Daniel Agger

[Chazza]

Rory Smith @RorySmithTimes
#LFC fans panicking about Agger: yes,he's a superb (if fragile) defender, but if City bid £20m+, would guess he can be replaced,plus change.

I am not sure we can replace him, with similar quality, without spending most if not all of that.

Rory Smith @RorySmithTimes
For example - and it's only an example - Atletico Madrid want £9m for Diego Godin. Yanga-Mbiwa available for £7/8m. Agger good, not perfect.

[Lee]

I am not sure we can replace him, with similar quality, without spending most if not all of that.

£20m is **** all really isn't it.

[Exiled_red]

It's not just the money it costs to replace him it's also the gamble of whether someone will adapt to the league and to the team. We are also losing an experienced player, someone who knows what it means to play for LFC and the way we're going through players at the moment there aren't many of those left

[MrMichael]

£20m is **** all really isn't it.

No, its loads. Jesus, can you imagine a fan of most other clubs reading that?

We paid ~£5m for Agger, about the same for Skrtel. I can only think of a handful of defenders in world football who have cost more than £20m, especially ones not involving the stupid money clubs. £20m would buy us every defender in world football who would be prepared to come to us at the moment, plus some.

[dww]

I think that in a lot of ways Agger can't be replaced one for one but on the other hand usually the first thing you look for in a defence is consistency. Purely because of his injury record we haven't been able to get that with Agger.

If he goes we won't replace him with equal quality, or with a player who is as good on the ball. It doesn't mean that in the long run we won't end up with a better defence.

Would still be gutted and my feeling is that losing any of our key personnel means writing the season off to rebuilding. It won't, however, be the end of the world. In fact in a few seasons time we might well look back on this period as the start of the rebirth. Much as Newcastle do to their post-relegation period.

[Leyton388]

Great way to treat a lifelong servant. 700 games. His contract is hardly his fault, and no matter what its not like he doesn't still give it what he's got for the club. We've more useless wastes of wages about the club than Carra. And anyway, who we going to sell him to at that money?[/B]

He has been superb for the club and given his all who has been my favourite player and i tried to model my own game on Carra. Absolute Legend but we cannot keep players on high wages just on sentiment when they will not be in the starting 11.

Nonsense, that's really selective. No way is our current squad as bad as that. Paul Stewart. Nigel Clough. Neil Ruddock. Julian Dicks ffs.

Yeah suppose your right. I'd blocked out how bad those teams were.

[Lee]

No, its loads. Jesus, can you imagine a fan of most other clubs reading that?

We paid ~£5m for Agger, about the same for Skrtel. I can only think of a handful of defenders in world football who have cost more than £20m, especially ones not involving the stupid money clubs. £20m would buy us every defender in world football who would be prepared to come to us at the moment, plus some.

If I was a fan of a small club with little to no aspirations then I'd be happy with that.

We paid £5.8m for Agger. Then we have all the fees involved in signging his replacement so goodness knows what that would amount to. If we decide to flog him and go for Shawcross (for example) then that £20m has gone and we've got a much inferior defender.

Agger is tried, proven and tested with us and I think he seems to be a bit of an LFC fan.

In regards to buying almost every defender in world football for that sort of money, then I disagree completely. Yes we signed Suarez a few years ago, and yes we have some good players in our team like Suarez and Lucas, but we're not an attractive club at the moment. So I do worry about who we can realistically get in to replace Agger.

[MrMichael]

It's fine stripping out what could be classed as deadwood, and also players who don't want to be here. But we don't seem to been replacing. I am aware there is a month left too. But I don't think you can replace all the players that have gone and could still be going.

That's what I mean more than anything.

Possibly losing our best central defender is a worry undoubtedly and he would have to be replaced. I'm not sure I see this "stripping out" though. Maxi, Kuyt, Aurelio and Aquilani didn't contribute much if anything last year, and Bellamy can't handle playing that many games. All of them are covered by Borini, Cole and Pacheco returning, and a couple of youth players being promoted. Doesn't make us stronger, however Rodgers has obviously been brought in to execute a long term view and we still have a decent squad as it is.

I actually quite like the idea of not going out just to bring in bodies, we've made enough bad transfer mistakes over the last few years doing that, but actually using what we have, giving some youth players a chance, saving some money then targetting players who can really improve the system over the next couple of years. Its not ideal but it is doable without disaster.

[Shaggy]

Possibly losing our best central defender is a worry undoubtedly and he would have to be replaced. I'm not sure I see this "stripping out" though. Maxi, Kuyt, Aurelio and Aquilani didn't contribute much if anything last year, and Bellamy can't handle playing that many games. All of them are covered by Borini, Cole and Pacheco returning, and a couple of youth players being promoted. Doesn't make us stronger, however Rodgers has obviously been brought in to execute a long term view and we still have a decent squad as it is.

You're right that those players you mentioned didn't contribute much (although Maxi would've if given more opportunities), but Borini is unproven and has scored something like 16 goals in his life, Cole's a waste of space on £90k a week (why is he still here?) and Pacheco couldn't get a game for Rayo Vallecano. It's grim at the moment, we need to make some smart moves in the market and sharpish.

[Mostar]

**** this.

x 2

Small club ****ing mentality.

[MrMichael]

If I was a fan of a small club with little to no aspirations then I'd be happy with that.

We paid £5.8m for Agger. Then we have all the fees involved so goodness knows what that amounts to. If we decide to flog him and go for Shawcross (for example) then that £20m has gone and we've got a much inferior defender.

Agger is tried, proven and tested with us and I think he seems to be a bit of an LFC fan.

In regards to buying almost every defender in world football for that sort of money, then I disagree completely. Yes we signed Suarez a few years ago, and yes we have some good players in our team like Suarez and Lucas, but we're not an attractive club at the moment. So I do worry about who we can realistically get in to replace Agger.

Oh come on. We signed Agger, Skrtel and Coates for less than £20m combined. You can't start adding in random "other fees". And you have absolutely no evidence at all that we'd go for Shawcross for £20m, that's being silly. As an aside, iirc the last LFC manager that tried to by Shawcross was Rafa

Obviously I don't want us to sell him. But we would hardly be the first team to lose a player to City and their insane money now would we?

I said £20m would buy us "every defender in world football who would be prepared to come to us at the moment". Name one £20m+ defender (sensible value) who would sign for us without CL football. Realistically, we would need to go out and find another Agger, Hyppia cost us £2m once upon a time. Agger himself was £5.8m as you say. Tons of teams have signed tons of good defenders for way less than £20m. Seriously, perspective please. We've only ever spent more than £10m on a defender once (and that was a crazy Portsmouth thing for Johnson and money they owed us, not a real value).

[peekay]

Given the restrictions on transfer funding and wages I think it is going to be very tough to replace so many key members of the squad in the next three weeks. Do we even have a scouting network in place?

Our squad is already weak in attack. A couple of injuries to key personnel and it is going to be very very tough for Rodgers. In fact it is unfair on a young manager to handle the LFC expectations with a limited transfer amount.

[Lee]

Oh come on. We signed Agger, Skrtel and Coates for less than £20m combined. You can't start adding in random "other fees". And you have absolutely no evidence at all that we'd go for Shawcross for £20m, that's being silly. As an aside, iirc the last LFC manager that tried to by Shawcross was Rafa

Obviously I don't want us to sell him. But we would hardly be the first team to lose a player to City and their insane money now would we?

I said £20m would buy us "every defender in world football who would be prepared to come to us at the moment". Name one £20m+ defender (sensible value) who would sign for us without CL football. Realistically, we would need to go out and find another Agger, Hyppia cost us £2m once upon a time. Agger himself was £5.8m as you say. Tons of teams have signed tons of good defenders for way less than £20m. Seriously, perspective please. We've only ever spent more than £10m on a defender once (and that was a crazy Portsmouth thing for Johnson and money they owed us, not a real value).

Shawcross was a random name plucked out of the air.

I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one because it will inevitably go round in circles.

[Kenneth]

Possibly losing our best central defender is a worry undoubtedly and he would have to be replaced. I'm not sure I see this "stripping out" though. Maxi, Kuyt, Aurelio and Aquilani didn't contribute much if anything last year, and Bellamy can't handle playing that many games. All of them are covered by Borini, Cole and Pacheco returning, and a couple of youth players being promoted. Doesn't make us stronger, however Rodgers has obviously been brought in to execute a long term view and we still have a decent squad as it is.

I actually quite like the idea of not going out just to bring in bodies, we've made enough bad transfer mistakes over the last few years doing that, but actually using what we have, giving some youth players a chance, saving some money then targetting players who can really improve the system over the next couple of years. Its not ideal but it is doable without disaster.

We have enough quality ready for a break in the first team to make it a risk worth taking imo. If it doesn't work out, we're six to twelve months ahead with the squad versed in a new way of playing, so adding some established players will be easier. And we are already firmly in the b group of the PL so i doubt we'll be damaged too much if it doesn't work out. Would rather not take such risks, but would be quite interested if we do.

Bit Agger needs replacing of he goes for sure.

[Pablo]

But the chances of his replacement being as good as Agger are very slim, cheap or otherwise. So it's a big gamble, and one we don't need to make.

More than anything though he's just such a class act, that it will be a devastating blow to lose him