Liverpool Agree £13.5m Fee For Swansea Pass Merchant Joe Allen
By Chris Wright
Liverpool have reportedly agreed a whopping £13.5 million fee with Swansea over the transfer of Joe Allen, with former Swans manager Brendan Rodgers keen to cherry pick one of his leading lights from last season by invoking a release clause written into Allen’s labyrinthine contract.
You may recall that Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins lobbied long and hard to get a ‘no half-inching our players for 12 months’ stipulation inserted into the terms when Rodgers left for Liverpool, though it would appear that Allen has a release clause in his deal at the Liberty which states he can leave for one of the Premier League’s ‘Big Five’ (which includes Liverpool) should they meet the asking price – £13.5 million.
Oh dear, oh dear. It’s certainly got a definite whiff of ‘Dalglish’ about it, hasn’t it? No doubt Allen is a tidy central midfielder with an exemplary passing rate (91.2% completed) for last season and he’s only 22, which will pander to John W. Henry’s hankering for re-sale value and the like. However, he’s not particularly flashy and it’s arguable that there are much better players out there in the £10-15 million bracket.
What are we saying ‘Pool fans? Reckon you’ve got another Adams/Downing/Henderson on your hands here or is Allen the man you need to lube up your midfield pistons?
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Oh blimey, yet another over priced midfielder…
Decent player, but not the type of player that should summon £13.5 million if we take a look at the widely respected ‘Xabi Alonso Yardstick’. His success will depend on to what degree Rodgers tries implements the metronomic football he had at Swansea, but I for one don’t think he will be appreciated by the Liverpool fans used to the all-action style of Gerrard.
Blimey. Liverpool paying over-the-odds for a mid-table player? I’d almost rather we see a return to the Benitez approach of “pay fuck all and see what you get” and live with another Voronin for a season. Or “Fabio Borini”, as he’s known.
Excellent player, local boy, crown jewel. Sad to see him go. Still, with bargains available from the continent (Michu in for a measly £2m) it’s a good bit of business.
I think he will do an outstanding job and develop further, although as NathanM said if Liverpool fans want reckless ‘Roy of the Rovers’ stuff in the Gerrard mould, they’ll get frustrated.
I agree with Mr. Chopper. At least Voronin had some comedy effect. Last seasons midfiled just makes me want to cry.
I am trying to understand how Liverpool are still considered a “big five” club.
I’m a Lierpool fan and i have faith in Rogers, he wasnt willing to give Gylfi outlandish wages because he knew what he was getting but, he is willing to play that much for Allen so he must be worth it.
overpriced as usual for a liverpool signing. I’d like to see Rodgers now get at the squad with an axe and cull a few of the misfits to free up some cash to buy more players
Wasn’t it reported that in his deal to go to Liverpool, Rodger’s wasn’t allowed to buy a Swansea player for the at least a year?
@Baz I think you missed the second paragraph!
It must be gutting for clubs like Swansea that they stay up and then start losing their best players. What chance is there for a new club to work their way up the table if all their best players get bought?
yeah poor old Swansea, most be gutting to lose Joe Allen for £13.5 Million!
Looks to me like a player who fits the way Rodgers want ‘Pool to play, and certainly nobody knows better than Rodgers what he is capable of. My bet is that this will turn out to be 13.5 million well spent.
Don’t know what all the moaning is about. I’m a Sunderland fan and I’d gladly have him here at the SOL. Anyone who watched Swansea last years knows just how good he is. Partnered with Lucas and Gerrard, we could be looking at a quite formidable Liverpool midfield.
Well I could not find confirmation of this anywhere. But in case it is true, people might also want to consider that buying a player is not only about the initial fees, but also the wages. If you get a player for 8 Mil and have to pay him 75,000 GBP a week, and compare it to a player who you buy for 12 Mil but who is willing to play for 40,000 GBP a week, then in the long run financially speaking, buying the second player would make more sense.
Another way of looking at it could be that its better to get players who know the system that will be deployed. Since the midfield plays a decisive role in maintaining possession and converting defence to attack, it makes sense that the Manager would want to bring in players in midfield who can immediately play in the style that he wants the team to play in.
That said, Allen and Lucas in midfield could really work – with Gerrard playing higher up the pitch to support the striker. Still feel that 13.5 Mil (if true) is rather steep though.
let Suarez go and play champions league. Liverpool fc is no longer big club look at players they are buying. can you compare kagawa, hazard,hugo.come I budget for you lfc.
if you cant trust the managers decision on who he buys he should never have been given the job with rafa we were challenging for champions league football season after season he should never have went but he did real lfc fans should now back rogers and not let him walk alone. YNWA
I have some reservations about the signings but within those doubts i hope Brendan wont give us a raw deal. We are tired of last season and to be honest it was disgusting to see LIVERPOOL losing easier games and winning hard games. it doesnt make sense and it never wiil. Let Anfield be the hottest venue for visiting teams this season
I know you are normally so good in the transfer marked 35 mil for carrol
and 17 for Jordan Henderson Joey should be going for at least 30 if you compare to that rubbish
I wish am not a lfc supporter. Am frustrated with this type of signings
if his pass rate was really that good then i think it’s a good signing. not for 13 mill tho thats harsh. watched the game vs AS Roma this morning and we passed the ball so much so BR’s tactics must be working. he could perform well with lucas or even suso if we give him a chance, little master he is. we will have to see if he is worth it i guess.
YNWA
They agree, except that…
Hopefully Brendan knows what he’s doing, – but what about Theo Woolcott ? Couldn’t he come to L.F.C. for the same money ?
Hopefully Rodgers knows what he’s doing, but couldn’t L.F.C. buy Theo Woolcott for the same money ?
Why not buy Theo Woolcott for around the same money ? But maybe Allen fits Rodgers’ plans for the style of Football he wants to introduce at L.F.C.
Give the man a chance if he can get Liverpool playing passing football he could achieve better results for us
i believe so much on lodgers becos he is a coach,having performed mervalously well at swansea