Xabi Alonso interview

[Mattshark]

I am not having a go at Aquilani. I think he showed glimpses of a great player.

Rafa did not recover because the team became so awful without Alonso. It just didnt work. SO he left.

But he was the wrong kind of player tactically. Plus we bought him while injured, which was plain stupid. And the fact he wanted to be loaned back this season showed he wasnt happy here anyway.

Id have Alonso back in an instant. I think he got the best out of Gerrard, and Suarez would have a field day.

But we were so severely restricted in whom we could go for.

Actually it was Christian "I wanna play FM" Purslow who loaned him out and it was a stupid decision.

[Daniel 7]

How much was the upfront payment for Aquilani?

Who else was signed that summer?

[Arn]

That's right Arn. It was just an inspired piece of motivation by Rafa.

I don't think Rafa is that clever. He just tried to sell a player that hadn't performed good enough the last couple of years.

One of the very few players we could sell for that kind of money. Gerrard, Mascherano and Torres the three others.

Would you sold one of them instead?

[Chris]

How much was the upfront payment for Aquilani?

Who else was signed that summer?

Thats the way with most transfers. Its not restricted to us.

So our 3m or 4m credit note with Roma forced us to spend 17m on one of their players? Hahaha this stuff is laughable.

[Daniel 7]

Who else was signed that summer?

[Kenneth]

Soto for £1.5m was the other one, having let Sami go to BLK.

[Arn]

Rafa started to play him the last few months of the 2009-10 season. He said himself that he got tired of our medical staff and Aquilani telling him that he wasn't fit to play.

He played him anyway without any problem.

I think that is evidence enough that our medical staff lied to Rafa about how badly injured Aquilani was but that is my opinion.

Google it and you will find the article that mention when Rafa mentioned Aquilani and he got tired of the whole thing and played him anyway.

[Daniel 7]

Glen Johnson?

[Kenneth]

Glen Johnson?

Yes, Glen Johnson.

[Chris]

Glen Johnson?

So, you're saying if Rafa wanted to sign say Nigel Reo Coker for 5m he'd have been told no but here's 14m to go and spend on a Roma player and a 3m credit note? Can you not see how this bull**** makes no sense at all?

I've already said the Johnson one is understandable, mainly because there were concerns about Portsmouth going out of business.

[Arn]

Soto for £1.5m was the other one, having let Sami go to BLK.

Guess what We made a deal with AEK Athens a few days before we signed Kyrgiakos

A certain Nemeth on loan was the deal.

[Kenneth]

Guess what We made a deal with AEK Athens a few days before we signed Kyrgiakos

A certain Nemeth on loan was the deal.

Although we actually signed Soto before Nemeth went on loan, but I accept that they were probably connected.

We bought Soto for 1.5m + a year of Nemeth. Not sure of the relevance tbh.

We should have kept Sami on instead, but that's another story.

[Arn]

Although we actually signed Soto before Nemeth went on loan, but I accept that they were probably connected.

We bought Soto for 1.5m + a year of Nemeth.

We should have kept Sami on instead, but that's another story.

[Daniel 7]

So, you're saying if Rafa wanted to sign say Nigel Reo Coker for 5m he'd have been told no but here's 14m to go and spend on a Roma player and a 3m credit note? Can you not see how this bull**** makes no sense at all?

I've already said the Johnson one is understandable, mainly because there were concerns about Portsmouth going out of business.

Are you trying to say what went on in the year and a half before Hicks, Gillett and Purslow left, everything made sense?

You'll be telling me replacing a European Cup Winning manager with the king of the LMA was an astute move next.

[Chris]

Are you trying to say what went on in the year and a half before Hicks, Gillett and Purslow left, everything made sense?

You'll be telling me replacing a European Cup Winning manager with the king of the LMA was an astute move next.

No, they were the biggest scumbags ever connected with the club. I just dont see the manager as immune to criticism by default because of it.

You'll be telling me Hicks, Gillett and Purslow picked the team next.