Vegard Forren

[Shaggy]

Brendan Husebø @BrendanHusebo
Molde have more or less agreed an offer for Forren from Southampton. But it seems like he's still gong to train with Liverpool. (VG)

[Vermilion]

brilliant thread

Tbf, not much is happening, it's either Forren, Ince or Snjeider.

A trialist, a saga and a dream

[Shaggy]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2013/01/15/liverpool-fc-drop-interest-in-norway-defender-vegard-forren-after-molde-agree-fee-with-southampton-100252-32599833/

LIVERPOOL FC have shelved plans to hand a trial to Norwegian centre-back Vegard Forren after his club Molde agreed a £4million fee with Southampton.

The 24-year-old was due to start a week-long stint at Melwood today but has instead headed for the South Coast to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers was happy to take the opportunity to run the rule over Forren, whose progress has been closely monitored by other Premier League clubs such as Everton and Fulham in recent months.

However, he was not high on Rodgers’ list of priorities – hence why Liverpool only offered him a trial and at no point submitted a bid for the defender.

When Molde informed Liverpool about Southampton’s firm offer Rodgers made it clear the Reds wouldn’t be matching it and recommended they took the deal offered by the Premier League strugglers.

Forren wanted regular first-team football and unlike the Reds, Southampton are in a position to be able to offer him that immediately.

The defender flew to Manchester yesterday and stayed in Liverpool overnight but following Southampton’s late interest he headed south today with agent Jim Solbakken.

Molde boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “We have had a good dialogue with Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, who wanted to speak with Vegard and see him in training.

“We agreed that he could go there to see the conditions. But Liverpool have not made a bid.”

If they are sufficiently impressed to make a formal offer, he would cost in the region of £4m.

Other Premier League clubs are closely monitoring the situation and there is a chance that if any make a firm offer for Forren he may opt to move where he can be guaranteed regular football.

FC Bruges had a bid accepted by Molde in December but the player rejected a switch to Belgium preferring to wait for interest from England to firm up.

At the time he said: “For me the Premier League is the best place to play football. That is what we are working towards now if there is something there.

“I want to go to a club where I feel that I am focused on. It must be possible to play regularly throughout the season.

“Playing in the Premier League would of course be a big challenge if I get the chance. It’s a different pace of football. But I have developed a lot through good experiences in the Europa League and with the national team. It gives me confidence that I can perform in the Premier League.”

On Bruges’ interest he added: “Molde and Bruges agreed, but I said no. As far as I know it is the only club to have bid.

“If everything was about wages, I would have already moved clubs. But it has to be the right club in every way.”

Forren has made nearly 150 appearances for his boyhood club Molde and boasts five caps for Drillo Olsen’s national team.

After 14 Under-21 appearances and two at Norwegian Under-23 level, Forren made his full debut in the 2012 King’s Cup match against Thailand in January 2012.

He also played against South Korea a few days later, but had to wait until October for his first competitive match when he started against Switzerland.

[Rich]

I'm not that arsed personally but IMO we either scout the lad, we like him and we sign him - or we don't. Don't ask him to come on trial. You trial kids, not international footballers. He's a 24 year old international footballer. Not some 17 year old.

[Tee]

We should just dis-vegard him.

[Alex]

You guys are always Forren over yourselves to make puns. Its embarrassing.

[Captain Stu]

Sounds like a good move really, we clearly weren't ****-hot on him in the first place or we'd at least have lodged a solid bid.

But yeah, offering a trial to a regular footballer seems somewhat insulting.

[SB]

Sounds like a good move really, we clearly weren't ****-hot on him in the first place or we'd at least have lodged a solid bid.

But yeah, offering a trial to a regular footballer seems somewhat insulting.

Even if he is from a 4th rate league?

[Captain Stu]

Even if he is from a 4th rate league?

I don't think you'd see anymore in a trial than you would in a real game situation - if you can't gauge his ability when he's playing at 100% in an actual match then how can you see if he's good enough in training where you're unlikely to see him train his cock off.

Offering a trial to a 24 year old just screams, to me, of insufficient scouting.

[Pablo]

This appears to have been a potential signing forced upon Rodgers from our new scouting team. Perhaps he felt the best way to stand his ground was to bring him in for a trial as a compromise (so as not to completely dismiss our scouts by saying no outright). Either way we clearly weren't all that keen on him in the first place so it's no big loss.

Watch him turn into the next Hyypia now!

[SB]

I don't think you'd see anymore in a trial than you would in a real game situation - if you can't gauge his ability when he's playing at 100% in an actual match then how can you see if he's good enough in training where you're unlikely to see him train his cock off.

Offering a trial to a 24 year old just screams, to me, of insufficient scouting.

Yeah maybe but you get o know a person a lot better personally in a week than just on match days whilst your scouting him.

[Captain Stu]

Yeah maybe but you get o know a person a lot better personally in a week than just on match days whilst your scouting him.

Potentially, yes, but that shouldn't be a trial - that should be a concentrated scouting effort across half a dozen games and then - if Molde agreed to it - an informal chat to try and gauge his personality.

I don't consider a four day trial to be useful for anything other than kids or people coming back from injury where you really need to see their current fitness levels.

[Rich]

Perhaps we should have asked Chelsea whether we could have had Sturridge on a week's trial first.

[Neil Young]

Danger fervor.

[SB]

Potentially, yes, but that shouldn't be a trial - that should be a concentrated scouting effort across half a dozen games and then - if Molde agreed to it - an informal chat to try and gauge his personality.

I don't consider a four day trial to be useful for anything other than kids or people coming back from injury where you really need to see their current fitness levels.

Yeah but there season is over isn't it? How else can we make a decision now! Get him over & see what he's got sounds fair to me.