ESPN – Liverpool’s Lucas: I nearly left Anfield

Lucas Leiva said he nearly left Liverpool in 2010 and believes Roy Hodgson signed Christian Poulsen to replace him in midfield at Anfield.

A news article on 2013-03-25 10:28:00 from: ESPN

Read the full article here.

This news item has been reproduced from today’s media. It does not necessarily represent the opinion of Kop That.

Poll – Defensive Midfield v Everton

Liverpool face Everton at Goodison Park at the weekend with both sides looking for better fortunes as they sit in unfamiliar territory on 7pts, either side of the dropzone. With Roy Hodgson likely to deploy at least one defensive midfielder when the Reds take on their rivals from across Stanley Park, alot of attention will be focused on the midfield that is selected given recent performances as well as tactical positioning.

Of late Christian Poulsen, Liverpool’s £4.5m signing from Juventus this summer has come in for considerable criticism at both International and Club level whilst the form of the once maligned Lucas Leiva has continued to head in the opposite direction. Is it time for Lucas to step in? Should Poulsen continue and deliver the performance he needs to? Should Raul Meireles provide the link between defence and midfield?

Cast your vote below!

Who should play defensive midfield against Everton?

  • Lucas Leiva (49%, 154 Votes)
  • Raul Meireles (43%, 136 Votes)
  • Christian Poulsen (8%, 26 Votes)

Total Voters: 316

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    Liverpool Reach Agreement Over Poulsen

    Liverpool and Juventus are reported to have finally reached an agreement over the transfer of Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen.

    According to Tuttomercatoweb, Juve have agreed to let the Danish international head to Anfield for a fee reported to be in the region of €5.7 million, with a further €1 million heading their way in related bonuses should certain objectives be met by the end of the 2010/11 season.

    Poulsen has been expected to arrive at Anfield for a medical since the weekend and has also not been included in the Danish squad to face Germany this week, to allow him to complete his transfer to the Reds. Some sources indicate that the player has already met with the Liverpool medical team and passed to their satisfaction but other sources do not expect his medical to take place until later today. It is also believed that a small number of personal terms expect to be finalised over the next 48hrs, which has so far been delayed this week.

    The move for Poulsen continues to add further weight to the speculation that a deal will be agreed with either Barcelona or Inter Milan for Javier Mascherano’s exit before the end of the current transfer window. However talk concerning Palermo’s interest in Liverpool’s other defensive midfielder Lucas Leiva continues to develop, having already approached the club as to the players availability. The Serie A club though are not expected to meet Liverpool’s evaluation of the Brazilian, which is currently estimated between the £8m and £10m mark.

    Should Poulsen’s deal complete in time, then he could also find himself making somewhat of a shock debut for his new team . The Reds face Arsenal at home on Sunday in their opening game of the new campaign, with Lucas Levia not arriving back at Anfield until during the course of Friday following international duty with Brazil.


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      Fridays Ins & Outs

      As the Liverpool takeoever news continues to dominate press columns and news wires, it’s still business as usual at a team level and that means the revolving door that is the transfer world. While Roy Hodgson continues to search for another 2 or 3 players to bolster his squad for the coming season, the attraction in Liverpool’s squad from outside still remains just as strong.

      With new owners arriving at Anfield in coming weeks, seemingly become more of an inevitability than a hopeful myth. The time remaining within the current transfer window lends itself more to the strategy that Hodgson has presently in place as opposed to an influx of some of the biggest names in football. Despite their lowly finish last season, the spine of Liverpool’s side remains a strong one and another 2-4 players are going to bring the squad depth up to where it should be for a side of the Reds calibre to challenge over a season’s worth of games. As per Roy’s recent comments: “It is not a question of how much a player costs, it is how good he is.”

      “We have made some signings so far and we hope to bring in at least a couple of other players.”

      “I think the danger in a late takeover would be that money would be made available but we wouldn’t have had a chance to research the players in this transfer window.”

      “We are doing our research in this window and targeting players that the club is capable and able to buy.”

      “If one day an enormous amount of money is made available like it was for Manchester City and Chelsea then so be it, it would be nice.”

      “But we would still have to do a lot of research before we started splashing that money around.”

      In summary here is an overview of some of the transfer talk over the last 24hrs involving both the current squad and its suggested targets.

      Alberto Aquilani

      Speculation has come to a head once for Aquilani, as a return to not only his home of Italy and the Serie A but his former club Roma reaches the news. A player with undoubted talent and vision in midfield saw his first season curtailed after arriving with an ankle injury that kept him out for the opening months, was then followed by a series of viruses that left him with no chance to build any momentum or gain any consistency in his performances.

      Aquilani remains determined to make his mark in the Premier League in a Liverpool shirt and hopes a fresh start under the new Reds boss will allow him to achieve his goal. As a result of the recent comments, his agent has been very quick to play down reports of any return to his homeland this summer.

      Franco Zavaglia told calcionews24.com: “Is Aquilani going to be returning to Roma? I completely rule that out. That is not true at all, this is just paper talk.”

      Aquilani has featured in Liverpool’s pre- season friendlies as well as both legs of the Europa tie against FK Rabotnicki, where he has been deployed deeper and more centrally in midfield than he was last season.

      Philipp Degen

      Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart have finally confirmed the arrival of Liverpool’s Swiss International right-back Philipp Degen on a season-long loan. The 27-year-old defender moved to Anfield on a free transfer in 2008 from Borussia Dortmund but failed to make any impact on the side, as well as collecting a series of injuries in his two years at the club.

      After making just 7 appearances in a Red shirt over that time fort he club, he is reunited with Stuttgart coach Christian Gross, this time in the Bundesliga. Degen was believed to be told by Hodgson very early on that he needed to look for another club and his performances pre-season would have failed to convince the former Fulham man otherwise.

      Degen, stated of his move: “For me this loan represents a great chance to rediscover my best form.”

      Lucas Leiva

      Palermo sporting director Walter Sabatini has yet again issued comments in regards to his interest in making Liverpool’s young Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva, a Palermo player before the transfer window closes. He believes there is still he could get his wish andcapture the Liverpool player

      The Serie A outfit have been credited previously with making an offer for the player in the region of the £3m mark which was immediately rejected by Liverpool. Sabatini even took steps to previously deny his bid was as high as the £5m that some sources were quoting. Liverpool’s valuation of the midfielder is believed to be closer to the £8m / £10m mark, as the youngster has just come off the back of a good season with the Anfield club following very mixed and at times, extremely critical, reviews of the players early performances.

      Sabatini confirms that he has minimal contact with Liverpool at the present time concerning Leiva but that he feels that a higher bid from the Italians could change that position very quickly.

      He told Mediagol.it: “Is there a dialogue with Liverpool for Lucas Leiva?”, ”Yes, there is still a dialogue even if it is a marginal dialogue. Do Liverpool say he is unsellable – I believe that there is room for flexibility.”

      “How much would he cost? They evaluate him at €10million (£8.31m) but with €6-7 million I think maybe that the deal could be closed if the club would be willing to invest at that figure.”

      He added further later to Live Sicilia: “Lucas? It is a remote possibility, we must try to be patient.” once again indicating that it just might not be the last effort they make to sign the player, who has previously confirmed several times that he is more than happy at Anfield.

      Emiliano Insua

      Everything concerning Fiorentina may be dead in the water for the Argentinian but from information Sky Sports Italia are releasing, it seems as though the players future may still lie in Italy for the 2010/11 season. Genoa are credited with significant interest in the player, to a level that they have belief a transfer could be agreed and finalised in just a matter of days. Genoa have already made eight new signings in the current transfer window and the young left back could be soon to add to that tally

      Insua was close to joining Fiorentina after they had agreed over a fee with Liverpool. Genoa chief Enrico Preziosi has already hinted at a further new arrival in recent interview, but didn’t confirm who the targeted player was, it seems however that they are looking to succeed where the Viola couldn’t.

      Dani Pacheco

      The young forward fresh from his U19 return is credited with receiving interest from as many as 9 clubs at the present time. A prospect that Liverpool are seemingly looking to keep within their ranks, gained a full 90 minutes for the Reds in the second leg of the Europa League tie via FK Rabotnicki on Thursday night.

      Despite comments coming from Pacheco via the Spanish press that he has spoken to Roy Hodgson and opportunities are looking to be made available to him at L4 to progress, it is doing little to stem the level of interest in the player. The leading interest is believed to continue to come from Malaga and they have been happy to reveal that initial contact has already been made with Liverpool regarding a deal.

      “We have spoken with Liverpool, but we know that a lot of clubs are interested in this player,” said the club’s vice-president Abdullah Ghunbn.

      “We have put a proposition to Liverpool, which is all we can afford, but we have not yet reached an agreement.”

      Liverpool have apparently hinted that they could be ready to do business in some capacity, with Hodgson looking to raise funds as well as make decisions on younger players gaining first team experience elsewhere for the coming season. Interest comes from other parts of Spain, as well as Italy, for Pacheco and he is has already confirmed Real Sociedad interest in his services. In turn he asked Real Madrid and former team mate Xabi Alonso’s advice on the structure and training opportunites at the club, which was a sign met with some considerable concern by alot of the Reds fan base, at the thought of such potential exiting the club.

      Pacheco has been credited as saying in recent days:

      “I really want to be here,”

      “I will talk with the manager in a few days and we will decide my future. Hopefully I will stay and be able to get some games so we will see.

      “I will try to work, get as many chances as I can and take them when they happen.”

      Christian Poulsen

      The deal to bring Juventus defensive midfielder and Danish International Christian Poulsen is believed to now be very close to a conclusion, a player deemed surplus to requirements by new Juve head coach Luigi Del Neri at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. The Anfield club are believed to have agreed in principle a fee of £4m – £6m for the players transfer, and talks are proceeding over personal terms which expect to concluded no later than the early part of next week. The Reds boss has kept his cards close to his chest as would be expected for the players that have arrived at Anfield so far but was happy to confirm that Pouslen was a valid target.

      “Poulsen is a legitimate transfer target if it can happen, he’s a player I know well. I kick-started his career some years ago now and I’ve followed him closely ever since.”

      “If we could get him from Juventus for a price I consider to be reasonable, he will be a very good addition to our squad.”

      Speaking to Ekstra Bladet, Poulsen’s agent Jorn Bonnesen also moved to confirm talks were under way between the sides and he expected the deal to be finalised within seven days.

      He said: “It won’t take more than a week before this is sorted out.”

      “It might be already in the beginning of next week. Christian Poulsen is Roy’s man.”

      “He will be playing as defensive midfielder at Liverpool. I returned home with a good and positive impression.”

      The Danish midfielder, currently on 77 caps,  is recognised as being a potential replacement for Inter Milan bound Javier Mascherano, although the Italian champions and Champions League winners are yet to table any form of bid for the player whose future remains in limbo at the present time. Liverpool are believed to be happy to let the player move on to pastures new but it has to be for their valuation of the player. In a saga resembling that of Cesc Frabregas, Arsenal and Barcelona, the conclusion for this one is expected to go down to the wire at the end of August. Inter Milan are thought to need the on going sale of Balotelli to be confirmed, before they can make an official approach to Liverpool from a financial perspective.


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