Topic: Reds agree Downing fee

[Ikki.Fenikkusu]

We don't actually know the fee yet. We don't know how he will play with the team, exactly what role he'll play. Might be a tad early to come to any conclusion at all.

We do know that he handed in a written transfer request. Personally, I like the fact that he's another player (like Adam) who wanted to come to play for LFC.

Well, I did state "if it is the quoted 20m", but I'd still say 15m was the most we should have offered.

I also like that they want to play for us, but (and maybe this is being too proud) IMO they SHOULD feel honoured. We are a great the best club.

I hope we never become that kind of club. Again, it's too early to know where we should 'expect' to come on July 15th with hardly any movement in the transfer market from City, Chelsea (bar Villas-Boas), Arsenal or Spurs.
It's a great thing that we're only midway through July and we've already tied up some good players.

As I went on to explain in another post; it worries me. I wish Kenny had gotten better players (or at least what I think are better players) who are worth the fees and risk. Because he IS taking a lot of risk with these guys. He IS shouldering this and I'd rather he not. I'd rather he be here for a long time managing this club. Having said that though, if he doesn't get top 4 and these players don't work out I couldn't defend him on the grounds that "he couldn't have known". I think everyone knows more or less where the level of these players are.

Having said all that though, I REALLY doubt we won't get top 4. He took a squad over which was much inferior to the one he is going into the new season with; and he would have gotten top 4 with respect to the form that inferior team showed under his tenure.

Steven Gerrard is 32.

And? We haven't paid 30m for him to worry about his resale value. We wouldn't sell him anyway.

BTW, Gerrard turns 32 May of next year. Not in 8 days.

[redhot-robbie]

£20m is a fee being made up by the media. So lets look at it £12.5m rejected at the start of the week, we raise to £15m and thats rejected, so we just throw another £5m? what happend to £17.5m?

 Charlie Adam was £8.5m at the start of the week now people are reporting £6.5m.

The fact is nobody knows for sure and a good chunk of fee's in todays game are success related.  I would say the biggest turn of events was the transfer request as it would save Villa money in loyalty payouts.

[CHOPPER]

Has anyone asked the important question and found out how much he is on?

[rossipersiempre]

£20m.....jeez. Practically pulled Lerner's pants down there has Comolli, those finely honed negotiation skills at work. Nearly £80m on Carroll, Henderson Adam and Downing. *gulp*

At least with Downing he does what he says on the tin. Which is good for our withered left side. I just hope to god this all works out. And by 'working out' I mean silverware, otherwise we've spunked an obscene amount of cash on players who can under Kenny's guidance maybe just maybe get us back into the CL places but nothing beyond.

Next up....Cissokho hopefully.

[stevied]

where does over priced come from , what are you gauging him and all our other signings against an Aston Martin, a house , the price of a pint, its mickey mouse money it doesnt affect how you or i live , it doesnt change the way they perform, all FSG's money has done is improve our chances of trophies, cast your mind back to the summer of 2009 you would have loved to have been where we are in terms of getting players in, we have owners now that are taking a keen interest in the team, the club, the ground issue and the city and we still have fans moaning about money , i knew i should have stayed away until August

[Caston]

16million rising to 20 if we make champions league ect..

[Paul JH]

£20m is a fee being made up by the media. So lets look at it £12.5m rejected at the start of the week, we raise to £15m and thats rejected, so we just throw another £5m? what happend to £17.5m?

 Charlie Adam was £8.5m at the start of the week now people are reporting £6.5m.

The fact is nobody knows for sure and a good chunk of fee's in todays game are success related.  I would say the biggest turn of events was the transfer request as it would save Villa money in loyalty payouts.

Talking sense on RAWK? Away with you sir!
Good post mate. Exactly right.

[Mal]

Has anyone asked the important question and found out how much he is on?

He's a healthy type of a guy so he didn't pick the 2x pizza's & a tube of smarties that Adam did. Ergo, he's on 2 quarts of organic skimmed milk and a banana per week.

£20m.....jeez. Practically pulled Lerner's pants down there has Comolli, those finely honed negotiation skills at work. Nearly £80m on Carroll, Henderson Adam and Downing. *gulp*

At least with Downing he does what he says on the tin. Which is good for our withered left side. I just hope to god this all works out. And by 'working out' I mean silverware, otherwise we've spunked an obscene amount of cash on players who can under Kenny's guidance maybe just maybe get us back into the CL places but nothing beyond.

Next up....Cissokho hopefully.

I'm not the most optimistic of fella's but I reckon you'd find a reason to gripe if we won the league, the european cup, the carling cup & the FA cup in the same season. FFS man, give the club a break. And while I'm at it why don't you just try taking one game at a time rather than looking for 'silverware' in 10 months time.

[Fordy]

Has anyone asked the important question and found out how much he is on?

Nah we only find that out when a player is hitting bad form.

[rossipersiempre]

I would say the biggest turn of events was the transfer request as it would save Villa money in loyalty payouts.

What loyalty payouts? He's only been there 2 years out of a 4 year contract. Handing in a TR didn't subsidise a few million off his price otherwise we would have had him do it before now. No, it just reaffirmed to Villa that the player wanted out thus forcing their hand towards a sale.

[Fordy]

£20m.....jeez. Practically pulled Lerner's pants down there has Comolli, those finely honed negotiation skills at work. Nearly £80m on Carroll, Henderson Adam and Downing. *gulp*

At least with Downing he does what he says on the tin. Which is good for our withered left side. I just hope to god this all works out. And by 'working out' I mean silverware, otherwise we've spunked an obscene amount of cash on players who can under Kenny's guidance maybe just maybe get us back into the CL places but nothing beyond.

Next up....Cissokho hopefully.

Another one to add to your hit list?

Not a good sumer for you so far mate.

We have made 3 decent signings mate.

[helmboy_nige]

Agree that £20m is probably wrong.  Maybe more likely £17-18m.

Either way, the cost is unimportant if the player makes a major difference.

[Paul JH]

I'm not the most optimistic of fella's but I reckon you'd find a reason to gripe if we won the league, the european cup, the carling cup & the FA cup in the same season. FFS man, give the club a break. And while I'm at it why don't you just try taking one game at a time rather than looking for 'silverware' in 10 months time.

It's Rossi, he's always got some negative outlook to things

[Mad Men]

Good news for the team and surely a boost to everyone in the premier league that we mean business. 4 quality signings in 2011 and over 80 million spent....we're back in business boys.

Now, if we can get some cash back in with some transfers out...

[Jookie]

Does agreeing a fee for Downing mean we're not signing Mata then?

[red_moon]

Talking sense on RAWK? Away with you sir!
Good post mate. Exactly right.

seen somewhere its 18.5 plus clause... trying to find the sauce

[adam18]

I love how people complain about how much we are spending. Like its easy just to go to a club offer a little money and take away there best players for nothing. Of course these clubs are going to squeeze every penny out of us, so would we. But if we have the money to do that, then why the fuck not.

[Lethul]

Well what do you know, it actually seems like they might have phones in China!!

[Paul JH]

What loyalty payouts? He's only been there 2 years out of a 4 year contract. Handing in a TR didn't subsidise a few million off his price otherwise we would have had him do it before now. No, it just reaffirmed to Villa that the player wanted out thus forcing their hand towards a sale.

What rubbish. It would have. And you think theyre 'he's not for sale at any price' stance suddenly goes when a player says he wants to go? Spurs with Modric? He wants to go, they said 'you're staying'. Yet you think 'not for sale' immediatly turns into 'ok go' when they say they want to leave?

[Ikki.Fenikkusu]

Does agreeing a fee for Downing mean we're not signing Mata then?

I'd say not offloading extras like Cole would mean we're not signing Mata.

[redblack7]

Newsflash: that is in large part due to us, ourselves.

If your retort is "it's not your money" then your argument is poor from the get-go. If we have 20m then we have 20m. Let's try to get the most out of it. You are trying to put a positive spin on every transfer when the reality is it can be spun the other way round: Carroll only has 6 months worth of performances, Adam barely a season and Downing has never hit the heights his fee is demanding.

Personally, I am rotten at the fees we are paying. On the other hand, I can see a logic into buying these players. Whether it comes true or not is up for question but by putting so much money into these players we are taking an unnecessary risk IMO.

It's a very necessary risk.Newsflash:we need to get back in the top four.Kenny has been put in place to make that happen and these are the players he wants to do it.How is that not a necessary risk.

[rossipersiempre]

I'm not the most optimistic of fella's but I reckon you'd find a reason to gripe if we won the league, the european cup, the carling cup & the FA cup in the same season. FFS man, give the club a break. And while I'm at it why don't you just try taking one game at a time rather than looking for 'silverware' in 10 months time.

I'm not a malcontent Mal. I know it comes across as a bit Chicken Little, but that's just not true. Thing is I wasn't even a particular Rafolyte in so many ways, but being brutally honest I felt more positive with the vast majority of his signings (Keane aside) than I currently do. Even comparing like for like, Riera was what, £7m, and was a breath of fresh air that first season.

Yeah I know proof is in the pudding and all that. Hopefully a few games in, a few months in even, seeing how we bed down as a team will have me feel more reassured.

[redblack7]

The argument is not that he is going into his prime; it is that he is 27, with only 2 years left on his contract for a club he has stated he won't re-sign. 20m is ridiculous if that is the fee quoted. We are paying superstar prices for merely "very good" players. Whether this works or not is yet to be seen. All I know is that we've spent ~70m on 4 British players who've never had any long term form of any note. TBF, if we don't make the top 4 at least next year with this kind of cash spent then I wouldn't be surprised to see Kenny and Co fired.

Even I could have gotten 50m for Torres. Suarez was market price and who else was in for Adam for more than what we bid? No one.

Although, having said that, if they continue and sell the likes of Cole and Poulsen for good money it'd make sense. But if Downing is worth 20m then Cole is worth 10m LOL.

LOL.Have you seen Joe play lately.He was huffing after a minute last night.If Downing is worth 20 mil then Joe is worth 2 mil at most which is 2 mil more than we paid for him.If we can get his wages paid we should be happy and will have done very well indeed.

[Suárez_7]

£20m.....jeez. Practically pulled Lerner's pants down there has Comolli, those finely honed negotiation skills at work. Nearly £80m on Carroll, Henderson Adam and Downing. *gulp*

Why not tell the whole story though add another twenty or so we paid for Suarez and take away the fifty odd million we got for Torres and Babel.

[El_Pistolero]

Does agreeing a fee for Downing mean we're not signing Mata then?

You make it sound like we were going to anyway. 

[Kopite7]

Lets just win the league and get back in the top 4 no matter who we sign. This is Liverpool.

[DG]

I can almost guarantee we didn't pay 20 million up front. And that's from common sense knowing he put in a transfer request and sky ALWAYS quote our prices above what they really are. I'd say 17.5 mill

[Lofty Ambitions]

Liverpool close to signing Aston Villa's Stewart Downing

By John Percy
11:38PM BST 13 Jul 2011



Downing will travel to Melwood for a medical on Thursday after Liverpool’s offer, their second of the summer, was followed by a demand from the Villa midfielder to leave, forcing chairman Randy Lerner into admitting defeat.

The England international has been a priority target for Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish since the end of last season and the signing will take Liverpool’s spending towards the £50 million mark this summer. The deal is believed to be an initial £18.5 million down-payment, with the fee rising after add-ons.

His departure will be another blow for Villa manager Alex McLeish who had been keen to keep the 26-year-old at Villa Park. But now McLeish is expected to step up his interest in N’Zogbia, the Wigan winger, who will cost around £10 million.

The France international is also a target for Newcastle United and Stoke City but Villa are confident of making him a swift replacement for Downing. Ironically, N’Zogbia failed to team up with McLeish last season at the Scot’s former club Birmingham City, after snubbing personal terms, but Lerner has given the green light to meet his £65,000-a-week wage demands. Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given is also expected to finally complete his protracted £3.5 million move to Villa on Thursday after days of negotiations, but the loss of Downing – who was named as the Villa players’ player of the year last season – and the nature of his departure will be a bitter pill for McLeish to swallow.

Villa’s chief executive Paul Faulkner said: “I can confirm that we have reached an agreement with Liverpool following an improved offer received earlier today and the submission of a formal transfer request by Stewart Downing, and have given them permission to speak with the player.
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“We believe there are replacements available in the market who can strengthen our squad ahead of the coming season, and we are in discussions as such. We are also working hard to conclude a deal for a goalkeeper who we believe can also strengthen the side.”

Downing will join Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam as the latest high-profile recruit at Liverpool this summer, as owner John Henry backs Dalglish with major funds. The American has forked out over £100 million since the start of the year and Downing’s arrival is another clear statement of intent.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/8636382/Liverpool-close-to-signing-Aston-Villas-Stewart-Downing.html

[Mad Men]

Does agreeing a fee for Downing mean we're not signing Mata then?

Who knows.

[Mad Men]

Lets just win the league and get back in the top 4 no matter who we sign. This is Liverpool.

Or back into the champions league where the cash rewards are important for the club and our growth.

[bclfc]

These simply aren't "superstar" prices, though.  If it is 16-18.5 million with add-ons, then it certainly isn't.  Man U apparently are trying to buy Sneider for 35 million, which is twice as much as we're talking.  And who knows how he'll do.  It's a calculated risk, and we're in a position to take some of those again, so can we just enjoy the fact that we have some money now instead of bitching about it?   

[rossipersiempre]

What rubbish. It would have. And you think theyre 'he's not for sale at any price' stance suddenly goes when a player says he wants to go? Spurs with Modric? He wants to go, they said 'you're staying'. Yet you think 'not for sale' immediatly turns into 'ok go' when they say they want to leave?

Contractually Modric (5 years left) is in a very different place to Downing (2 years left), and Spurs (minted) are in a very different financial position to Villa (robbing Peter to pay Paul).

[Ikki.Fenikkusu]

It's a very necessary risk.Newsflash:we need to get back in the top four.Kenny has been put in place to make that happen and these are the players he wants to do it.How is that not a necessary risk.

You've misunderstood me. The process of improving the squad is a necessary risk. But overpaying for players like Carroll, Henderson and Downing is not necessary - that money can be spent elsewhere. We could have gotten other players costing less or spent the same and gotten better players.

The pressure put on these signings, due to the overpaying, is the risk I am talking about.

[Mad Men]

LOL.Have you seen Joe play lately.He was huffing after a minute last night.

That's rubbish. Which match were you watching?

Cole was outstanding for the 45 minutes he did play.

[Gnurglan]

Adam? £7m is scary?

I can agree we are paying too much, but 6-7M for Adam, a British player who had a very good season and is just about to enter his best years, is a very good price. Kenny/Comolli deserve praise for getting him for such a low fee.

[Kopite7]

Or back into the champions league where the cash rewards are important for the club and our growth.

spot on. I want enough to sign Messi next year. 

[drpepe]

£20m is a fee being made up by the media. So lets look at it £12.5m rejected at the start of the week, we raise to £15m and thats rejected, so we just throw another £5m? what happend to £17.5m?

 Charlie Adam was £8.5m at the start of the week now people are reporting £6.5m.

The fact is nobody knows for sure and a good chunk of fee's in todays game are success related.  I would say the biggest turn of events was the transfer request as it would save Villa money in loyalty payouts.

  i imagine villa laughed at our 15m offer and then guffawed a bit at the one for 17.5m. They then had a long lunch at a local hotel, couple of cigars and let commoli and co sweat a bit whilst waiting for our phone call.

Then when the higher offer  came in they bit our hands off 

[Mouth]

20 million? 20 fucking million?? How dare they spend 20 million of MY money on a player I know fuck all about.... oh wait........

[nocturnalvin]

I'm not a malcontent Mal. I know it comes across as a bit Chicken Little, but that's just not true. Thing is I wasn't even a particular Rafolyte in so many ways, but being brutally honest I felt more positive with the vast majority of his signings (Keane aside) than I currently do. Even comparing like for like, Riera was what, £7m, and was a breath of fresh air that first season.

Yeah I know proof is in the pudding and all that. Hopefully a few games in, a few months in even, seeing how we bed down as a team will have me feel more reassured.

i'm in all honesty a little surprised at your assessment of our signings mate. 3 technically very sound midfielders. Or is it just the fees ? I'd be curious to know your opinions without the burden of the moolah.

[Higgins79]

great signing, will make a massive difference to the balance of the team.

options in midfield/attack are excellent now.

gerrard/henderson  lucas/spearing  adam/aquilani  downing/cole/raul  - plus the likes of jonjo and coady coming through.

carroll/suarez/kuyt/pacheco.

bring in a left back and this window will go down as great success.