.....surely Spurs should be making there interest known by now?
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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers shows intent with £20m move for Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Liverpool are stepping up their efforts to secure Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan for £20 million as Brendan Rodgers sets his sights on his first major summer signing.
Exclusive: Liverpool announce intent with £20 million move for Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan
By Chris Bascombe
10:30PM BST 14 Jun 2013
The Merseyside club are preparing a formal approach to the Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk for the 24-year-old.
Mkhitaryan has become one of the most highly-sought attacking midfielders in Europe and if Liverpool can lure the player despite the absence of European football at Anfield next season it would represent quite a coup.
Rodgers made Mkhitaryan his prime target when assembling his list of summer recruits.
Initially, there were suggestions Liverpool would have to fund such a move with the proceeds of the sale of Luis Suárez, but that is not the case.
Indeed, the club is prepared to sign a player they have coveted in the hope it will convince the Uruguayan to remain on Merseyside, although that remains an optimistic hope at this stage given Suárez’s public comments asserting a desire to move to Real Madrid.
Mkhitaryan struck 25 goals in the Ukrainian league last season and is considered one of Shakhtar’s outstanding performers. He joined Donetsk in 2010, winning player of the year in 2012 and numerous league titles and domestic cups.
Shakhtar have already done business with the Premier League this month, allowing Fernandinho to join Manchester City for £34 million.
The Ukrainians’ signing of Wellington Nem from Fluminense and Fernando from Gremio for a combined £18 million appeared to pave the way for the loss of their two prized assets.
Rodgers has made it known he was pursuing more goals from an advanced midfielder and Mkhitaryan certainly fits the bill.
The Armenian can play as a central striker or in his preferred role as a No 10 behind the forwards. He was the star performer when Armenia demolished Denmark 4-0 in Copenhagen in last week’s World Cup qualifier, during which he scored and shone with his pace and skill.
It could become a hugely significant transfer window for Liverpool, especially with Iago Aspas secured, despite suggestions that his move has been ‘blocked’ by the Spanish Football Association. Liverpool have confirmed a deal with Celta Vigo has been done and they are simply awaiting documentation.
Suárez’s desire to join Real Madrid is unwelcome, but Rodgers is gradually trying to add more European-class quality into his squad to add to last January’s additions of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge.
Luis Alberto is another anticipated arrival from Sevilla, as is Sporting Lisbon’s defender Tiago Ilori.
The chances of signing Kyriakos Papadopoulos are receding, however, due to injury concerns surrounding the Greek defender.
Papadopoulos was an attractive option for Rodgers, but suffered a serious knee injury last season and the fee involved, well above the £12 million Liverpool initially anticipated, has made the Merseysiders consider other options.
Other players are available for transfer to bolster the transfer kitty. Jonjo Shelvey, the subject of interest from Norwich City, could leave for an offer in excess of £5 million, while despite a return to favour at the end of last season, Liverpool would also entertain bids for Stewart Downing.
Liverpool, though, are eager for Andy Carroll to confirm a £15 million move to West Ham as soon as possible.
Martin Skrtel has long been anticipated to leave in this transfer window, a reunion with former manager Rafael Benítez at Napoli mooted.Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
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hunter mentioned he's ukrainian at the start to try and throw spurs off the scent
that, or he's bull****ting.dave of mutilation
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Henrikh Mkhitaryan – The Armenian Assassin
In sporting terms Armenia’s most well-known exports in recent years have been former Middleweight boxing champion “King” Arthur Abraham, and Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan who is arguably the greatest kickboxer in the world. Armenia is also well known for its Judo practitioners and in the world of film and tv, their American based mafia.
What they’ve never been noted for are their football players. One man looking to buck that trend and drag his nation towards mainstream acknowledgement is Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the goalscoring midfielder who plays his club football for Ukranian giants Shakhtar Donetsk.
Mkhitaryan is rumoured to be top of Brendan Rodgers’ list of potential recruits as the Liverpool manager looks to piece together his new look Liverpool team. He’s not someone who’s well known to the masses because Shakhtar, unless they’re playing English teams in the Champions League, are not a team likely to be shown on television. Basically, unless you’re a football geek it’s unlikely that you’ve seen much of him outside of a few Champions League games and Youtube videos.
I happen to be a football geek of many years standing who, after a holiday in Ukraine in 2009 led to an opportunity to attend the first ever game in the Donbass Arena, has been watching Shakhtar regularly for the past four years via internet streams and uploaded matches on numerous websites so it’s fair to see I’ve seen quite a bit of the Armenian midfielder in question.
Those who follow me on twitter will no doubt have seen me banging on about Mkhitaryan for months and months. In truth I’ve been following his career for about 3 and a half years after seeing him be the standout performer for Metalurh Donetsk in a match against Shakhtar during the 09/10 season. When he was snapped up by Shakhtar for a fee of £5.5mil it meant that I was able to watch him play on a weekly basis and fully appreciate his talents.
Mkhitaryan is a goalscoring midfielder, that’s information anyone can garner from simply visiting his Wikipedia page. 25 league goals in 28 games is a staggering return for a midfielder in what is a far more competitive league than its given credit for. But to simply tag him as a goalscoring midfielder would be to do him a disservice.
Mkhitaryan is an exceptionally talented player who can play in any midfield or attacking role and adapt his game to the perimeters of the assignment.
Ask him to play wide right and he’ll use his burning pace, work-rate and intelligence to play as either an old fashioned right winger. He’s able to beat a defender with either a drop of the shoulder, quick movement of the ball or just good old fashioned knock it and run technique ala Antonio Valencia. He’s an accurate crosser of the ball, and he’s also not afraid to drive into the box and create his own shot.
Play him left wing and you’ll get an inverted, Pedro style, winger who cuts inside to link with the centre forward or attacking midfielder.
He can play central midfield and act as a box to box player, or he can play upfront as a false 9 who can hold the ball up and bring players into the game as well as dropping off into space to pick the ball up and run at goal.
But where he’s best, where he truly stands out from the crowd, is an attacking midfielder. A number 10. He’s not a Mesut Ozil style creative genius but he’s a clever and reliable passer of the ball who works hard, drops into midfield to add an extra body, presses high up the field and, of course, scores goals for fun.
He scores his goals because of four main attributes that define his quality and make him a player who can without doubt become world class in the coming years. First and foremost is his aforementioned work-rate. He never seems to get tired and never stops making forward runs to join the attackers. Second is his ability to time his runs into the box. This is an extremely under-rated talent that has made the career of people like Frank Lampard. Mkhitaryan is able to use his pace, ability to change pace, and ability to see gaps, to pick the perfect run to get on the end of chances created by others. Thirdly he has a striker’s ability to find space in a crowded area. Should he arrive in the box and not find the ball waiting for him, Mkhitaryan is clever and quick and can drop back out and to either side to find the best available space to receive the ball in. Finally, and most importantly, is his fantastic finishing ability. Mkhitaryan finishes like a striker, calm and composed regardless of what faces him.
In terms of his ability, and play, in the final third the player he’s most similar to is Barcelona’s Pedro. He’s unstated, intelligent and brilliant at the basics. He ghosts between players on to throughballs and finishes with aplomb.
He’s not the finished article but has no glaring weakness. He’s decent in the air, not afraid to put his foot in and is developing a more creative side to his passing.
There’s been a lot of debate about where he should play if Liverpool manage to sign him, and while there are good arguments to be made for playing him as a wide forward on either side, I think he has to be played in the attacking midfield role. From there he’ll be able to display his full range of attributes and Liverpool will benefit the most.
That leaves the question of how Phil Coutinho fits into the team. Well with Luis Suarez seemingly headed for the Anfield exit sign, the obvious answer is as a left sided attacking midfielder. Coutinho has played a lot of his football in that role and is very well suited to it. Under Rodgers he won’t be tied to the wing and will have the freedom to drift infield, pick the ball up and see the whole field open up in front of him as Mkhitaryan breaks from deep, Sturridge drops onto the last shoulder of his marker and whoever is deployed on the right flank comes infield.
At Shakhtar, Mkhitaryan linked brilliantly with the gifted Willian who operated from the left side and that’s the sort of thing Liverpool fans should expect to see from a Coutinho-Mkhitaryan partnership. With the Brazilian’s ability to slice open a defence and the Armenian’s prowess at getting beyond the striker and on to throughballs, “Coutinho to Mkhitaryan…………GOAL!” could be a popular saying for commentators next season.
Liverpool have a real chance to sign Mkhitaryan, and even if the price is a couple of million more than they are comfortable paying, it’s a chance they simply have to take. Too often the Reds have missed out on top players due to a lack of funds or a lack of ambition, they shouldn’t let it happen with Mkhitaryan.Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
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I know I shouldn't but it's so ****ing exciting
Sign him asap ffs
Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
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I know nothing about this lad, but I'm excited because everyone else seems to be. It would be nice if we could build on the last transfer window and catch up a bit on the teams above us.Comment
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Didnt pay much attention to him before but from all the videos I have seen of him he looks ace. Id be surprised if they let him go. Dominant midfielderComment
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If this guy is really as good as everyone says he is then he should be purchased now, it shouldn't be related to the sale of Carroll.
Carroll will be sold eventually if we really want to sell him and we will miss our number one targets if our buying policy is that we need to sell before we buy.Comment
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@FreelanceLFC: Chris Bascombe: "I'd say odds on Mkhitaryan joining #LFC seriously improving."Comment
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Excited!!Was muß, das muß.Comment
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The Public Radio of Armenia are leading with it also ( although its only a rehash of caught offside)
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Weak willed, Wank or do they have a masterplan?
Think we have the answer..Slot!!Comment
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i would be very surprised having sold fernandino to city for a reported 34m, that shakhtar would sell Mkhitaryan for around the £22m mark who is probably a better all round player than the brazilian.[B]Sir Isaac Newton knew the universal law of karma - any action has its equal and opposite reaction.[B]Comment
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Does the site retweet random stuff ?Srijandeep Das @LFC_360 21m
Hello, hello. Liverpool have officially begun talks for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, say Public Radio of Armenia.
Retweeted by Liverpool FCComment
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that site, as i posted above was only rehashing Caughtoffside.Originally posted by rcasemore View Post_____________________________________
Weak willed, Wank or do they have a masterplan?
Think we have the answer..Slot!!Comment
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Are any other clubs being linked with him?That rug really tied the room together.Comment
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