Lazar Markovic

[Maxiedge]

This is bull**** imo. It's not like the rest of the team was **** hot last season and he was the weak link. The manager clearly has his favourites.

[Harv]

Yeah, the ones not bought by the committee

[Fan65]

Blaszczykowski as a replacement anyone?

Apparently out of favour at Dortmund. (Telegraph)

[G]

Thought he'd have got plenty of games in the cups so strange one this. We have two games a week starting very soon and I'd very much like a second team playing everything bar the league.

[dww]

Thought he'd have got plenty of games in the cups so strange one this. We have two games a week starting very soon and I'd very much like a second team playing everything bar the league.

I think occasional games in a second string are far from as useful for development as being a first team regular. A new environment might also be good for his confidence.

Markovic looks too brittle to succeed with us at the minute. Given our new found desire for defensive rigour I think he would have found it hard to break through this season. I wouldn't discount him coming back as a real asset.

Even if the Rodgers preferring his own signings thing has any basis you have to feel that after this summer he would have less concern about that in a years time if he is still here.

[G]

We have two games a week most weeks so he'd be getting at least one game every week assuming we progress in the league cup so to would be regular games, plenty of good players in that " second string" too. Loan him out in January if we get knocked out of the cups.

[The_weatherman]

I think it's actually a good idea to loan him out, the competition is fierce for the attacking spots, Ibe, Lallana, Firmino, Coutinho, Origi, Ings, Sturridge and Benteke is more than adequate IMO.

Surely there is some limit to how many players we can have on our roster. Also he needs more playing time now so it's good for him and hopefully we'll see him back next summer after year playing week in week out in a decent league with decent players as well.

He has been poorly managed though IMO, but hopefully he finds his feet and confidence, I think there is a good player in him.

[RedReet]

So with Mario gone and Markovic gone on loan that's £36m wasted on transfer fees. Total ineptitude from the club. I wonder who else we have signed for big money we will loan out next? My money is on Sakho.

Yet we picked up the likes of Can, Coutinho, Sturridge for relative peanuts and they were good enough to make it here.

You win some, you lose some.

[BigChief]

Blimey, he's not leaving us. He's just going on loan which will benefit both him and us. We can't afford to stake our top four position in giving him game time and he can't afford to wait for those chances to be handed to him.

If he does what De Bruyne did when he left Chelsea for an easier league then brilliant. We can get all our money back on him or he comes back to us as the next worldie player. Win win. If not then we really did have a dud, these things happen and we move on.

[BigChief]

Yet we picked up the likes of Can, Coutinho, Sturridge for relative peanuts and they were good enough to make it here.

You win some, you lose some.

I'd add Sterling to that, he was hardly 'our' youth.

[Roboklopp]

I think the argument is that we end up in this situation too often, not that we never ever ever buy any decent potential.

[BigChief]

I think the argument is that we end up in this situation too often, not that we never ever ever buy any decent potential.

All clubs do. Cuadrado, Salah, Nani, etc. You may claim they are rich clubs that can afford to do this but ultimately we're no poor man's club either.

I agree this situation happens too often. But it happens too often for ALL big clubs to give it context.

[Roboklopp]

I know spending more eliminates an element of the risk & that we're not alone but the last few years we seem to be be making more mid to top end mistakes than we ever used to, even taking the ludicrous levels of footy inflation into account.

[dww]

So with Mario gone and Markovic gone on loan that's £36m wasted on transfer fees. Total ineptitude from the club. I wonder who else we have signed for big money we will loan out next? My money is on Sakho.

There is an argument we have had a disjointed transfer policy. However, I think in the two specific cases there are arguments that have to be taken into consideration.

Balotelli was a gamble made when we needed a player. Over his career he has been a successful commercial player as well as a decent footballer. It didn't pay off but if we don't take gambles sometimes we will never improve.

Markovic (even ignoring the fact he may well come back as a success) should be viewed in the market for similar players. Look at the money paid by United and Chelsea for wide attacking players and their success rate. To me in that context (and suspecting his wages are not that high) it was a decent transfer to try. If we sell him for a decent price it will have been a fair enough transfer choice, if not it still won't be the huge, moronic blunder you seem to wish to portray it as.

[Cormack74]

The only blunder is Brendan's for managing him so poorly.