Mascherano developments

[Red Chilli]

He's a decent player but he's not irreplaceable for 17 million or even a hell of a lot less than 17 million.

[disco]

Depends if 17m includes a lot of his wages....

We SHOULD be able to get him though.... speculate to accumulate and all that.

[Alpha]

He's a decent player but he's not irreplaceable for 17 million or even a hell of a lot less than 17 million.

Go on then, who?

[lawrie]

Cant see both Momo and Masch going tbh

[Catrin]

He is worth the 17m. There are plenty of defensive midfielders out there but how many of them have his anticipation? The guy stops so many opposition attacks before they can get going. How many defensive midfielders can receive a ball, shield it from the opposition then pass it accurately to a teammate? How many can do that was well as Masher? Of those, how many are 23 and have so many of their best years ahead of them? The guy is amongst the very best in the world at what he does and I can't think of a better alternative. Too many of our players are not really good enough for where we want to be. Masher is good enough and that's why he would cost 17m.

[Kilteragh]

He had a great game on Monday night and has shown his worth since joining. If Carrick is worth £18M...........

[Alpha]

He is worth the 17m. There are plenty of defensive midfielders out there but how many of them have his anticipation? The guy stops so many opposition attacks before they can get going. How many defensive midfielders can receive a ball, shield it from the opposition then pass it accurately to a teammate? How many can do that was well as Masher? Of those, how many are 23 and have so many of their best years ahead of them? The guy is amongst the very best in the world at what he does and I can't think of a better alternative. Too many of our players are not really good enough for where we want to be. Masher is good enough and that's why he would cost 17m.

Is right.

Masher has been our most consistent performer all season. We'd miss him like **** if he left.

He may not be as spectacular but I would honesty say El Jefecito has made himself as important to this side as El Nino.

[Red Chilli]

Is right.

Masher has been our most consistent performer all season. We'd miss him like **** if he left.

He may not be as spectacular but I would honesty say El Jefecito has made himself as important to this side as El Nino.

Strongly disagree with that

[Marky]

Well to be honest wit you i'll be ****ing furious if we don't sign Mascherano, i mean why the **** would we not, even at £17mil he's worth every damn penny.
He's still only 23 and he's a brilliant footballer, the timing of his tackles, his positional sense, his passing, his stamina and his committement is making him one of my favourite players at the minute.
What a stupid mistake it will be if we don't sign him.

[alunevans]

Like what? He can pass to a player nearby but he dosn't play long, incisive passes. How many assists has he got? And I reckon Pepe's got more chance of scoring than Mascherano!

Don't get me wrong, Al, I think he's the best in the business at what he does (as I described above) but my point is that IMHO for a £17m player being a great tackler simply isn't good enough.

I think the idea that he is just a sweeper in front of the back 4 makes him sound like Hamann.

Firstly, I'd say he is much more mobile. He gets much more involved in the game. I think his body language is always switched on and he demands the ball off his team mates and makes sure he is available. He's fast. And he doesn't simply do 2 yard passes. Ok not Molby passes but the way he uses a ball is totally different to the way Hamann used to.

Hamann was just a sweeper and was lauded for it. Masher is so much more than that in my view.

Our midfield will be massively weakened once he is gone.

[alunevans]

I realise he plays a different role for Argentina but, with respect, you get far more time on the ball at international level than in the Premiership. From what I've seen on Mascher over the last 12 months for Liverpool he is totally ineffective going forward.

I am not saying he isn't a good player nor am I saying we shouldn't try to sign him. What I am saying is that I would expect a more complete midfielder for £17m. I personally would only value Mascherano at about £10m - £12m.

I think you're a bit outdated price wise here Iain. Look at Hargreaves and look at Carrick. They're the going rate, and Masher is better than the pair of them in my view.

Momo is being talked about as a 12million player, and if thats the case, you'll surely agree that he's 5million better than Momo.

[alunevans]

I don't think anybody would have valued Carrick or Hargreaves at £17 million either but that was what it took to prise them away from their clubs.

Time and again the Mancs have shown a willingness to overpay for who they consider the 'right' player and that policy continues to serve them well.

You could argue that Mascherano isn't worth £17 million but for me, his consistent performance level and attitude prove him to be the right player for us for many years to come and that makes him worth overpaying for.

absolutely spot on. transfers are a risk no matter who you buy. this is a transfer without risk because we already know exactly what we're getting. easily worth any overpayment. that's if it's an overpayment in the first place.

[MosRay]

At the end of the day lads Mach is on an 18 month load deal which expires in June and we have first option.. Until the club states they are not interested there is nothing the agent or his owners can do..

Yes they can put pressure on the club to start taking the steps to solving Mache's long term future at Liverpool and yes they can begin to look for other clubs willing to buy him if Liverpool say they are not interested.

We all know that Rafa wanted to get this sorted earlier rather than later, but with all this refinancing **** going on there is nothing the club can do until it's all sorted out... After all until G&H sign their new Loan agreement ownership of the club is still up in the air.

IMO they G&H will want to sign him on a full contact and they will give the go ahead once everything else is finalised (refinancing that is).. If Mache's owners are prepared to allow the club to pay by installments G&H would be stupid not to. Moreover if we are going to sell players, which is a cert come the end of the season well have the money in the bag (imo)...

So lads lets just relax and stay objective until the dust settles and then we can have a clearer view as to what these **** wits are really all about...

[AFII]

Liverpool set to lose Argentina maestro Mascherano to Juventus
By ASHLEY GRAY

Liverpool are set to let Javier Mascherano slip through their fingers. The Argentina midfielder is closing in on a move to Juventus after admitting that he was flattered by the interest.

The Anfield club have stalled over finding the £17million needed to make the former West Ham misfit's loan deal permanent and Juventus are ready to open negotiations over a summer move.

Mascherano, who will become the first casualty of Anfield's boardroom disharmony, said: "I would love to stay here (in Liverpool). I have tried and I've adapted to the city very well."

"But the clubs that are talking are also important and I would like to go," the 23-year-old told an Argentinian radio station.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is keen to hold on to the former West Ham midfielder, whose loan from Kia Joorabchian's MSI runs out in the summer. But Benitez has been unable to secure funding from the club's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and Mascherano's agent Walter Tamer this week cleared the way for a move.

"Liverpool have not made any offer at all to buy Javier and it is likely that he will go to Italy next season," said Tamer.

AC Milan are also interested. Wherever he ends up, he is set to miss most of August after emerging as a surprise contender to represent Argentina at the Olympics.

The 2004 gold medallists intend to take their strongest possible side to Beijing and are allowed to name three over-age players as part of an Under 23 squad.

Mascherano, who will be 24 in June, is set to be one of the relative veterans alongside Boca Juniors' 29-year-old playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme and Bayern Munich defender Martin Demechelis, 27. The trio have been called up for a friendly against Guatemala, to be played in Los Angeles on February 6, when the man charged with selecting the Olympic squad, Sergio Batista, will be in charge instead of senior coach Alfio Basile. Mascherano, who was part of the team who won gold in Athens four years ago, said: "I was not expecting it, but it is a tremendous joy." Many expected Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez to be called up. But the wealth of young attacking talent has led to Batista to strengthen the backbone of the side, despite having Real Madrid's Fernando Gago and Valencia's Ever Banega as Under 23 alternatives to Mascherano. Meanwhile, River Plate want to recruit Liverpool left winger Sebastian Leto.

The 21-year-old Argentine went to Anfield from Lanus for £1.9m last summer and River are prepared to pay a similar amount to tempt him back home following just four appearances this season.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...79&ito=newsnow

[Jazzmaster]

Liverpool set to lose Argentina maestro Mascherano to Juventus
By ASHLEY GRAY

Liverpool are set to let Javier Mascherano slip through their fingers. The Argentina midfielder is closing in on a move to Juventus after admitting that he was flattered by the interest.

The Anfield club have stalled over finding the £17million needed to make the former West Ham misfit's loan deal permanent and Juventus are ready to open negotiations over a summer move.

Mascherano, who will become the first casualty of Anfield's boardroom disharmony, said: "I would love to stay here (in Liverpool). I have tried and I've adapted to the city very well."

"But the clubs that are talking are also important and I would like to go," the 23-year-old told an Argentinian radio station.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is keen to hold on to the former West Ham midfielder, whose loan from Kia Joorabchian's MSI runs out in the summer. But Benitez has been unable to secure funding from the club's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and Mascherano's agent Walter Tamer this week cleared the way for a move.

"Liverpool have not made any offer at all to buy Javier and it is likely that he will go to Italy next season," said Tamer.

AC Milan are also interested. Wherever he ends up, he is set to miss most of August after emerging as a surprise contender to represent Argentina at the Olympics.

The 2004 gold medallists intend to take their strongest possible side to Beijing and are allowed to name three over-age players as part of an Under 23 squad.

Mascherano, who will be 24 in June, is set to be one of the relative veterans alongside Boca Juniors' 29-year-old playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme and Bayern Munich defender Martin Demechelis, 27. The trio have been called up for a friendly against Guatemala, to be played in Los Angeles on February 6, when the man charged with selecting the Olympic squad, Sergio Batista, will be in charge instead of senior coach Alfio Basile. Mascherano, who was part of the team who won gold in Athens four years ago, said: "I was not expecting it, but it is a tremendous joy." Many expected Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez to be called up. But the wealth of young attacking talent has led to Batista to strengthen the backbone of the side, despite having Real Madrid's Fernando Gago and Valencia's Ever Banega as Under 23 alternatives to Mascherano. Meanwhile, River Plate want to recruit Liverpool left winger Sebastian Leto.

The 21-year-old Argentine went to Anfield from Lanus for £1.9m last summer and River are prepared to pay a similar amount to tempt him back home following just four appearances this season.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...79&ito=newsnow

As long as we have first option nothing can happen until June right?