Can't see us getting anyone in this window

[REDSCOUSER]

I thought we weren't getting anyone as well apart from Neill but after todays news in the Echo I am changing me mind.
Rafa always got a trick up his sleeve. Mascherano is a gem of a player but will he be willing to play the odd game or two as cover. I dont think so.

[lfc_1892]

Mascherano's situation in West Ham looks bleak. In my opinion, of the 2 Argie's, Javier is really trying to be positive and everytime he plays, he works his socks off. I would have him on loan as Momo is still recovering since we will be entering a very crucial period in the season after January.

[Marky]

What's your position and are your skills as good as your posts?

I play mostly in defence, i'm strong, good reader of the game and since Liverpool is my boyhood team rest assured i'll be giving everything i've got in every game.
Rafa hasn't guaranteed me first team football but i'm just 19 in a few weeks hence time is on my side, i'm confident i will will get my chance.
Feet will remain firmly on the floor when i complete my transfer, still be the same aul marky, no air's or graces.

[The Barber]

marky ure a ****ing ****** and the worst poster on this site ... fact!!!
although if liverpool do sign you ...i will cheer you on ... although i get this feeling im gonna keep cursing you for a while ...

[Marky]

marky ure a ****ing ****** and the worst poster on this site ... fact!!!
although if liverpool do sign you ...i will cheer you on ... although i get this feeling im gonna keep cursing you for a while ...

Done deal mate

[The Barber]

hahaha i do applaud you marky ol pal... even though all ure posts are ****e ..even though everyone bitches about your posts ..you still take it in your stride ....well done mate...

[Marky]

hahaha i do applaud you marky ol pal... even though all ure posts are ****e ..even though everyone bitches about your posts ..you still take it in your stride ....well done mate...

*thinks he's found a good friend in the barber*

[The Barber]

no.. not a good friend im afraid..but someone who won't put you down ever again ... you deserve some respect .. although if you cross the line ..its gonna be war..

[lfc4ever]

More info: (interestingly - Neill can play in the CL)

http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article2125348.ece

Liverpool hoping for fight off rivals for Mascherano
By Jason Burt and Andy Hunter
Published: 05 January 2007

Liverpool are on the verge of signing Javier Mascherano and hope to complete a deal before next week - but were last night facing late competition from two other clubs, one in the Premiership, the other in Spain.

Mascherano is understood to be keen to move to Anfield but his representative Kia Joorabchian is still hoping to secure a better deal than is currently on offer. Liverpool, who held a board meeting yesterday to discuss the offer, are proposing taking the 22-year-old on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent transfer being completed in the summer.

Liverpool believe they are clear front-runners for the 22-year-old Argentine who moved to West Ham United on the final day of the summer transfer window. He is no longer wanted at Upton Park, having made just seven appearances - five in the Premiership and two in the Uefa Cup - this season. Indeed, Mascherano has played just six minutes since the defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on 22 October, when he was bitten by Jermain Defoe.

As revealed by The Independent, his fate was sealed once Joorabchian's consortium failed to take control of West Ham. The new chairman, Eggert Magnusson, does not want Mascherano nor his fellow Argentine Carlos Tevez because of the controversial terms under which they were signed. Privately West Ham pledged to move the pair on at the earliest opportunity. They will not receive any money in the proposed deal.

However, Magnusson believed that it would be impossible for either player to leave this month. The rules of Fifa, the game's world governing body, state that a player is not allowed to play for three clubs in one season, but the organisation, which has written to West Ham to spell out its rules after the club sought clarification, can nevertheless be petitioned. It will be argued that Mascherano's career, and earning potential, is being harmed by his current plight and lack of games.

Precedent has been set and the Argentine Football Association, a powerful voice within Fifa, is willing to lobby on Mascherano's behalf. It is more difficult for Tevez to leave before the end of the season because he is playing at present. The Argentines will also argue that because Mascherano has played in South America, for the Brazilian club Corinthians, and in Europe over a year it actually constitutes two seasons.

The Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, regards the midfielder, who played in every one of his country's matches during the last World Cup, as ideal cover for Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard, especially as Mohamed Sissoko and Bolo Zenden are still recovering from injury.

Juventus have dropped out of the bidding for Mascherano while Real Zaragoza have recently expressed interest in him. Joorabchian had priced the player at €25m (£16m).

Mascherano himself has recently stepped up his campaign to leave West Ham. "I came to England to do well," he said earlier this week "but I have not had the opportunities necessary to show what I can do."

Recently Mascherano has not even made a place among the substitutes for West Ham.

Liverpool also expect to sign Lucas Neill, after a lengthy pursuit, within the next few days and certainly before their next Premiership game at Watford on 13 January, despite interest in the Blackburn Rovers defender from West Ham and Newcastle United.

The Australian international is out of contract at Ewood Park in the summer and has made his preference for Anfield known, although Blackburn's valuation of the 28-year-old could yet prove an obstacle to a swift resolution to the deal.

Rovers sought £2m plus Stephen Warnock for Neill in August and their manager, Mark Hughes, remains keen to have the Liverpool left back included in any transfer.

However, Liverpool are not prepared to offer cash and Warnock - who is also exciting the interest of Roy Keane at Sunderland - for a player who may resist other advances in order to move to Anfield on a free transfer in six months.

Should Neill finally complete his move to Anfield, he will be eligible for the Champions' League despite featuring in the Uefa Cup for Blackburn this season. New Uefa rules allow a Champions' League squad to include one player who has appeared in the secondary competition.

Another player bound for Liverpool is the Hamilton Academicals midfielder James McCarthy, a 16-year-old valued at an initial £100,000.

* Internazionale have dismissed reports that their former World Player of the Year Luis Figo is set to sign for the Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad. "I have no intention of giving Figo away to any club," said the Inter coach, Roberto Mancini.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,277-2532441,00.html

Premiership

The Times January 05, 2007

Argentine misfit the target for Liverpool rescue act
Oliver Kay and Gary Jacob
# Benítez keen on Mascherano swoop
# Fifa ruling could stand in way of deal
Liverpool were last night moving in on a surprise deal to rescue Javier Mascherano from his miserable spell at West Ham United, but the Argentina midfield player faces a protracted legal battle to persuade Fifa, football’s world governing body, to allow him to play for a third different club this season.

Negotiations to take Mascherano to Liverpool in a loan deal are well advanced, with all parties hopeful that a loophole can be found in the transfer regulations, but Fifa officials insist that, while the 22-year-old would be permitted to move to Anfield, he would not be allowed to play for the Merseyside club this season, having already represented Corinthians and West Ham since the campaign officially began on July 1.

Sources close to the deal insisted that Fifa’s regulations “will not be a problem”, but a spokesman for the organisation told The Times last night: “The rules are very clear. Article 5.3 states that, although a player can be registered for a maximum of three clubs during the period from July 1 to June 30, he is only eligible to play in official matches for two clubs in this period. In the case of Mascherano or [Carlos] Tévez, they have already played for Corinthians and West Ham United.

“The rule is binding. It cannot be deactivated just because it suits the clubs and the player in a certain instance. These rules were drawn up to protect the interests of players and clubs and to provide more stability in football. If a case was formally submitted to the Fifa bodies, then of course the Fifa bodies would look at it, but the view from our legal department is very clear that the regulations cannot be broken.”

It has emerged that Eggert Magnússon, the West Ham chairman, was informed of this when he wrote to Fifa to request clarification on the matter shortly after his arrival at Upton Park in November. However, the Media Sports Investment company (MSI) , which effectively “owns” Mascherano, Tévez and seven other South American players, is understood to be confident of a deal that would allow Mascherano to resurrect his career, arguing that it would be a restraint of trade to prevent him playing for another club.

Despite Mascherano’s failure to adapt to English football since arriving with Tévez from Corinthians in August — he has fallen out of first-team reckoning at West Ham — Rafael Benítez is said to “want him badly”. Given his similarity in style to Xabi Alonso, it remains to be seen where he would fit into the club’s long-term plans, unless Benítez has fears that his fellow Spaniard will join Real Madrid or Barcelona this summer, but the Liverpool manager has impressed upon his board that this is an opportunity not to be missed.

There remains some scepticism at boardroom level about whether a deal can be done. Benítez was initially informed that Mascherano would be eligible to play for Liverpool as he had not represented Corinthians in a competitive match, but in fact he made several league appearances for the Brazilian club in July and August before moving to London. He has played seven times for West Ham, but not since giving the ball away to present Everton with their second goal in a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park on December 3. West Ham lost all seven matches in which he featured for them.

Further complications surround MSI’s ownership of Mascherano, which would mean that they, rather than West Ham, would be the main beneficiaries of any deal. West Ham are understood to be “renting” Mascherano and Tévez from MSI for a cost of £5 million per season, but the two players are each valued at about £15 million. The complications have already put off Juventus, who expressed interest in Mascherano last week.

Liverpool are more confident in their pursuit of Lucas Neill, the Blackburn Rovers defender, although the clubs are still apart in their valuation of a player who has less than six months left on his contract.

In the background, meanwhile, the takeover of the club by Dubai International Capital (DIC) edges closer. There were hopes that an announcement could be made today regarding DIC’s offer for the majority shareholding held by David Moores, the chairman, with a view to a buyout by early March, but it is now thought that it may be a fortnight before a formal offer is made.

[kurtangle01]

Both those articles suggest that the Mascherano deal will be a tricky one to pull off. They don't fill me with much hope that the deal will happen.

[Marky]

Just have to pass me medical, then i shall be unveiled as a Liverpool player this afternoon in front of the awaiting media.
Tune in to Sky Sports New for that press conference.

[Morph]

Just have to pass me medical, then i shall be unveiled as a Liverpool player this afternoon in front of the awaiting media.
Tune in to Sky Sports New for that press conference.

Must say i'm rather confused by you, what am I missing here?