Antonio Barragan

[Morph]

Couldn't see this mentioned anywhere else, but with all the talk about getting in another RB, I was looking at his stats, and he's played 5 game so far for Depor, and he scored on Sunday. Looks like he been doing a good job from what I read, pity he never settled right over here, hope we use that buy back option if he continues on the way he's playing recently.

[Los Rojos]

Good point.

I started a similar thread on this some time ago.

http://www.est1892.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=4228

It's a real shame he didn't want to stay. He's doing very well for Deportivo.

[Morph]

Yer mate, saw that thread when I was looking around, it is a puzzler, and it's a chance that Rafa took that didn't pay off in the end, hopefully we wont be caught out because of it, with a n injury to Finnan before crimbo.

[Red_Polo]

He looked quality for the reserves too. Was gutted to see him go, I really hope we do buy him back but if he left because he didn't settle then the odds are hardly in our favour.

[dom9]

I guess it was better to make some profit on him in the summer rather than end up in a situation like Arsenal with Reyes, where he didn't settle, refused to integrate into English culture, then refused to play for them again, because he wanted to go back to Spain.

[Taffy]

He scored a good goal at the wekend, and he'd have been decent cover for Finnan this year and would probably had a chance of a few games too if he'd have stayed.

[mersey86]

Looks like he been doing a good job from what I read, pity he never settled right over here, hope we use that buy back option if he continues on the way he's playing recently.

You mean so he can fail to settle again?

[Morph]

why do some people insist on smart arse answers, he was what 17/18 when he arrived here, so basically he was still a kid, maybe by the time he's 21 and we can use the buy back, he might feel better equipped for a life away from his home.

[mersey86]

I just think that he didn't like Liverpool first time round, he's unlikely to come back. I wouldn't commit myself to a place I had not enjoyed previously. You have a point about his maturing, but I think it unlikely we'll ever make good on the buy-back. More likely we'll use it to make a bit of money by forcing Deportivo's hand.

[Morph]

Fair enough, only thing i'm thinking is that I can't recall us ever doing a buy back option with another player apart from Michael Owen?, and we know we went back for him. So the board and Rafa obviously have some degree of faith that he may eventually sign back with us.

[mersey86]

Do you think that's the true intention? I wonder whether this is more a 1-up on the sell-on clause where we'd make a percentage of any profit. Maybe this allows us to say - OK he's doing well so we'll have him back now, unless you pay us some extra money.

[Red_Polo]

Do we know for certain that the reason was he wasn't settling in? It's just there were also rumours about his father being at annoyed at him not getting 1st team football etc

[mersey86]

I wish Salif's Dad felt the same way.

[Morph]

That was the official reason Rafa came out with after the sale, said that he wasn't settling. But I suppose if we'd made promises about first team football, then that could be a legit reason, and also maybe more promising if we went back for him in the future.

[mersey86]

But would we have made first team promises to a 17 year-old?