Here is your Liverpool morning digest for Sunday, January 9.
Liverpool set to meet man they made £1m bid for
Liverpool fans’ faces will inevitably scrunch up when you remind them of certain transfer windows, writes Theo Squires.
Brendan Rodgers’ spending spree in the summer of 2014 as the Reds failed to replace Luis Suarez ultimately cost him his job the following year, while Rafa Benitez suffered a similar fate in 2009 following Xabi Alonso’s departure.
Gerard Houllier and Roy Hodgson oversaw infamous summers in 2002 and 2010 respectively, when bringing in the likes of El Hadji Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou and Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen and Paul Konchesky.
For a while, Kenny Dalglish’s efforts in the summer of 2011 would have earned that window a similar fate, with only the fortunes of one particular signing ensuring such a narrative is not now as harsh.
Liverpool spent £59.7m that close-season as they brought in Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Sebtastian Coates, Charlie Adam and Jose Enrique, as well as Craig Bellamy and Doni on free transfers.
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But they weren’t the only players to catch the Reds’ eye, with the current Liverpool captain an early blueprint of the profile of player FSG were targeting at the time, with that focus on young, homegrown talent also saw them consider moves for the likes of Phil Jones and Connor Wickham as well as Ashley Young.
Yet it would emerge the following year that they also tried to sign Josh Vela from Bolton Wanderers, with then-manager Owen Coyle later confirming that the Whites had rejected a £1m bid for the 17-year-old.
The midfielder would ultimately stay at Bolton until 2019, representing the club in the Premier League, Championship and League One, as they suffered relegations and financial trouble, though he would help them return to the second tier as their top-scorer in 2016/17.
Now on the books of Shrewsbury Town, Vela is set to face Liverpool in the FA Cup third round at Anfield.
And speaking exclusively to the ECHO ahead of the match, he admitted he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t considered how differently his career could have turned out had Bolton accepted the Reds’ £1m bid.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Jamie Carragher makes Jude Bellingham to Liverpool claim
Jamie Carragher has given his opinions on Liverpool transfer rumours surrounding Jude Bellingham and Philippe Coutinho.
Carragher took some time on Saturday to invite fans on social media to ask him questions.
Topics ranged from his perfect fry-up to memories from his playing days at Anfield, but he also took the time to address two of the juiciest transfer stories around.
One of them involved former Red Coutinho, who Carragher played with for a brief period after the Brazilian was signed a few months before he retired.
Aston Villa confirmed on Friday that they had signed the attacking midfielder on loan from current employers Barcelona, with the option for a permanent deal in the summer.
That announcement put to bed the long-running rumours that Liverpool might consider bringing the Brazilian back to Anfield to bolster their options in that area of the pitch.
Of course, many fans have wasted little time in speculating whether the club might have made a mistake by not entertaining such a deal – but Carragher's thoughts on the situation are clear.
Asked by a fan if he thought Liverpool should have tried to bring Coutinho back to Anfield, the retired defender simply replied: "No!"
As he turned his attention to transfer rumours that are ongoing, however, Carragher named Jude Bellingham as someone he would like to see wearing the famous red shirt.
The Birmingham-born wonderkid has gone from strength to strength since moving to Borussia Dortmund, and is now being chased by Europe's elite.
Carragher believes the 18-year-old would be a perfect signing for Liverpool.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
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