Xabi Alonso - Fee Agreed (Official)

[RedReet]

I don't think it's so terrible. He wanted to go and we've got good money for him. We know Rafa planned to replace him a year ago and although he obviously had a very good season since then, Rafa has clearly worked out an alternative plan.

I suppose if you think about it, if we had of sold last year we’d have basically now have a 28 year old Barry and been struggling for cash.

Hopefully now we can buy a younger, superior player to Barry and still have enough for another quality addition.

[Fierce]

I don't think it's so terrible. He wanted to go and we've got good money for him. We know Rafa planned to replace him a year ago and although he obviously had a very good season since then, Rafa has clearly worked out an alternative plan.

Whether the plan works remains to be seen but the I'd say Alonso was our fifth or sixth most important player (after Gerrard, Torres, Reina, Mascherano and possibly Carragher). He's not irreplaceable and I don't think he was the "heartbeat of the team" or whatever other hyped-up cliché the Press has bequeathed us.

Life goes on.

Agreed 107%

Spot on old bean

[Neil Young]

I think he'd planned to use Barry for that.

Yes, I realise that. Quite why you complain about me being patronising to you...

I daresay Rafa has no other ideas for who could possibly replace Alonso.

That would've been less than £29m. Considering Madrid are flushed with cash to spend, i'm disappointed with that fee.

Shock horror.

[kingfunk]

when Silva and Villa come in, we will be all happy again!!




Source: Livertweet!

[Craig_H]

Yes, I realise that. Quite why you complain about me being patronising to you...

I daresay Rafa has no other ideas for who could possibly replace Alonso.


Shock horror.

Well it's all ok, because YOU think it'll be fine. As long as YOU think so.

[magicalbarnes]

I know not many won't agree with me on here, but im actually glad he's gone.

We have got top doller for a player who has one good season in the last 3. We paid £10m for him when outside Spain he was relatively unknown.

Rafa will have a trick up his sleave. Its about time we got top whack for a outgoing player. Bar Man City & Madrid, no other team in the world would have paid this kind of money for a player who is 30 next year.

[kingfunk]

BBC reporting it as 30m Pounds + 4mil in add ons.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8184444.stm

[JohnDoe]

BBC reporting it as 30m Pounds + 4mil in add ons.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...ol/8184444.stm

Superb piece of business.

Purslow and Rafa rule.

[Mattshark]

BBC reporting it as 30m Pounds + 4mil in add ons.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...ol/8184444.stm

BBC, definitely a better source than goal.com.

[Shaggy]

Rafa will have a trick up his sleave. Its about time we got top whack for a outgoing player. Bar Man City & Madrid, no other team in the world would have paid this kind of money for a player who is 30 next year.

Xabi's 27. 28 in November.

[Shaggy]

BBC reporting it as 30m Pounds + 4mil in add ons.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...ol/8184444.stm

[dom9]

I don't think it's so terrible. He wanted to go and we've got good money for him. We know Rafa planned to replace him a year ago and although he obviously had a very good season since then, Rafa has clearly worked out an alternative plan.

Whether the plan works remains to be seen but the I'd say Alonso was our fifth or sixth most important player (after Gerrard, Torres, Reina, Mascherano and possibly Carragher). He's not irreplaceable and I don't think he was the "heartbeat of the team" or whatever other hyped-up cliché the Press has bequeathed us.

Life goes on.

I think plan A was Gareth Barry.

If City hadn't snapped it him up so early, I'm sure Alonso would have been on his way out a lot earlier.

[Craig_H]

BBC reporting it as 30m Pounds + 4mil in add ons.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...ol/8184444.stm

That'd be good.

[Rich]

I think its a tremendous piece of business if its £30m + bonuses.

Considering we paid £10.5m, got 5 years out of him and tried to sell him for £16m last summer.

[Roboklopp]

£34m is useless without the time to spent it well. Pressure will be on us to sign now before the season kicks off & unless we have agreements already in place, the selling clubs will use our need to their own bargaining advantage.