Liverpool agree fee for Downing

[iNickStuff]

We get Young, Liverpool get Downing. Albrighton to step up?

 

[Nil Satis Nisi Optimum]

We get Young, Liverpool get Downing. Albrighton to step up?

Albrighton is a great player. It will be interesting to see how he does now that the 2 main stars have left. Also will be curious whether Agbonlahor can get his form back again.

 

[Ride The Walrus]

421 - Since Aug 2004, only 4 players (Lampard, Fabregas, Gerrard & Giggs) have created more PL chances than Stewart Downing. Craftsman.

34.4 - Stewart Downing has averaged 34.4 appearances over the past five Premier League seasons. Reliable.

135 - Stewart Downing has completed more crosses in open play than any other player in the Premier League over the last three seasons. Whip.

 

[Calum]

Sky Sports | Polls | Skysports

 

[Alex]

I know im going to get a lot of hate for this but i think he is one of England's most over-rated players.

Nothing special, certainly not worth 20million.

Jealous that you can't afford £20, let alone £20m.

 

[pokiuki123]

Dunno if its been mentioned but 6+5 rule anyone?

The 6+5 Rule (MUST READ FOR ALL LFC FANS) - The Kop Blog post - Liverpool FC

Many LFC supporters are unhappy with the fact that we are going for young and British. But many of them dont know the 6+5 rule and its implications. The 6+5 rule has a massive impact on the way our targets are determined. In fact out of our last 5 acquisitions (im counting Stewart downing) 4 of them are British and of that four 3 of them are English. Simply put the 6+5 rule is rule that requires, At the beginning of each match, each club must field at least six players eligible to play for the national team of the country of the club. There is no restriction, however, on the number of non-eligible players under contract with the club, nor on substitutes to avoid non-sportive constraints on the coaches (potentially 3+8 at the end of a match). Knowing that we can see why it affects our transfers and starting line up.
The ruling was passed May 30th 2008. However FIFA gave clubs the chance to re-adjust their system. The 2010-2011 season it was 4+7 (meaning 4 of the teams starting 11 have to be eligible playing for the country the club represents). Next season (2011-2012) it will be 5+7 and the season after that (2012-2013) it will take into full effect with 6+5. With that in mind we can see why players like Henderson, Jones, Downing all went for large amounts. The rule forces teams to shop within their own country and PL clubs will hike up their price knowing that other PL teams are desperate. Its simple Economics; Supply and Demand. The Demand for Young English players has risen due to other teams wanting them and clubs having to sell to PL rivals. So LFC actually buying young British players is just good business however you look at it. Even a flop can sell for a high price due to other teams needing to fill a quota.
Lets review how it affects our transfer targets. Most LFC fans desperately want Juan Mata and truth be told the sexiest transfers that people want to see are players outside England. Most fans would rather go for Mata than Stewart Downing. If Valencia would go for downing he would cost less than 20 million. Thats because Valencia arent in the PL and are not competing with Aston Villa and Valencia are not desperate for english talent. Mata's price is Justified due to his skill but Downing's is due to Villa's reluctance to let him go; even Arsenal put in a 18 million bid for Downing. While Mata is younger, and arguably more skillful and has more potential he goes for about the same price if not a little more. But Downing is the preferred on due to this rule.
The Exodus of our unwanted or surplus to requirements players will be to make room for more players to fill the quota so we can be a balanced team. When creating a team we must think of depth. Since 6 players need to be fielded it would be wise to have more depth of players that are eligible incase one of the 6 gets injured. So for the likes of Carroll, Henderson and Downing were all over paid for was because of this rule. The younger the player the more time to establish them we have and we can resale them for more value or resale them even if they are a flop.
New acquisitions excluded our starting 11 (hypothetically all being healthy. This line up is with the best 11) before the summer would be Reina, Kelly, Carragher, Agger, Johnson (of the back four we can already see that we are in need of an LB. so with a new LB one of Kelly or Johnson will be benched) Lucas, Meireles, Gerrard, Kuyt, Carroll, Suarez. Of that starting 11, 5 are eligible (Kelly, Johnson, Carragher, Gerrard, Carroll). Kelly who is a CB but now is becoming a RB and Johnson play the same position so im counting both of them as 1; So now that brings it down to 4. Looking at that line up we can see why LFC are willing to pay large amounts for young English talent.
Though I, like most LFC fans, still want Mata, we can not ignore the 6+5 rule and must abide by them. Learning and Knowing the 6+5 rule will help us understand a little more about our transfers. We have been linked to many players hopefully a few more come in. Its an exciting time and we as fans must support the club even if we are not satisfied with the player the club has brought in. This will give us a better understanding to why english players are costing a lot and why our transfer policies are what they are. Every fans want the sexy acquisition that will make us jump for joy but being most of those are outside british we will have to make due and watch how our teams molds together in the upcoming years. Because, in the end, that is all we can do.


P.s. Please feel free to write your comments ans share your thoughts. I will respond to comments so check back to see if i responded to yours. Check out my other blogs and remember to leave feedback. Thank You!

 

[Craig01]

Dunno if its been mentioned but 6+5 rule anyone?

The 6+5 Rule (MUST READ FOR ALL LFC FANS) - The Kop Blog post - Liverpool FC

Many LFC supporters are unhappy with the fact that we are going for young and British. But many of them dont know the 6+5 rule and its implications. The 6+5 rule has a massive impact on the way our targets are determined. In fact out of our last 5 acquisitions (im counting Stewart downing) 4 of them are British and of that four 3 of them are English. Simply put the 6+5 rule is rule that requires, At the beginning of each match, each club must field at least six players eligible to play for the national team of the country of the club. There is no restriction, however, on the number of non-eligible players under contract with the club, nor on substitutes to avoid non-sportive constraints on the coaches (potentially 3+8 at the end of a match). Knowing that we can see why it affects our transfers and starting line up.
The ruling was passed May 30th 2008. However FIFA gave clubs the chance to re-adjust their system. The 2010-2011 season it was 4+7 (meaning 4 of the teams starting 11 have to be eligible playing for the country the club represents). Next season (2011-2012) it will be 5+7 and the season after that (2012-2013) it will take into full effect with 6+5. With that in mind we can see why players like Henderson, Jones, Downing all went for large amounts. The rule forces teams to shop within their own country and PL clubs will hike up their price knowing that other PL teams are desperate. Its simple Economics; Supply and Demand. The Demand for Young English players has risen due to other teams wanting them and clubs having to sell to PL rivals. So LFC actually buying young British players is just good business however you look at it. Even a flop can sell for a high price due to other teams needing to fill a quota.
Lets review how it affects our transfer targets. Most LFC fans desperately want Juan Mata and truth be told the sexiest transfers that people want to see are players outside England. Most fans would rather go for Mata than Stewart Downing. If Valencia would go for downing he would cost less than 20 million. Thats because Valencia arent in the PL and are not competing with Aston Villa and Valencia are not desperate for english talent. Mata's price is Justified due to his skill but Downing's is due to Villa's reluctance to let him go; even Arsenal put in a 18 million bid for Downing. While Mata is younger, and arguably more skillful and has more potential he goes for about the same price if not a little more. But Downing is the preferred on due to this rule.
The Exodus of our unwanted or surplus to requirements players will be to make room for more players to fill the quota so we can be a balanced team. When creating a team we must think of depth. Since 6 players need to be fielded it would be wise to have more depth of players that are eligible incase one of the 6 gets injured. So for the likes of Carroll, Henderson and Downing were all over paid for was because of this rule. The younger the player the more time to establish them we have and we can resale them for more value or resale them even if they are a flop.
New acquisitions excluded our starting 11 (hypothetically all being healthy. This line up is with the best 11) before the summer would be Reina, Kelly, Carragher, Agger, Johnson (of the back four we can already see that we are in need of an LB. so with a new LB one of Kelly or Johnson will be benched) Lucas, Meireles, Gerrard, Kuyt, Carroll, Suarez. Of that starting 11, 5 are eligible (Kelly, Johnson, Carragher, Gerrard, Carroll). Kelly who is a CB but now is becoming a RB and Johnson play the same position so im counting both of them as 1; So now that brings it down to 4. Looking at that line up we can see why LFC are willing to pay large amounts for young English talent.
Though I, like most LFC fans, still want Mata, we can not ignore the 6+5 rule and must abide by them. Learning and Knowing the 6+5 rule will help us understand a little more about our transfers. We have been linked to many players hopefully a few more come in. Its an exciting time and we as fans must support the club even if we are not satisfied with the player the club has brought in. This will give us a better understanding to why english players are costing a lot and why our transfer policies are what they are. Every fans want the sexy acquisition that will make us jump for joy but being most of those are outside british we will have to make due and watch how our teams molds together in the upcoming years. Because, in the end, that is all we can do.


P.s. Please feel free to write your comments ans share your thoughts. I will respond to comments so check back to see if i responded to yours. Check out my other blogs and remember to leave feedback. Thank You!

A lot of insight there, a kind reminder as to why English talent costs so much - many thanks!

 

[GodCubed]

Wait and see Villatalk will be happy that they've got their perceived value of the player right now and Lerner looks like he's played hardball and reluctantly accepted an offer he couldn't turn down for a player who wanted to leave so let's not rain on the parade.

VillaTalk will be angry whatever the price, they're a bunch of lunatics. I'm not too interested in being ultra-cynical, thanks, so yeah I suppose we'll leave it at £20 million.

We get Young, Liverpool get Downing. Albrighton to step up?

Go see tirelessmidfielder for other amazing insights on the game such as this! It's positively revolutionary!

 

[Zebedee]

VillaTalk will be angry whatever the price, they're a bunch of lunatics. I'm not too interested in being ultra-cynical, thanks, so yeah I suppose we'll leave it at £20 million.

If it makes you happy, £20m it is

 

[Vanjagl]

You don't get what I mean by "he developed at Arsenal" do you? I mean that he has become a better player (and yes, he did become a better player) since he joined Arsenal, has nothing to do with OM. And Özil was obviously not at the same level for Werder Bremen than he is for Real Madrid now, it's not rare to see a player do better for the national team than he usually does.

I agree, Nasri did become a better player at Arsenal. So is Downing at Villa.

 

[Dobcheev]

Jealous that you can't afford £20, let alone £20m.

That's cold. True but cold.

---------- Post added at 01:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 PM ----------

Dunno if its been mentioned but 6+5 rule anyone?

The 6+5 Rule (MUST READ FOR ALL LFC FANS) - The Kop Blog post - Liverpool FC

Many LFC supporters are unhappy with the fact that we are going for young and British. But many of them dont know the 6+5 rule and its implications. The 6+5 rule has a massive impact on the way our targets are determined. In fact out of our last 5 acquisitions (im counting Stewart downing) 4 of them are British and of that four 3 of them are English. Simply put the 6+5 rule is rule that requires, At the beginning of each match, each club must field at least six players eligible to play for the national team of the country of the club. There is no restriction, however, on the number of non-eligible players under contract with the club, nor on substitutes to avoid non-sportive constraints on the coaches (potentially 3+8 at the end of a match). Knowing that we can see why it affects our transfers and starting line up.
The ruling was passed May 30th 2008. However FIFA gave clubs the chance to re-adjust their system. The 2010-2011 season it was 4+7 (meaning 4 of the teams starting 11 have to be eligible playing for the country the club represents). Next season (2011-2012) it will be 5+7 and the season after that (2012-2013) it will take into full effect with 6+5. With that in mind we can see why players like Henderson, Jones, Downing all went for large amounts. The rule forces teams to shop within their own country and PL clubs will hike up their price knowing that other PL teams are desperate. Its simple Economics; Supply and Demand. The Demand for Young English players has risen due to other teams wanting them and clubs having to sell to PL rivals. So LFC actually buying young British players is just good business however you look at it. Even a flop can sell for a high price due to other teams needing to fill a quota.
Lets review how it affects our transfer targets. Most LFC fans desperately want Juan Mata and truth be told the sexiest transfers that people want to see are players outside England. Most fans would rather go for Mata than Stewart Downing. If Valencia would go for downing he would cost less than 20 million. Thats because Valencia arent in the PL and are not competing with Aston Villa and Valencia are not desperate for english talent. Mata's price is Justified due to his skill but Downing's is due to Villa's reluctance to let him go; even Arsenal put in a 18 million bid for Downing. While Mata is younger, and arguably more skillful and has more potential he goes for about the same price if not a little more. But Downing is the preferred on due to this rule.
The Exodus of our unwanted or surplus to requirements players will be to make room for more players to fill the quota so we can be a balanced team. When creating a team we must think of depth. Since 6 players need to be fielded it would be wise to have more depth of players that are eligible incase one of the 6 gets injured. So for the likes of Carroll, Henderson and Downing were all over paid for was because of this rule. The younger the player the more time to establish them we have and we can resale them for more value or resale them even if they are a flop.
New acquisitions excluded our starting 11 (hypothetically all being healthy. This line up is with the best 11) before the summer would be Reina, Kelly, Carragher, Agger, Johnson (of the back four we can already see that we are in need of an LB. so with a new LB one of Kelly or Johnson will be benched) Lucas, Meireles, Gerrard, Kuyt, Carroll, Suarez. Of that starting 11, 5 are eligible (Kelly, Johnson, Carragher, Gerrard, Carroll). Kelly who is a CB but now is becoming a RB and Johnson play the same position so im counting both of them as 1; So now that brings it down to 4. Looking at that line up we can see why LFC are willing to pay large amounts for young English talent.
Though I, like most LFC fans, still want Mata, we can not ignore the 6+5 rule and must abide by them. Learning and Knowing the 6+5 rule will help us understand a little more about our transfers. We have been linked to many players hopefully a few more come in. Its an exciting time and we as fans must support the club even if we are not satisfied with the player the club has brought in. This will give us a better understanding to why english players are costing a lot and why our transfer policies are what they are. Every fans want the sexy acquisition that will make us jump for joy but being most of those are outside british we will have to make due and watch how our teams molds together in the upcoming years. Because, in the end, that is all we can do.


P.s. Please feel free to write your comments ans share your thoughts. I will respond to comments so check back to see if i responded to yours. Check out my other blogs and remember to leave feedback. Thank You!

We're not unhappy at going British - the majority of fans I speak to are aware of the need to go down that route - just at the inflated prices that we have to pay.

 

[Ride The Walrus]

Reds seal Downing deal - Liverpool FC

Stewart Downing has today completed his transfer from Aston Villa to Liverpool.

The winger, who has 27 England caps, put his signature on a long-term deal after passing a medical.

Downing is the club's fourth major signing of the summer following Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Alexander Doni.

---------- Post added at 10:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 PM ----------

Stewart Downing today spoke of his elation at completing his transfer to Liverpool and insisted the Reds were the only club he was interested in joining this summer.

The England international put pen to paper on a long-term deal with the club on Friday to tie up his switch from Aston Villa.

Now Downing can't wait to get his Liverpool career up and running and has set his sights on helping bring silverware back to Anfield.

"It's a great feeling and I'm very happy to be here," the 26-year-old told Liverpoolfc.tv. "It's been a long time coming and I've had to wait a few weeks, but I'm really pleased to be here.

"With the tradition, the manager and the players they have here, there was a big temptation to come here and once I knew of their interest, there was only one place I wanted to go."

He added: "It will be a great feeling to run out at Anfield. It's always nice to come and play here. The atmosphere is always great and the fans are brilliant.

"When I wanted to come to Liverpool, it was the first thing I thought of - playing at Anfield in front of those great fans. I'm really looking forward to it."

Downing became Liverpool's fourth major signing of a busy summer so far, following in the footsteps of Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Alexander Doni.

And the winger is determined to repay Kenny Dalglish's faith in bringing him to Merseyside.

On his aims for his Reds career, Downing said: "It would be nice to win something. I'm sure that's the same objective for everyone, not just me personally.

"My aim is to be in the team, to play well and give something back because the manager has pushed the boat out to get me here, so hopefully I can give him something back."

Downing's acquisition significantly bolsters the options at Dalglish's disposal for 2011-12, with the new signing capable of operating comfortably on either flank.

He admits, however, that he'll be happy to fill in wherever the gaffer sees fit.

Downing said: "It depends on where the manager sees me playing. Last season at Aston Villa I played on the right, I can play on the left.

"Getting a few goals and a few assists for the lads up front, that's what I'm hoping for."

 

[chris22]

Director of Football Damien Comolli explains to Liverpoolfc.tv why he believes Stewart Downing will prove to be a fantastic asset to Kenny Dalglish's squad and also discusses the prospect of further transfer dealings this summer.

Damien, it's been rumoured for a long time but the Stewart Downing deal is done. How pleased are you?

I am very pleased. It has been a long process and long negotiations, but we have reached an agreement with Aston Villa and the player has signed for us. We are delighted. It's difficult to say he was our No.1 target because all of our targets are our No.1 target. We did not prioritise on who we wanted to sign first, but we needed that pace and wide player that can bring us something extra, which we did not have in the squad. He has the right mentality, the right attitude and was absolutely committed to coming to us, so we are delighted.

On that commitment to come here, he's an established England player, so to come to a club not in Europe, for this season at least, says a lot about his mentality and the attraction of this football club, doesn't it?

It does. To be honest, none of the players we have approached, whether it has been Jordan Henderson, Charlie (Adam) or Alexander Doni, have said 'I'm not sure because you're not in Europe.' It seems that players think that if we're not in Europe it is just an anomaly in a way, and they know we can be very competitive and what we've done in the last six months since Kenny has been in charge. The team has been competitive and we can only get better. I know there was interest from other clubs but he wanted to play for Kenny and Liverpool. He thought it was the right type of team, the right type of football and the right football club for him. We are absolutely delighted - he is a big, big signing for us.

Liverpool fans like exciting players and they have had many down the years. Stewart has that ability to get down the touchline and get good crosses into the box, doesn't he?

That's exactly what we needed. When we have Andy up front, he can put those balls in, but also he's got more than that. He is more than a winger, he can do a lot of things. He can link up with Luis Suarez by coming in, he can play on the right and on the left. We look thoroughly into data and statistics before signing players and we really think we are bringing a big, big asset into our team. Maybe his talent is a little bit undervalued in English football, but we know what we are getting - and we are getting a very, very good, efficient footballer.

In terms of his ability, he is a player who will really excite the fans...

He will because he has pace, tricks, a great left foot, he can score, make assists and create a lot of things. He text me last night and said, 'Thank you very much for doing all of this and pursuing it until the end.' I said, 'It's no problem - just pay us back by scoring many goals and giving many assists!'

So with Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Alexander Doni and Stewart Downing signed up, this is turning into a really productive summer for Liverpool, isn't it?

Yes. What we are very pleased about is that we are still early in July. We've played only one game pre-season, and we've got a lot of players in. That will allow Steve (Clarke), Kevin (Keen) and Kenny to work well with the players straight away and not have to wait until the end of August, like sometimes you have to do. It's good for team building and it's good for the tactical work they have to do. Also, the players are from the Premier League, so we know they will settle in quickly at the club. Jordan is coming back on Monday and he can't wait.


Is there still work to be done, though?

It's difficult to say. I'm sure there will be players going out because some players would like to play more and have more minutes. We will probably have a few loans as well, players who we would like them to develop, into the Championship or the leagues abroad. In terms of players coming in, it's difficult to say. I think we are going to sit down, look at the situation, see where we are, see who might leave and then we will reassess later. But we have done most of what we wanted to do.

Downing, Adam and Henderson are three big signings - that's great commitment from the ownership, isn't it?

They have been absolutely fantastic. Kenny has said it previously, and they have been very, very helpful on the Stewart Downing deal. They gave us absolute full support. It's not only financial - obviously they made a fantastic financial commitment - but they're also very, very supportive asking if they can help. We have also taken advice from them asking what they think about a deal or what they think we should do. They are very open, they try to help us as much as they can and, again, I won't go into details, but on the Stewart Downing deal they were a great help.

 

[Mike.]

That's exactly what we needed. When we have Andy up front, he can put those balls in, but also he's got more than that. He is more than a winger, he can do a lot of things. He can link up with Luis Suarez by coming in, he can play on the right and on the left. We look thoroughly into data and statistics before signing players and we really think we are bringing a big, big asset into our team. Maybe his talent is a little bit undervalued in English football, but we know what we are getting - and we are getting a very, very good, efficient footballer.

been saying this for ages, yet people still lay into downing. Very few wingers in europe with his success rate at crossing and direct passes

 

[pokiuki123]

I'm looking forward to next season now Downing on the Left, Carroll and Suarez upfront with suarez drifting out to the right and hopefully Glen Johnson as right winger

 

[Dobcheev]

Reading between the lines I think he's saying that no one else will be coming in until the unwanted players are shown the door; getting rid of Cole & Poulsen will be a ******.

---------- Post added at 11:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:02 PM ----------

I'm looking forward to next season now Downing on the Left, Carroll and Suarez upfront with suarez drifting out to the right and hopefully Glen Johnson as right winger

No chance - Johnson won't want to play out of position as this will threaten his England prospects at FB.

 

[Lee]

Reading between the lines I think he's saying that no one else will be coming in until the unwanted players are shown the door; getting rid of Cole & Poulsen will be a ******.

If we can get rid of Konchesky then surely anything is possible.

 

[*Jones*]

Glen Johnson won't play as a right winger - so you may as well get that idea out of your head.

Happy that the Downing deal has been done quickly [LOL at Sky Sports who haven't a clue it's been confirmed] and now for Mata (YN)

 

[Calum]

Glen Johnson won't play as a right winger - so you may as well get that idea out of your head.

Happy that the Downing deal has been done quickly [LOL at Sky Sports who haven't a clue it's been confirmed] and now for Mata (YN)

no chance of you getting mata imo you have no European football

 

[alicwkd]

Never rated Downing although must admit I wasn't aware of those stats, they are impressive. Compared to other players the fee may seem a bit high but for an English player it's to be expected. So in that respect the fee is about right tbh.