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 AmericanScouser.com 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!
First, a Word…
Usually I write a little something about what is going on in the “Republic of Liverpool” during the week. Typically it is a lighthearted look at the club we love. However, this week I felt compelled to mention something that bothered me.
This week we played Lincoln City in the cup, and got a promising glimpse at the players pounding on the first eleven’s door. We thrashed them, and the match ended 7-2.
After the match, Liverpool backup right back Neco Williams received so much abuse on social media he decided to black out his official Twitter account. Apparently 7-2 isn’t good enough for some Liverpool fans and a small fraction went out of their way to tease and torment Neco over mistakes made during the match. I had to re-watch clips to even know what they were talking about personally. I was too focused on some great goals and Xherdan Shaqiri playing midfield. Are we “Gleaming the Cube?”
In all seriousness, I just want to say the fans that harassed Neco are a disgrace. They’ve obviously forgotten the words to (Ed. – and meaning of) You’ll Never Walk Alone.
For me, being a supporter of this great club is like being part of a very loyal mafia family. You specifically look out for other members of the family as if they were blood. We are all loyal to the Kloppfather and anyone who wrongs the family sleeps with the fishes.
I understand that fans are passionate, and a player’s poor performance can be disappointing. I will admit – I am guilty of occasionally throwing up a snake emoji in the comments of Raheem Sterling and Phil Coutinho’s Instagram posts. But this crap was over the line. It was a early-round cup match, and we won 7-2. How does a 7-2 win turn into harassing your own players? Calm down and get a grip lads!
Everyone is entitled to their opinion on a player’s performance during a match, but keep the criticism constructive and do not aim to personally hurt our own boys. Neco is young and can only improve. Klopp sees this guy on a day to day basis – he knows what Neco is capable of better then any of us fans.
In the end, I was happy to see the majority of Liverpool fans were quick to condemn the social media muppets. Let’s stand behind our team and keep the walking alone to a minimum.
Window Winding Down
It feels like last week’s transfer news really turned out to be a tough act to follow. This week there’s been a few rumblings and rumors, but nothing like last week, where we finally signed summer-long target Thiago and surprise signing Diogo Jota in the space of two days.
It is looking like the transfer window will close with Liverpool not making any further signings, but I am still down to tell you about some of the crap floating around the social media sewer.
Are Liverpool targeting an American player to add to their stacked midfield? Have Watford lowered their price for Sarr? Has Harry Wilson found a home? The answers to these questions and a bit more in this week’s article of The American Gerrard.
Sorry No Sarr
According to reports in France, Liverpool have agreed a deal with Watford to sign Senegalese winger Ismaila Sarr after finally convincing Watford to lower their asking price to $40 million. France Football claims Watford have accepted Liverpool’s latest offer and the team is already in negotiations over personal terms with the player’s representative.
I see a lot of fans sharing these stories saying we are signing Sarr right after we signed Jota… please don’t believe these rumors. We are not signing Sarr. Liverpool were supposedly interested in signing Sarr two weeks ago, but when Watford refused to lower their demands and negotiate a payment plan Liverpool moved onto signing Diogo Jota instead. And we all know how that ended.
Sarr definitely has some pace, but I personally think Jota a better signing, especially considering the stories that Watford wanted more for Sarr then Wolves ultimately accepted for Jota. Jota has scored more goals in the last three seasons and looks a bit further in his development as a player then Sarr at about the same age, leading me to believe that Jota would have an easier time breaking into the first team.
My most reliable sources are saying Liverpool will not sign anymore players this transfer window. There would have to be a significant increase in players being offloaded for Klopp to consider making any more moves. We still have a wealth of backup attacking choices like Minamino, Shaqiri, Origi, Harvey Elliot, even Ox occasionally deputizes on the wing. Where would Sarr fit in that pecking order?
Based on the most recent reports Manchester United are believed to be interested in Sarr. Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa remain keen on the player as well. With a number of suitors, Watford are likely to play hardball when selling off their prized asset.
Denied by Dembele
Fabrizio Romano claims Liverpool originally contacted Barcelona over a loan move for Ousmane Dembele before signing Diogo Jota from Wolves. According to reports, Dembele supposedly turned down a move to Anfield, making it known his intentions to stay at Barcelona in order to prove himself to new manager Ronald Koeman.
As I have stated before, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is a known admirer of Dembele. However, I just do not see Liverpool making a move for Dembele due to his recent injury record (yes, I realize that I used that same excuse to rule out Thiago, and we ended up signing him anyway).
To be fair to Dembele, he has not played poorly for Barcelona. His problem is that he cannot seem to stay off the injury table. He is still a young player, and has a chance at living up to expectations and becoming a world-class player for Barcelona… if he can stay fit. If the rumors are true and Dembele actually did turn us down, I do not consider it as a snub on Liverpool as much as his refusing to give up on his dreams of playing in La Liga.
A Home for Harry
This summer Liverpool made it clear they would not be accepting any loan bids for Harry Wilson. Jurgen Klopp believes the best thing for Wilson’s future would be finding a team where he can settle down and play regular first team football. Leeds United were believed to be front runners to sign Harry Wilson, however strong recent performances from their current first team players may have stalled Leeds’ desire for attacking reinforcements.
The Liverpool Echo is now reporting Burnley will attempt to sign Wilson for $19 million. Liverpool are believed to be holding out for $25 million, yet Burnley suppose they hold the upper hand in negotiations, having seen Newcastle and Southampton pull out of the race for the Wales international.
Harry Wilson has been at the club since the age of nine, but never seemed able to impress Jurgen Klopp, and has spent the last few seasons out on loan. I will always remember his goal against Manchester United for Derby. His decision to celebrate the goal doing Fernando Torres’ famous “Five Times” celebration will live on in my heart. I really like Harry, but his chances would be rather limited with the current squad at Liverpool. He deserves a permanent home where he can grow into the player he is meant to be. Sometimes when you truly love someone, the best thing to do is let them go… although I would hope this one will include a buy-back clause.
Motherwell to Melwood
Liverpool are currently going head-to-head with Leeds United and Brighton to sign Motherwell wonderkid Sam Campbell. Sam Campbell is a 16-year-old center back currently playing for Motherwell in the Scottish League. Although Campbell has yet to feature for the first team, he has been a regular inclusion in the U18s since the age of 14. This has put him on the watchlist for many teams across Europe. Now, Campbell has turned down a three-year contract extension with Motherwell, allowing him to begin talks with new clubs.
According to Football Insider, Motherwell have apparently conceded their chances of keeping Campbell are slim and have accepted offers from both Liverpool and Leeds. The player’s decision may come down to who can promise Campbell better development and future first team chances, with the youth player planning trips to tour both Melwood and Leeds training grounds. It will be up to Jurgen Klopp and his trusted staff to convince Campbell his future rests with the LFC U18 side, and to join several other promising summer acquisitions in the youth system.
The American Dream
German publication Bild are reporting that Jurgen Klopp is an admirer of Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder (and American citizen) Giovanni Reyna. The report states Klopp has instructed scouts to keep close watch on the player in hopes to make a move to sign Reyna next summer. Reyna is currently only 17 years old, but that didn’t stop him from making 15 appearances in the Bundesliga last season.
Gio Reyna is the son of retired USMNT captain Claudio Reyna, aka “Captain America.” Bundesliga.com have compared Reyna’s playing style to Brazil legend Kaka. According to Bild, Gio’s nickname within the Dortmund locker room is “The American Dream.”
Reyna first joined his local academy with New York F.C. where manager Patrick Vieira likened him to David Trezeguet. In 2019 he was acquired on a free trasnfer by Borussia Dortmund’s youth system, and promoted to the first team within half a season. Upon his debut for Dortmund’s senior squad, he broke Christian Pulisic’s record as the youngest American to play in the Bundesliga. Less then a month later, he scored his first professional goal in a DFB Pokal match against Werder Bremen, becoming the youngest goalscorer in German cup history. Two weeks later he become the third-youngest player to appear in a knockout round in the Champions League, when he came on and provided a match-winning assist against PSG.
Interesting enough, Reyna’s contract should expire at the end of this season, however it is believed that he will sign a new contract after his 18th bithday in November. What if Klopp’s rumored interest is in indication of an even bigger plot behind the scenes? Could Liverpool convince Reyna to turn down the contract in favor of a move to Anfield at the end of the season? Could Michael Edwards be plotting to turn Dortmund’s American Dream into an English nightmare by luring him away on a free?
As much as I like stirring up this rumor pot, I do not believe this will actually happen. Perhaps Reyna is a long-term target for Klopp, but right now Dortmund is probably the perfect place for his development. As I mentioned above, we do not need anymore midfielders right now, especially if we fail to offload players like Marco Grujic.
The Summer is Over
This season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of Football throughout Europe, the summer transfer window closes on Monday, 5 October. The only realistic activity I see happening in the remainder of this window would be players leaving Liverpool. I think some teams are holding out to see if Liverpool will get desperate to sell, and therefore lower their asking prices.
Some teams are holding back from spending out of fear of future financial issues arising from another pandemic outbreak. I believe this year may be a bit more hectic, and teams will decide to panic buy last minute. Injuries are already beginning to spring up, and managers will need larger rosters to handle the pressure of a congested football season.
I’m Jordan Gerrard, and as always, I thank you for reading.