Rodgers is expecting to complete the deal by the end of the week. The Liverpool manager is looking to land a goalscoring midfielder this summer and the Armenia international fits the bill having scored 25 goals last season for the Ukrainians.
Liverpool look set to rekindle their interest in Benfica's Nolito in the transfer window. The Spaniard, who can operate as either a winger or a forward, was on Liverpool's agenda in the January transfer window, however a deal failed to materialize. The 26-year-old struggled to cement a regular first-team berth and Brendan Rodgers is keen to resurrect his flagging career.
Liverpool Transfer Round Up: Andy Carroll edges closer to Anfield exit - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Liverpool striker Andy Carroll will undergo a medical on Tuesday at West Ham United, as the £35 million striker is looking to fly back from his holiday trip in the United States to complete the formalities at Upton Park.
Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has given his vote to defender Daniel Agger to take over as the Reds' new vice-captain from the 2013/14 campaign. Jamie Carragher had filled the position, behind skipper Steven Gerrard, until his retirement at the end of last season. Now Brendan Rodgers must decide who is to step in and lead the team when Gerrard is not available.
Liverpool has told Luis Suarez that he must have hand in an official transfer request if he wants to leave the club this summer. The Uruguay international, who is currently playing at The Confederations Cup, has given several interviews about his desire to quit Anfield this summer but, as yet, he has not informed Liverpool's senior figures.
Luis Suarez has given his most blatant hint yet that he wants to move to the Spanish league. Urging Liverpool to listen to his needs, he went on to talk of how every boy dreams of playing for either Real Madrid or Barcelona. "First I have a contract with the club, but if one day I want to sign (for another club), Liverpool will hear the offer, as it does with other players," he said in the Mail.
Liverpool has agreed a deal to sign Sevilla star Luis Alberto for a fee of £6.8m, according to reports in Spain. Brendan Rodgers has been linked with a move for the 20-year-old for a number of days and the two clubs have now reached an agreement over the fee. According to Estadio Deportivo, Liverpool will pay £6.
Liverpool are holding talks over a potential £9million deal to sign Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
The Belgium goalkeeper would be a fine addition to the Anfield squad and would give Liverpool goalkeepers Pepe Reina and Brad Jones serious competition for the starting spot at the club.
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has hailed the signing of Kolo Toure from Manchester City on a free transfer. The Reds fan favourite played against the Ivory Coast centre-back during spells with Leeds United and Manchester City, and is adamant Toure will be an excellent addition to the Reds' backline.
The worst-kept secret in football was finally revealed this week as Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini signed a three-year deal as Roberto Mancini's replacement at Manchester City. With Sevilla midfielder Jesus Navas also arriving at the Etihad and striker Iago Aspas joining Liverpool from Celta Vigo, what can Premier League fans expect next season from the new arrivals from La Liga?
Liverpool and Arsenal are ready to go head to head in a battle for West Bromwich Albion wonderkid Yan Dhanda. According to the Daily Mail, the 14-year-old has been catching the eye of the Premier League's biggest clubs since West Brom spotted him at an Asian Soccer Star event. Dhanda has been making a name for himself with the Baggies youth side and the report claims both Arsenal and Liverpool are ready to try and persuade him to move away from the west Midlands.
Sevilla sport director Monchi has revealed that they have rejected an offer from Liverpool for attacker Luis Alberto. Alberto spent last season on loan at Barcelona B, grabbing 11 goals and 17 assist, which has seen the Reds lodge an £8m move for him. Monchi appeared to confirm the interest to Sevilla's in-house TV station, in comments repeated in Marca, but said he expected the Anfield club to return with a more attractive offer.
Liverpool has re-ignited their interest in highly-rated Dynamo Moscow winger Balazs Dzsudzsak, according to the Hungarian's agent. The 26-year-old was a €19million signing for the Russian side in January 2012 when he joined from Anzhi Makhachkala and is contracted until the end of 2015. This hasn't stopped the Reds and Inter Milan in enquiring about his availability says his agent Jozef Vorosbaranyi.
Liverpool has been encouraged in their pursuit of Ajax's Toby Alderweireld after the defender's father admitted they had failed to agree terms with Bayer Leverkusen. The Reds are keen on the 24-year-old Belgian international, but the Germans thought they were in pole position to sign him after entering into initial talks, but it appears the player was unhappy with the wages on offer.
Liverpool is increasingly optimistic about signing Shakhtar Donetsk's £22m-rated midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan while uncertainty continues over the futures of Luis Suárez and Andy Carroll. Brendan Rodgers has made the Armenian international a prime target as he seeks to inject "an extra 20 goals" into his team next season, having already agreed a £7.
Liverpool have been linked with Galatasaray winger Nordin Amrabat following recent comments by the players agent Barry Thomas. "We're aware of the interest from the Premier League," Thomas told Sky Sports. "But he's contracted to Galatasaray and although tighter restrictions on foreign players in the Turkish league mean he could be available, his future very much depends on Galatasaray.
The English Premier League have had several clubs looking to make a move for Barcelona striker, David Villa for quite some time. Since the player broke his leg at the FIFA World Club Cup almost 18 months ago, there has been much speculation that he is not in the current plans for Barcelona. As the meteoric rise of Lionel Messi continued with his goal scoring exploits threatened every record in the books, Villa became almost a forgotten forward in Catalonia.
