... and now we’ve recruited Manchester United’s PR team.
A summer of promise. This was the transfer window Brendan needed to put his own stamp on the team; an opportunity to build on the promising end to the 2012/13 season. After a hiccup the previous summer, our recovery in January highlighted an improved infrastructure and a line of communication between Liverpool and the US of A. We’d surely see players of a similar ilk to Sturridge and Coutinho arriving at Anfield and talk of transfer budgets being between 20 and 30 million *with* sales was being touted around the forums.
An early flurry of activity saw four players come in as we threw £23,584,000 out of the club. That was quickly recouped through the sales of Shelvey and Carroll and we were back to spending nothing.
Then the PR machine kicked in to gear.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was close to joining Liverpool! As it transpired, he’d been a shoo-in for Dortmund before the transfer window had even opened. We never even faxed a figure to Shakhtar Donetsk or had the opportunity to get him sat around a table.
Diego Costa was our next target parped the media. As quickly as it spread through the various newspapers like wildfire, it was dampened down by the news that Costa was not interested and the fire put out completely when we learned that he had penned a new contract with Athletico Madrid.
Then Anzhi Makhachkala announced their fire sale - Willian could be available for £30m. Rodgers was clearly interested and went to FSG, cap in hand - ‘please sir, I want some more’. ‘MORE?’ screamed* John Henry. No shrapnel went in to the cap and we had to announce that the valuation of the player was different to our own and another target went by.
It was at this point that frustration got the better of Rodgers and it spilt out in to the press conference. After taking some time to gather his thoughts and regain his patience, the external façade was back to pleasantries and smiles.
Rodgers’ bezzie approaches him and says that he is keen to off-load Mata and Moses. Rodgers again asks FSG for funds and realises that he can’t even begin to consider Mata as an option. As he has got £2m left in cash that he has generated from sales, Moses on loan is the only option. Brendan confides in Jose and they set about chatting about Moses. Mourinho – who we know can’t retain his water – mouth farts in a press-conference that Rodgers needs backing financially.
And that’s where we are - surrounded by smoke and mirrors. A local press (Echo) keen to protect FSG and the club; a national press (The Times, Tony Barrett) with a finger on the pulse in Merseyside who is aware of the situation, but not restricted to writing only positive pieces (but unfortuantely allowing his passion to get the better of him) and details of the above deals coming out in the overseas media.
There were snippets floating around that Suarez needed to be sold to finance other deals ... I now believe that to be true. After a 2012/13 year in which Rodgers was backed with £50m+, it was inevitable that FSG had to claw some of that money back (and the previous season too). FSG had their pockets burned by Kenny and Comolli, but I do believe that they have now gone beyond cautious.
They’ve played a blinder with their PR and after a summer transfer window of smoke and mirrors, where does that put the club and the direction it wants to go in? Where is the so called 'TV money'? Is our future spending what we generate?
* This may be a slight exaggeration.
** When they suddenly blitz £30m on Jim White Day, please feel free to burn this thread.
*** I nearly went with a thread title of 'A Summer of Discontent' ... that would have been better, right?
A summer of promise. This was the transfer window Brendan needed to put his own stamp on the team; an opportunity to build on the promising end to the 2012/13 season. After a hiccup the previous summer, our recovery in January highlighted an improved infrastructure and a line of communication between Liverpool and the US of A. We’d surely see players of a similar ilk to Sturridge and Coutinho arriving at Anfield and talk of transfer budgets being between 20 and 30 million *with* sales was being touted around the forums.
An early flurry of activity saw four players come in as we threw £23,584,000 out of the club. That was quickly recouped through the sales of Shelvey and Carroll and we were back to spending nothing.
Then the PR machine kicked in to gear.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was close to joining Liverpool! As it transpired, he’d been a shoo-in for Dortmund before the transfer window had even opened. We never even faxed a figure to Shakhtar Donetsk or had the opportunity to get him sat around a table.
Diego Costa was our next target parped the media. As quickly as it spread through the various newspapers like wildfire, it was dampened down by the news that Costa was not interested and the fire put out completely when we learned that he had penned a new contract with Athletico Madrid.
Then Anzhi Makhachkala announced their fire sale - Willian could be available for £30m. Rodgers was clearly interested and went to FSG, cap in hand - ‘please sir, I want some more’. ‘MORE?’ screamed* John Henry. No shrapnel went in to the cap and we had to announce that the valuation of the player was different to our own and another target went by.
It was at this point that frustration got the better of Rodgers and it spilt out in to the press conference. After taking some time to gather his thoughts and regain his patience, the external façade was back to pleasantries and smiles.
Rodgers’ bezzie approaches him and says that he is keen to off-load Mata and Moses. Rodgers again asks FSG for funds and realises that he can’t even begin to consider Mata as an option. As he has got £2m left in cash that he has generated from sales, Moses on loan is the only option. Brendan confides in Jose and they set about chatting about Moses. Mourinho – who we know can’t retain his water – mouth farts in a press-conference that Rodgers needs backing financially.
And that’s where we are - surrounded by smoke and mirrors. A local press (Echo) keen to protect FSG and the club; a national press (The Times, Tony Barrett) with a finger on the pulse in Merseyside who is aware of the situation, but not restricted to writing only positive pieces (but unfortuantely allowing his passion to get the better of him) and details of the above deals coming out in the overseas media.
There were snippets floating around that Suarez needed to be sold to finance other deals ... I now believe that to be true. After a 2012/13 year in which Rodgers was backed with £50m+, it was inevitable that FSG had to claw some of that money back (and the previous season too). FSG had their pockets burned by Kenny and Comolli, but I do believe that they have now gone beyond cautious.
They’ve played a blinder with their PR and after a summer transfer window of smoke and mirrors, where does that put the club and the direction it wants to go in? Where is the so called 'TV money'? Is our future spending what we generate?
* This may be a slight exaggeration.
** When they suddenly blitz £30m on Jim White Day, please feel free to burn this thread.
*** I nearly went with a thread title of 'A Summer of Discontent' ... that would have been better, right?
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