The American Gerrard- Transfer News and Rumors
“The name’s Gerrard, Jordan Gerrard,” also known as “The American Gerrard!” You know about the “Welsh Pirlo”, you’ve seen the “Egyptian Messi”, but you never knew about the American Gerrard! When the American Scouser needed a transfer expert I was there to smash it in from long range with an absolute belter. What a hit son, what a hit!
Our beloved Liverpool finally signed a player this week. It wasn’t the blockbuster Sancho or Mbappe we hoped for, but this transfer will fill a void that has been vacant since the departure of the infamous Alberto Moreno (though I would not quite describe those as big shoes to fill).
All jokes aside, our new lad has the potential to be a diamond in the rough under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool still have a few others areas needing a bit of reinforcement and it is only natural the English Champions are linked with a number of new faces.
Tsimikas Signed
Earlier this week Liverpool finally announced the signing of Greek leftback Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiacos for a fee believed to be in the region of $15 million. Tsimikas signed a five-year contract after arriving for his medical on Monday and expressed his delight to be signing for the Anfield outfit describing Liverpool as “the biggest club in the world.”
Tsimikas will fill a much-needed gap playing understudy to Andy Robertson. Jurgen Klopp revealed his staff had been keeping close eye on Tsimikas’ progression for many years, and as such were delighted to have signed a very good footballer with an attitude to win.
Left Backs Left Out
After signing Tsimikas as backup left back, Liverpool are set to send youngster Adam Lewis on loan to Ligue 2 side Amiens SC. Amiens were relegated only recently and are determined to fight their way back up to Ligue 1, presenting Lewis with an excellent opportunity to prove himself and earn first team action.
Newly-promoted English side Leeds United were believed to be front runners to sign Liverpool’s other young left back, Yasser Larouci. Numerous outlets are now reporting Leeds are put off by the price being demanded by Liverpool, believed to be $2.6 million pounds. If Leeds were really interested in Larouci and thought he had enough potential to play in their squad, $2.6 million does not sound like a high asking price to me.
Brentford F.C are also believed to be sniffing around Larouci. Brentford are known to use the same moneyball-inspired transfer strategy used by Liverpool’s staff, so it is intriguing they would show interest in Larouci as well.
Sarr Not Far?
Ismalia Sarr was caught flirting with Liverpool this week. He described Liverpool to Senegalese publication Sans Limite:
“Liverpool are a really great team, everyone would love to play there.”
I have already discussed why it would be difficult for Liverpool to negotiate with Watford. It is believed Watford value him at $52 million, which is not far off from what I had estimated previously in this column.
Although Sarr was very complimentary to the Reds, he was also quick to mention that he would not be burning any bridges or attempting to force any moves, and was happy to stay and help Watford in their fight for promotion back to the Premier League.
Though even if Liverpool were able to negotiate with Watford’s stubborn owners, Sarr’s price tag may be ultimately what puts him out of Liverpool’s grasp.
I believe Xherdan Shaqiri’s inclusion in the photos for Liverpool’s recent Nike kit launch is an indication of the club’s intentions to give Shaq another shot in the upcoming season. With Shaqiri staying and Liverpool potentially not getting the right offers for Harry Wilson, they may not pursue any attacking reinforcements this summer.
Coutinho Cash In
One fun rumor that emerged this week is that that if Bayern Munich won the Champions League, Liverpool would gain an additional $6.5 million as part of a bonus agreed in the Phil Coutinho Barcelona deal. The rumor referenced an add-on clause included in the original transfer that did not specify Coutinho needing to play for Barcelona to achieve performance-related goals.
Unfortunately, the Liverpool Echo are reporting this story is not accurate. Liverpool have already received the majority of the add-ons included in the deal. As of today, Liverpool can only make an additional $6.5 million based on appearance milestones for Barcelona – and Barcelona only!
To make matters worse, the clause forcing Barcelona to pay an additional $130 million on top of any agreed fee for a Liverpool player will expire at the end of 2020. With many of Barcelona’s top players past their prime and heading down hill, Barca will be looking for new signings and may look to raid the Reds’ roster once the premium clause has expired.
Pre Season Problems
This weekend Liverpool were expected to head to France for their usual pre season training camp. Unfortunately the Reds were forced to shift to plan B when France joined the list of Quarantine Countries.
On Thursday The UK Government announced anyone traveling to France from Saturday onward would be forced to self isolate for 14 upon return to England. If Klopp and the lads continued on with their pre season plans they would be required to self isolate and forced to miss the Community Shield.
Luckily Klopp and his staff had a back up plan and were able to change location to Saalfelden, Austria last minute to avoid covid complications.
The squad is joined by returning Liverpool loan players Rhian Brewster, Nat Phillips, Marko Grujic, and Loris Karius. Harry Wilson and Ben Woodward, two players linked with moves away both on loan and for sale, were not present on the trip adding speculation to their futures.
One new face that will be training with the squad is 17 year old Billy Koumetio. The French Center back had an impressive physique already towering at 6’3 and out muscling the likes of Joel Matip. With no center back signed to replace Dejan Lovren, Klopp may be looking in house to the academy to find a back up defender.
The Liverpool Echo reports the training camp in Austria will not be as intense as typical summer camps held by Klopp. The Lads are believed to have kept up custom individual training sessions during their breaks allowing them to maintain fitness and remain ready for the season ahead.
I’m Jordan Gerrard and as always, I thank you for reading.