Borini In. Maxi Out

It has been a big day today for Liverpool FC, Brendan Rodgers first foray into the transfer market has resulted in the signing of Fabio Borini from Roma. However Maxi Rodriguez has departed for Newell Old Boys despite Rodgers reportedly asking the Argentine winger to stay.

I want to start with the departure of Maxi. After 2 and a half years with Liverpool he has decided to leave and who can blame him really? He clearly wasn't part of Kenny Dalglish's first team plans and I think it's very unlikely that he would have been in Rodgers' starting eleven, I believe the reason that Rodgers wanted Maxi to stay was because he is a top quality squad player who doesn't make too much fuss about not playing every week. Steve Clarke even described him as "a complete professional". I personally am slightly split about his departure, while I never believed Rodriguez to be a player that could set the World alight I also never felt that it was going to be a bad day when I saw his name on the team sheet. I do think though that Maxi is a very erratic player and while he generally looked like he deserved to be at Liverpool there were a few games where I thought he would not have made it a league lower. What cannot be questioned is the effort and commitment that Maxi has shown to LFC and I think that everyone at the club wishes him all the best as he moves on with his career.

Now on to the other big story of the day, the signing of Fabio Borini. Depending on which stories you listen to Borini has cost LFC anything between £7m and the much more likely £12m. Now I know that I have not given the signing of Borini my full backing in the recent past but now that the 21 year old is at Liverpool I will give Borini a clean slate and a real chance to prove himself. I must say my first impression of Borini at Liverpool is a good one, having seen his interview in a car on the way to Melwood I would say that the Italian has real belief in the way that Brendan Rodgers likes to set up his team and he really enjoys playing that way too. He is the kind of player who will create space and this could free up Luis Suarez to start banging in the goals. I would say though that this signing probably signals the end of Andy Carroll at LFC, Rodgers tends to play with one out and out striker and Carroll is unlikely to get a look in with the new man about. I really hope that Andy Carroll does stay, he has just started to hit his form and letting him go now will surely result in a big monetary loss. Anyway whatever my opinion on Borini signing I can at least relax tonight with a couple of cans of lager and know that Liverpool are moving forward before the new season.

What To Expect As Shelvey Signs New Contract

Jonjo Shelvey has today committed his future to Liverpool FC by signing a long term contract with the club. The 20 year old had a good season in 2011-12, a very successful spell on loan at Blackpool was cut short when injury meant that Liverpool had to recall him. He went on to score his first goal for Liverpool in a cup tie against Oldham Athletic and his first Premier League goal in a 4-1 victory over Chelsea. His Premier League goal was a real cracker as well, a beautifully struck half volley from long range.

I personally am very happy that Shelvey will be staying at LFC. He seems to have a lot of potential, he is a good physical player that can get box-to-box and a good technical player who can pick out a pass to cut through any defence. One brilliant example of his passing ability is the pass that he played through for Luis Suarez to score against Fulham in the 5-2 victory during the 2010-11 season, that moment of excellence gave Suarez the goal that his play deserved and although Shelvey was not one of the players most people remember from that match, for me, he was the unsung hero of the night.

Shelvey is a central midfielder whose attacking capabilities have seen him likened to Steven Gerrard and I think that with Roy Hodgson in charge of the England national team and the apparent focus on youth that he has imposed, a full international call up isn't that far away so long as Brendan Rodgers gives Shelvey chances in the first team.

I really want to see Shelvey stay with Liverpool this season instead of going out on loan. I think he has enough quality to challenge for a place now and I also think he has the potential to become a key player in the years to come. I believe that Shelvey may not end up as a central midfielder, I think he could become more of a second striker as he is creative and has good shooting attributes, another possibility is a move out to the wing as he seems to have a trick or two to take on full backs. I see a bright future for Jonjo and hope he is with the club for many successful seasons to come.

Ramirez Rumour, Borini Buzz

While other Premier League clubs have been quite active in the transfer market this summer Liverpool and new boss Brendan Rodgers are yet to make their first move of the window. That could be about to change though as rumours have been growing that both Gaston Ramirez (Bologna) and Fabio Borini (Roma) are close to signing for the reds. Ramirez is a tricky winger/midfielder who has been catching the eye in Serie A and the 21 year old will feature for Uruguay alongside Luis Suarez and Sebastian Coates in the Olympics. Borini is more of an out and out forward, even though he does not have the typical build of a number 9 Borini does seem to have a knack for finding himself in the right place at the right time.

Signing Ramirez would seem to make a lot of sense, Liverpool are in need of more strength out wide especially after the departure of Dirk Kuyt and the Uruguayan would have help settling in from his Uruguayan team mates. Another benefit to signing Ramirez would be the versatility that he would bring to the squad, I believe that Ramirez is the type of player that could play several positions comfortably and could therefore fill in if there are any injuries in the squad or other issues such as bans. Ramirez also offers quite a lot of flair and therefore the possibility of doing something extraordinary, this makes him a potential match winner and at the age of 21 I believe that Ramirez would be an excellent addition to Liverpool FC. One issue however may be price and I believe that it is essential that the signing is completed before Ramirez appears at the Olympics as good performances may lead to greater demand and a higher asking price.

Personally I am not too sure about Fabio Borini, a striker who only has 16 senior club goals does not strike me as particularly impressive and part of me thinks that Rodgers is only interested because he has worked with Borini before and not because he is the best player for the job. Another issue that I would have with the signing is where Borini would play, the 4-3-3/3-4-3 formation that Rodgers likes to play only leaves room for one out and out striker and with Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez already in the squad I believe that the signing would either be unnecessary or signal the end of Andy Carroll's Anfield career. On the other hand Borini is only 21, he has an international cap for Italy and he has been playing fairly regularly for one of the biggest clubs in Europe and therefore he must have a certain amount of quality. Borini is also well drilled in the system that Rodgers employs and could therefore be a key man to help the squad adapt to a new playing style.

I believe that signings in the very near future are vital for Liverpool FC, whether it is these players or not Rodgers must bring in players soon in order to allow Liverpool to build in the pre-season and be ready to start the Premier League campaign at their very best. I do worry that bringing in such young players could be an issue for next season as they will probably need a season to settle and I just hope that FSG have more patience with Rodgers than they had with Dalglish.

It's $igurdsson's Loss

With the completion of the signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson by Tottenham came rumours that the reason that the deal with Liverpool fell through was because Sigurdsson's financial demands were too high. For purely footballing reasons it would seem more sensible to join Liverpool than Tottenham, Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the World, have a manager that Gylfi knew well and look to have a long term plan to bring success to the club. Tottenham on the other hand only appointed a new manager a few days ago and the transfer dealings between Gylfi and Spurs seemed to begin well before André Villas Boas took over.

These rumours about Gylfi's financial demands have been confirmed in an interview by Brendan Rodgers. Rodgers stated that Sigurdsson wanted more than the deal that he had already agreed with Swansea. Rodgers refused to pay any more and I say good on him, I know footballers are all on ridiculous amounts of money but frankly a reasonable wage and the pride of playing for the club should be enough. If Sigurdsson was willing to accept an amount of money to play for Swansea the lure of the same amount of money at a bigger club should have been enough.

Personally I say it's Sigurdsson's loss not Liverpool's. Yes the Icelandic midfielder looks to be an exciting prospect but there's always another option and quite frankly there's got to be a reason that Hoffenheim don't want him. I believe that playing under Brendan Rodgers would have guaranteed Sigurdsson a certain amount of success as Rodgers is a manager who knows how he plays and how to get the best out of him. Signing for Spurs is a big gamble.

Anyway Liverpool must move forward with trying to get their other transfer targets. Brendan Rodgers seems to me to be the type of man who would have a plan for every scenario and therefore I assume that backup targets will already be in place and talks will begin for these players in the coming weeks. Hopefully any other targets for Liverpool are players who would be proud to pull on the shirt.

Brendan's First Training Session

Brendan Rodgers led his first training session yesterday and even though the importance of this training session may be lessened by the fact that many of the team's star players such as Gerrard and Suarez are still away after or on international duty it is still important to get the players that did attend to understand the long term vision of the club. It was particularly pleasing to see Lucas Leiva back in training, the reds missed him sorely last season and with the Brazilian anchoring the midfield I believe that Liverpool will be a much stronger side.

It was also great to see Dani Pacheco back and training with the reds. After a disappointing season on loan in Spain El Asesino (the assassin) could be looking to rekindle his career with a manager who has vowed to bring in "Spanish flair". Pacheco seems to me to be the kind of player that is versatile enough to move into a wider position on the wings or possibly even drop back into the midfield and this versatility may make him a good option to have on the bench next season. The new system that Rodgers looks likely to employ may also lead to greater opportunities for another player at yesterday's training session, Raheem Sterling. The tricky winger has found first team opportunities hard to come by and there was even talk of a move to Tottenham but with a new manager who makes greater use of the wings Sterling could find himself playing a much bigger role in the coming season.

A question does remain however as to how many of the players will remain with Liverpool. Players like Martin Skrtel have been linked with a move away from Merseyside and Maxi Rodriguez has openly said goodbye to the fans and yet a move does not appear to be imminent. While I don't personally like to have a go at any individual player, one that I would not be to saddened to see leave the club is Jay Spearing. Unless the battling midfielder can dramatically improve his game I just don't believe he is good enough to represent Liverpool FC and I think he is more likely to get sent off than play a solid 10 yard pass. Sorry Jay, I hope you prove me wrong.

With the first friendlies of the Season and a tour of America fast approaching these early training sessions are a great opportunity for players to get in the new manager's good books and prove that they are worthy of being at one of the Worlds biggest clubs.

Possible Starting Eleven

Brendan Rodgers explained the formation that he prefers to use when his team are in position and from the I have drawn up a possible starting eleven for next season.

Reina/Lloris - Rodgers likes to use the goalkeeper as an outlet for any under pressure defenders, the keeper therefore becomes a sweeper keeper and must be good with his feet as well as being great between the sticks. In Pepe Reina Rodgers would have a keeper who is very skilled with the ball at his feet and can set up attacks from behind the defensive line. However I have added the possibility of Hugo Lloris being Liverpool's keeper next season as I believe that if Rodgers got a good enough offer he would not be against selling the Spaniard. Reina is almost thirty and his performances last season were not up to his usual brilliant standards. Lloris is widely considered to be among the best keepers in the World and with Lyon apparently open to offers Brendan Rodgers could be tempted by the Frenchman.

Agger - A brilliant defender who is competent with the ball at his feet and can be a real attacking threat both with his aerial presence and his distance shooting. I can see no reason that Rodgers would be looking to offload Agger this summer.

Skrtel/Howedes - The performances of Martin Skrtel last season were among the best that have ever been seen of him in a Liverpool shirt. However an ageing Jamie Carragher has created a need to bolster defensive options and I believe it is unlikely that Liverpool would be able to attract a player of the right quality unless there is a promise of some first team football. Also there have been rumours of bids for Skrtel from teams such as Manchester City, every man has his price and if Man City have enough desire to sign Skrtel they surely have the buying power to match that price. Howedes has proved his quality in the Bundesliga and at the age of 24 has not yet reached his defensive peak.

Enriqué - José Enriqué was arguably the best signing made by King Kenny last summer. Although performances in the latter stages of the season may have looked more shakey than in matches earlier on I believe that the attacking flair and defensive strength of Enriqué will appeal to Brendan Rodgers. Enriqué is also more likely to understand the system that Rodgers employs given his football education in Spain.

Johnson - Despite looking slightly defensively incompetent at times I believe that the attacking capabilities of Johnson will be enough ensure him a place in the Liverpool starting eleven next season. A good showing at the Euro 2012 tournament will not have done his chances any harm either.

Lucas - Lucas Leiva is a player that just a few seasons ago many people deemed not good enough for Liverpool. However by the start of last season Lucas had become a key player and his injury that kept him out for the second half of the season in my opinion was the biggest blow to Liverpool's chances of success. The Brazilian has become a vital part of the squad and his defensive capabilities will almost certainly make him the first name on the team sheet when he achieves full fitness again.

Adam/Aquilani - Charlie Adam was not the biggest hit at Anfield in his first season but the style of play that Adam has may appeal to Rodgers as I believe it to be similar to the style that Gylfi Sigurdsson has, a playmaker who is not afraid to shoot from range and is pretty useful from set pieces. If Rodgers can get Adam to stop attempting 50 yard passes every time he gets the ball then I think he could be a real success. Another option is Alberto Aquilani, the technically gifted Italian has the potential to really open up teams in the Premier League. The only issue is whether Aquilani can stay fit.

Gerrard - Captain Fantastic is an absolute no brainer. Brilliant at the Euros, a Liverpool legend and one of the most gifted players of his generation. If Gerrard is fit he will surely be used regularly by Brendan Rodgers.

Downing/Ramirez - No Premier League assists and no Premier League goals make Downing's position in the squad a tenuous one. He really has not hit his top form for Liverpool yet and it is questionable how many more chances he will get to prove himself. Ramirez on the other hand looks to be an exciting prospect with dribbling ability and flair in abundance, the attacking threat that Ramirez provides could spell the end of Downing's Liverpool career.

Suarez/Afellay - Nominated for the Ballon d'or it is clear that Suarez is one of the best players in the World and Brendan Rodgers would surely be keen to hold on to him. In the formation the Rodgers uses I can see Suarez being moved out wide to accommodate the inclusion of Andy Carroll in the squad, this position would still allow Suarez to run at defenders and be a real nuisance even if it would limit his goalscoring opportunities. Afellay is another option, his career at Barcelona has not really got going and while that is partly due to injury he may be looking for a change of scenery and available at a bargain price. During Afellay's time in the Dutch league he and Suarez were considered to be among the very best players in the league and if Afellay is even half the player that Suarez is he would be a superb buy.

Suarez/Carroll - Suarez is an amazing player and his inclusion in the squad (should he stay) is almost certain. However the performances of Andy Carroll towards the end of last season and during the Euros have shown off the talent that goes with a £35million price tag and Rodgers is likely to want to use his qualities in the squad therefore pushing Suarez out into a wider position. There have been rumours that Andy Carroll will leave the club and this could pave the way for Suarez to have the strikers position virtually unchallenged.

Liverpool 3rd Kit

The new Liverpool FC 3rd kit (or Euro kit depending on what you read) has been released and from what I gather from Twitter it has been met with mixed opinions. Many people seem to really like the new kit however almost as many seem to find it completely ridiculous. Use of words such as "grotesque" and "ugly" have been used to describe it. For anyone who hasn't seen it, here it is:

Personally I feel that the kit is modern and looks pretty stylish, then again it is true that I am not exactly a fashion expert. For all the people who don't like it I'd say that at least this release ends speculation and frankly shocking mockups of what the kit could have been.

If the kit did end up looking like the early mockup shown above I would have agreed with all the people saying that it is horrible but as it is, I know I'm absolutely skint but the second that I get some cash I'll be online ordering my replica kit.

Spurs Sign Sigurdsson, Ramirez Hope Remains

The news officially came through yesterday that Gylfi Sigurdsson had chosen to sign for Tottenham over Liverpool. It seems that the lure of working with Brendan Rodgers again was not enough to convince Sigurdsson to move to Merseyside.

Now I know that Sigurdsson and his father have stated that it has never been about the money for Gylfi but personally I can't see another significant reason for a choice of Spurs over LFC, they're in the same European competition, he would surely get playing time at both clubs and Liverpool look set to build and challenge for the top four in the next couple of seasons as do Tottenham under André Villas-Boas. Gylfi claimed that a chat with AVB was enough to convince him to sign for Spurs and yet it was reported he was having a medical over a week ago, before the appointment. Anyway surely a short chat with a new manager is worth less than working under a man who you have already had success with, that is unless that short chat involved the words "lots of cash".

Liverpool FC has always been bigger than any individual, especially one that has never played for the club and therefore the club must look to move on and sign other transfer targets. Top teams such as Man Utd and Chelsea have already made some of their moves in the transfer window with signings such as Shinji Kagawa and Eden Hazard and I believe that it is key for Liverpool to try and move as early as possible to get their targets.

This need to act quickly could be particularly important if Liverpool do attempt to sign Bologna midfielder/winger Gaston Ramirez, this is because Ramirez has been selected to play in the Uruguay Olympic squad. Football may not be one of the bigger events in the Olympics but it has been proven in the past that if a player does well in any kind of tournament demand for him goes up and so does the price tag. Therefore it is vital that Liverpool push the deal through early in order to get the best possible price for the 21 year old.

Personally having only seen a couple of videos of his best bits I'm not that well informed on the quality of Ramirez, everything I have seen has been positive but they are his highlights and they are, in my opinion, at a lower level of football than the Premier League. Ramirez or not I do strongly believe that Liverpool need to get a shift on in the transfer market. Part of this is because the squad needs to blend and part is because I'm getting bored with all the stories about kits and tours on the website.