Liverpool agree deal to sign Babel

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12th, July 2007

5 Comments

Babel%2C%20Ryan.jpgThat’s Ajax’s Ryan, not the mediocre Brad Pitt movie of the same name. Rafa ‘we’re working with wingers’ Benitez has reportedly got his man after an £11.5 million deal was agreed. The 20-year-old will finalise his move over the coming days.
A statement on the Ajax website said: “The striker, who had a contract until 2010, will sign a five-year deal with the Champions League finalists.” Babel is a talented young player, but I’m not convinced that Liverpool and Benitez will get the best out of him. Perhaps Arsenal would have been a better fit. What do you reckon?

Posted in Liverpool, Transfers & Rumours

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5 Comments

  1. Visser says:

    Sadly I’d have to agree, hopefully Liverpool will be a changed outfit next year tho, now with the players to possibly hit a fast attack, with pennant for instance on one wing and babel on the other with gerrard pushing centrally. I think the older style of liverpool play could maybe support your argument, but possibly Benitez is finally trying to create an exciting attacking style of play now he has the money to buy the players that can actually do it.

  2. Adam says:

    With all the players Liverpool have brought in and let go this summer, I kind of have a hard time believing they’re going to do particularly well in the coming season. Everyone they’ve signed is undoubtedly talented (if not always reasonably priced), but with so many new players in the squad, they’ll have no real experience playing together, and I can see that being their downfall.
    And in particular regard to Babel, again, he’s clearly talented, but I don’t really see Benitez as a talent developer.

  3. Joe says:

    Don’t be too sure, the foundations (Gerrard, Xabi, Carra, Reina, Mascherano, Kuyt) are pretty solid so all Benny has to do is find the best way to work around that. I reckon Babel fits in well as an ‘inside winger’ in the 4-5-1 Rafa uses, as he used to be a striker and has spent only this season on the wing. Torres is a good player to have as your deep striker, Benayoun could fill in for Gerrard and Mascherano/Sissoko/Xabi could provide defensive cover.

  4. mintox says:

    It’s amazing how many people base their opinions on a team’s style by what they read on the internet and in the papers. You cannot judge teams based on one or two games each year between the big teams.
    This so called boring defensive style that Liverpool apparently play, does not exist. They get back in numbers like any other team and are defensively sound. Their problem last season was not that they didn’t attack or didn’t use the wings or didn’t take shots on goal or didn’t keep posession. In fact I remember reading that Liverpool were up there with most shots for the last 2 seasons and I remember many games where posession was well in Liverpools favour.
    Their problem last year was the quality of the final ball and the ability to finish their chances.
    Pennant had a multitude of posession but for all his improvement and effort does not deliver the killer ball into the box nor beat his player enough to cause problems for opposition defences. The same happened with Gonzalves/Zenden on the left.
    Up front too many simple chances went begging and despite often camping themselves in the opposition half, when the opposition camped 10 men behind the ball, Liverpool were often unable to break them down because they lacked those players that could create a chance from nothing.
    Babel, Torres, Benayoun and any other winger Benitez brings in, if and when they start playing will without question enhance Liverpools chances of mounting a title challenge. They will finally have the ability to kill off teams when the opportunity presents itself unlike last season.

  5. jamilinho says:

    “Their problem last season was not that they didn’t attack or didn’t use the wings or didn’t take shots on goal or didn’t keep posession.”
    i think that says it all, really