Rodgers' Reds: Class is Permanent

Excellent story Glenn having read a few of the more recent posts! The layout is nice and the calibre of the writing is brilliant as expected! Good job.

2015-06-12 19:59#214625 No1VillaFan : I love the update style you use and as a silent reader i will comment more now, the Sturridge update is amazing keep it up

Thanks Jason

2015-06-12 20:57#214633 Nathaniel : Excellent story Glenn having read a few of the more recent posts! The layout is nice and the calibre of the writing is brilliant as expected! Good job.

Thank you Nate, always great to hear from you.

In the season of good cheer, Liverpool played against 8 different opponents and smashed every single one of them, winning the Club World Cup for the third time in a row and securing a place in the Semi Finals of the Capital One Cup. The Reds also sit comfortably at the top of the Premier League and finished their Champions League group campaign with 16 points from 6 games, leaving 2nd-placed Benfica trailing 9 points behind.

Liverpool December Player of the Month

Player of the Month is no contest as Samuel Umtiti takes it easily. The French defender scored the first ever hat trick of his career against Tottenham, no doubt a magnificent achievement for a center-back, and also scored another two goals in the Club World Cup. Of course, scoring is not all he has done - the 26-year-old has been an iron wall for Liverpool in the heart of defense and performed exceptionally this month.

Manager's Thoughts

Absolutely fantastic month, the lads really played their heart out. That's another Club World Cup for us, how many have we gotten now? Well, I've forgotten, but that aside, that's our treble completed, although it won't be much of a treble to speak of if we don't at least add the Premier League title and the end-of-season cups to it. Still, it's a good start, and hopefully it's something that will keep propelling us forward. I feel a little bad for our 6-0 trashing of Tottenham because that got Roberto Mancini the sack and he's a manager that I personally admire. I don't really like Spurs as a club though. Anyway, 2019 was a great year, and I think 2020 is going to be even better.

Piling dem W's m8.

2015-06-12 23:20#214646 Pauker : Piling dem W's m8.

Of course m8

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Liverpool captain James Ward-Prowse has come in third in the FIFA Ballon d'Or to age-old veterans Lionel Messi and winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 25-year-old has been shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or on three occasions in 2017, 2018, and 2019, but this is the first time he has made it onto the top three, after garnering 175 voting points.

This year, Ward-Prowse made 59 appearances for the Reds, scoring 12 goals and creating 33. He has been on an exceptionally good run of form this season, after taking over as club captain and succeeding the long-serving Steven Gerrard.

However, the former Saints footballer was still unable to wedge himself in between the battle between Messi and Ronaldo.

After a fairly passive 2018, Ronaldo struck back in 2019, demonstrating that age didn't matter as he scored 38 goals and assisted 23 in 52 games for Real Madrid. At 34 years of age, the legendary Los Blancos captain is still going strong and rightfully takes home the Ballon d'Or, the fourth one of his career.

Messi, handed the captaincy this season by Luis Enrique, has also performed well in 2019, but failed to defend the Ballon d'Or award from his old rival, although he still scored 30 goals and assisted a further 16 for Barcelona.


Despite coming third in the Ballon d'Or, Ward-Prowse does not make it into the FIFA World XI, but is given a place on the bench alongside fellow Liverpool teammates Jeronimo Rulli, Nathaniel Clyne, and Raheem Sterling.

Liverpool are still represented in the starting eleven though, with Mario Balotelli on the right wing and Samuel Umtiti partnering Dortmund captain Mat Hummels in the center of the XI's back four.

Coming 2nd in the Ballon d'Or last year, Balotelli vowed to become the best player in the world and overtake Messi but has failed to make the top three this year, although the Italian forward should still be pleased with his spot on the FIFA World XI.


Brendan Rodgers' captain isn't the only one to be in the running for an end-of-year award, with Samuel Umtiti coming second in the French Player of the Year for 2019.

The 26-year-old has gone from strength to strength ever since linking up with Liverpool from hometown club Lyon in 2016, and is currently rated as one of the best players in the world in his position.

Unfortunately, despite being a major favorite for the national award, Umtiti finished as runner-up to Juventus playmaker Paul Pogba, who has amazingly won the award on five occasions within the past five years.


"I'm just a guy who loves playing football, someone whose entire life is about the beautiful game, so it's very crazy to hear myself being mentioned in the same breath as legends like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi," said Ward-Prowse on Liverpool's official club website.

"I've gotten a lot of recognition regarding what I've done for Liverpool but in truth this recognition deserves to go to people other than me, people who've helped me perfected my game and nurtured me into the player I am today.

"The gaffer is one of them, there's nothing much to say about him aside from the obvious fact that he's an extraordinarily good manager, and teammates like Stevie G and Hendo who never hesitated to help in anything footy related whenever I asked.

"Of course, I want to say that I'll go on to win the Ballon d'Or next year, but Mario did that last year and that's jinxed him since he isn't even in the top three this time around, so I think I'll refrain from doing that," the Reds talisman joked.

With the global awards out of the way, Liverpool will go into January preparing for important games against Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal in the league. They are also set to face Chelsea at Wembley for the Semi Finals of the Capital One Cup.

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Liverpool fans will be reasonably excited this summer with rumors of Brendan Rodgers being ready to splash the cash to bring in an impact signing. The Reds boss refused to touch his £60 million transfer budget in the summer, but he has been compelled to boost his squad's firepower this month.

Manchester City striker Domenico Berardi is in Rodgers' sights, and rightfully so. The Italian striker has had a terrific season for the Citizens so far, with 15 goals in 15 league games, and has single-handedly dragged his side to 3rd place. A major contender for the Golden Boot at the end of the season, Berardi is exactly the kind of finisher that Liverpool want.

However, the 25-year-old only just joined City one and a half years ago for a fee of £40 million and they will not allow their lethal front man to leave for anything less than two times that amount, something that could put a wedge in Rodgers' plans.

A more realistic target for Liverpool would be Berardi's teammate Giovanni Simeone. The Argentine finished as runner-up to Golden Boot winner Mario Balotelli last season after scoring 24 goals in 35 games for Norwich, earning himself a £16 million move to City.


But after making a dazzling debut against Chelsea where he scored a goal to help his side to a 3-1 win, Simeone has been frozen out at the Manchester club and never made another appearance under Rafa Benitez.

Fellow striker Berardi's hot streak of form has not done anything to help his first team chances and the 24-year-old is already desperate to move on after just six months. City are keen to offload him permanently after his nightmare spell at the club but Liverpool would be more open to taking him temporarily on loan.

20-year-old Yannis Aubry has been improving by leaps and bounds since joining Liverpool in 2017 from boyhood club Stade Rennais, and has made 12 appearances in the Premier League so far this season. But Arsenal want to tempt the youngster to London with offers of more first-team football.

Additionally, Juventus are plotting a double swoop of Aubry and fellow teammate Alejandro Moreyra. The attacking midfielder's talent is obvious to everyone who has watched him, but his progress at Liverpool has been stifled by players like Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling, established star players who have kept him out of the team.

Mario Balotelli has not hit the heights of last season where he smashed home 46 goals for Liverpool, but the 29-year-old forward is undoubtedly still a world class player for any top side.

His old club, Internazionale, will hope to be able to use his slight deterioration in form to their advantage and persuade Liverpool to part with Balotelli.

But Balotelli himself might not be so keen on a reunion. Inter are currently at 14th place in Serie A and battling against the serious threat of relegation.


Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have had a disastrous season and dropped to 6th place by the turn of the new year. Under fire manager Julen Lopetegui is keen on bolstering his aging squad with fresh young faces and is targeting Liverpool center-back Eder Alvarez Balanta as well as defensive midfielder Lucas Romero.

The two South Americans have been ever present this season for their side and regularly put in consistent performances, something that Bayern desperately need after an up-and-down six months into 2019/20. They are also only 26 and 25 years old respectively and could be key additions to a team consisting of key players like 36-year-old Philipp Lahm and 31-year-old Robert Lewandowski.

Real Madrid's Pavel Savitskiy may be set for a return to the Premier League after reports emerged of Rodgers sending scouts to watch the winger in action.

The Belarus international was a Chelsea player for two years between 2015 and 2017 but only made 9 appearances for the Blues and was labelled a flop.

Surprisingly, Real came calling and their gamble has paid off with Savitskiy evolving into an important squad member. The 25-year-old scored 13 goals in 28 appearances to help Los Blancos to a 35th La Liga title last season.


A proven winner, Savitskiy is a potential signing sure to excite Liverpool fans, but Andre Villas-Boas is reluctant to part with one of his star players, and a hefty sum of money may be needed to prise the £35 million-rated man away from Real Madrid.

The emergence of Ryan Joseph is slowly but surely limiting Nathaniel Clyne's amount of games for Liverpool, and although the 28-year-old is still considered an important part of the Reds team, may be tempted to move on to a side that would make him undisputed first choice at right-back.

Since his arrival from Southampton in 2014, Clyne has won everything with Liverpool and he will not be short of suitors if he decides to leave. Just recently, he was named on the bench of the 2019 edition of the FIFA World XI.

Rafa Benitez is a huge admirer and wants Clyne at Manchester City, but the former Saints footballer, whose Liverpool contract runs out in 2022, is understood to be only considering a move at the end of the season.

Promising goalkeeper Pierre-Francois Costantini has been monitored by Liverpool scouts for over a year and the 18-year-old could finally land his dream move to the European Cup holders with his contract at Bastia expiring in six months.

Bastia have resisted numerous offers for Costantini but will be rendered powerless to stop the France Under-21 international this month in signing a pre-contract agreement with other clubs after he rejected the proposal of contract renewal discussions.

Amazing to return to the site after a long time and still see this story still going. Great dedication; much more than I possess for the game at the moment! Long may it continue.

Next time you should put SS of the players, so that we can see how good they are

That is a dominant December! Congrats to JWP for his honourable mention and Berrardi would be a magnificent signing who would more than replace Balotelli, sign him at any cost! Would Simeone and Savitsky prove to be improvements should you sign them? I'm not too sure.

2015-06-13 21:31#214691 Jamesg237 : Amazing to return to the site after a long time and still see this story still going. Great dedication; much more than I possess for the game at the moment! Long may it continue.

Thanks James!

2015-06-14 03:34#214706 Pauker : Next time you should put SS of the players, so that we can see how good they are

I will when I sign them eventually! Probably

2015-06-14 03:38#214708 Justice : That is a dominant December! Congrats to JWP for his honourable mention and Berrardi would be a magnificent signing who would more than replace Balotelli, sign him at any cost! Would Simeone and Savitsky prove to be improvements should you sign them? I'm not too sure.

City would be nuts to allow their star striker to move for whatever the cost though, he's basically their Aguero right now

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Liverpool have dipped their toes into the January transfer window early, wrapping up a swift deal for Real Madrid winger Pavel Savitskiy.

The 25-year-old joined Real just two and a half years ago for £16 million after a nightmare spell at Chelsea, but the Madrid club will be making a profit of more than £20 million after agreeing to sanction the move of one of their star players for a hefty fee of £40 million.

At Real, Savitskiy played in 60 league games and scored 28 goals. He also received his first winner's medal in 2017 with Los Blancos - the Supercopa de Espana, and went on to help Andre Villas-Boas' side claim the La Liga crown last season.

Savitskiy, who mainly operates on the left wing, will be hoping for a better experience in England with Liverpool. After signing for Chelsea in January 2016, he made only 9 appearances in the Premier League over 2 years.


Reds boss Brendan Rodgers was pleased to have gotten his man and told an assembled press at Anfield this morning, "Pavel is a great, great player, someone who is going to add a lot to our team. This is a player who's been playing week in, week out at a club like Real Madrid, with teammates like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

"Here at Liverpool, Pavel is going to play with guys like James Ward-Prowse, Raheem Sterling, and Mario Balotelli. They aren't quite Ronaldo and Bale, no, they're much, much better and they will definitely allow Pavel to shine."

The pacey Belarusian certainly has the credentials and is someone with a proven eye for goal with 28 goals for his international side as well as 44 caps.

He is set to wear the number 8 shirt at Anfield, last worn by Liverpool's iconic captain Steven Gerrard, and signs a four-year contract worth £150k per week.


"I'm delighted to be able to conclude my status as a Liverpool player," Savitskiy said on the club's official website. "I have played against this team a number of times and it's a club I have always admired. I hope to be able to prove my worth as quickly as possible and fire the club to further glories."

Meanwhile, Rodgers has confirmed that he will make at least one more signing this window to bolster the thinning options in his squad.

"We want at least one more player," he admitted. "Our squad is very small at the moment and we're looking for a player that can really make a difference for us, someone who can provide competition for first team places."

The misfiring Richairo Zivkovic has seen an improvement in form since his poor start to the season, but his lack of goals in the Premier League may prompt Rodgers to look for a new striker to keep the young Dutchman on his toes.

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Liverpool have confirmed their second signing of the summer with out-of-favor Manchester City striker Giovanni Simeone joining the club on a six-month loan deal until the end of the season.

Brendan Rodgers' side will fork out £4 million in total to take the young striker on a temporary basis, although City were more hopeful of a permanent transfer.

The 24-year-old first came to the Premier League in 2017 from hometown club River Plate, and helped Norwich to two impressive top-half finishes, before sealing a £16 million move for himself to City after an impressive record of 40 goals in 68 league games for the Canaries.

However, competition is rife at the Etihad Stadium for striking places, and Simeone has failed to displace first-choice Domenico Berardi, who is so far leading the Premier League's scoring charts with 15 goals.


And Liverpool have decided to offer Simeone a small chance to save his faltering career throughout the next six months of the season, where he is expected to provide competition for new teammate Richairo Zivkovic.

He will join his fellow Argentine compatriots Lucas Romero, Jeronimo Rulli, Alejandro Moreyra, and Gustavo Cuello at Anfield, three of whom are already established players for the country's international team.

Rodgers has enjoyed a fair bit of success in loaning center-back Kyriakos Papadopoulos from Arsenal, who has been great when called upon in the absence of either Eder Alvarez Balanta or Samuel Umtiti. As a result, it may come as no surprise that the Reds boss has decided to try his hand once again in the loan market.


Simeone will be cup tied for the Capital One Cup after making one appearance for City in the tournament this season but can be played in every other competition including the Champions League.

The club has also moved quickly to secure the signature of France Under-21 international Pierre-Francois Costantini.


The 19-year-old's contract at Bastia runs out in six months, making him eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with other European clubs.

Liverpool have a long-held interest in Costantini, and can finally welcome the goalkeeper to Anfield in July after he agreed personal terms with the club.

That regen doe! Great signings, although that loan fee is high for 6 months :S.. They look good

2015-06-15 06:41#214775 Pauker : That regen doe! Great signings, although that loan fee is high for 6 months :S.. They look good

Yeah it is, 800k per month