from eurosport - good read. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/090120...in-skrtel.html
With Liverpool about to finalise the signing of Slovakian Martin Skrtel from Zenit St Petersburg for £6.5 million, we bring you a Euroscout of the centre-half that could become Rafael Benitez's very own Nemanja Vidic.
Rafa failed last season with a bid to sign Gabriel Heinze from rivals Manchester United, but is now set to plug the gap left by injured duo Daniel Agger and Sami Hyypia with the most expensive defender in the club's history.
"The last two weeks I have been in constant contact with my agent Karol Csonto," he told Plus. "I hope everything will turn out well in the end, the dream will come true, and I will become a player for a famous club. I cannot wait to put pen to paper.
"I have realised that in all likelihood a new era of my life is beginning. I have been pondering what will be waiting for me there and how I will get used to the conditions."
But is he worth it?
Skrtel, 23, is widely considered the number one stopper in Slovakia. The keystone of the national team's backline is very strong in the air, possesses good positional sense, has great technique on the ball and most of all is lightning-quick.
He has been praised by many at Zenit for maintaining good form over a long period of time, avoiding costly dips - which resulted in the club winning the Russian title in 2007, their best finish in a domestic season since the USSR league victory in 1984.
Another quality that marks him as a Vidic clone is his penchant for hard tackles, added to a generally whole-hearted style of play, which should see him slot straight into the Premier League's rough-and-tumble weekly shenanigans.
There is an occasional question mark against his defending from set-pieces, something that Benitez - or his replacement in the summer, if you believe the papers - may look to iron out.
Still, for a young player he certainly looks the part. Zenit coach Dick Advocaat has long tipped the international to grow into one of the top defenders in Europe, just as Serbian Vidic is now considered as indispensable to Manchester United's back four as the likes of Rio Ferdinand.
Skrtel has played for both Zenit and Slovakia since 2005, earning 15 caps for his country and scoring one goal against Cyprus in their unsuccessful attempt to qualify for Euro 2008.
Liverpool have a genuine goal-threat in Fernando Torres; but if they are to seriously challenge for the Premier League title in the coming years, perhaps an investment in a solid defender such as Skrtel will make the difference.
If he is genuinely quick then that's a brilliant addition to our squad - god knows we need some pace at the back.
With Liverpool about to finalise the signing of Slovakian Martin Skrtel from Zenit St Petersburg for £6.5 million, we bring you a Euroscout of the centre-half that could become Rafael Benitez's very own Nemanja Vidic.
Rafa failed last season with a bid to sign Gabriel Heinze from rivals Manchester United, but is now set to plug the gap left by injured duo Daniel Agger and Sami Hyypia with the most expensive defender in the club's history.
"The last two weeks I have been in constant contact with my agent Karol Csonto," he told Plus. "I hope everything will turn out well in the end, the dream will come true, and I will become a player for a famous club. I cannot wait to put pen to paper.
"I have realised that in all likelihood a new era of my life is beginning. I have been pondering what will be waiting for me there and how I will get used to the conditions."
But is he worth it?
Skrtel, 23, is widely considered the number one stopper in Slovakia. The keystone of the national team's backline is very strong in the air, possesses good positional sense, has great technique on the ball and most of all is lightning-quick.
He has been praised by many at Zenit for maintaining good form over a long period of time, avoiding costly dips - which resulted in the club winning the Russian title in 2007, their best finish in a domestic season since the USSR league victory in 1984.
Another quality that marks him as a Vidic clone is his penchant for hard tackles, added to a generally whole-hearted style of play, which should see him slot straight into the Premier League's rough-and-tumble weekly shenanigans.
There is an occasional question mark against his defending from set-pieces, something that Benitez - or his replacement in the summer, if you believe the papers - may look to iron out.
Still, for a young player he certainly looks the part. Zenit coach Dick Advocaat has long tipped the international to grow into one of the top defenders in Europe, just as Serbian Vidic is now considered as indispensable to Manchester United's back four as the likes of Rio Ferdinand.
Skrtel has played for both Zenit and Slovakia since 2005, earning 15 caps for his country and scoring one goal against Cyprus in their unsuccessful attempt to qualify for Euro 2008.
Liverpool have a genuine goal-threat in Fernando Torres; but if they are to seriously challenge for the Premier League title in the coming years, perhaps an investment in a solid defender such as Skrtel will make the difference.
If he is genuinely quick then that's a brilliant addition to our squad - god knows we need some pace at the back.
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