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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 02/06/2017 21:44:49
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| Transfer news: Virgil Van Dijk can play for Barcelona or Real Madrid - Neil LennonGOALDOTCOM || Lennon: 'Van Dijk could be best in world’SPORTSMOLE |
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|| Liverpool, Chelsea & Arsenal Told They Can Sign Dutch International For £70m | Football Talk | Premier League NewsFOOTBALLTALK |
|| Liverpool or Man City - Which move would suit Virgil van Dijk better?HEREISTHECITY |
| | PL outfit stamp staggering price-tag on Chelsea, Liverpool, and Man City targetSHOOTCOUK |
| | Keeping Virgil van Dijk would be ‘huge statement’ says Southampton captain Steven DavisIBTIMES | ...dazedly erected by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!
Sourced from ESPN FC article
High-priced targets like Salah, Van Dijk at odds with Liverpool’s philosophy
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“You can expect the team to be strengthened, but we won’t be spending £100 million just because Manchester City has spent £100 million.” Not exactly the kind of fighting talk Liverpool fans were hoping to hear from their new CEO Peter Moore this week.
City, lest we forget, finished above the Reds this season and have wasted no time agreeing or nearly completing deals for three new signings that will take their spending way beyond the £100m figure Moore referenced.
By contrast, Liverpool have so far only signed 19-year-old Dominic Solanke from Chelsea for a modest £3m. That’s fine though, at this early stage none of this really means anything, the window isn’t officially even open yet, but it is fair for supporters to wonder exactly what Liverpool’s strategy will be this summer when the comments from their new CEO seem to be completely at odds with what they appear to be trying to do.
Do the Reds actually mean business this time or are they going to keep deluding themselves that they’re the “smartest guy in the room” and don’t need to spend big to succeed? This week’s comments by Moore suggest the latter, but serious interest in Virgil van Dijk, Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah among others would point to the former.
“We will not be spending money just to keep up with the neighbours,” declared Moore. “We might spend £100m, who knows, but it will not be because one or more of our competitors has done so. We want to invest sensibly and securely, because that is how businesses grow.”
Liverpool haven’t been big spenders under their current owners and have actually made a profit in each of the past three transfer windows. Great for “growing the business” but not so great for winning silverware. There’ll be no profit this time, but it’s still going to be fascinating to see just how much they do spend and who they spend it on.
“Everyone wants to see massive money but my business background is buying talent at the right price,” says Moore. “We have a kid called Philippe Coutinho who cost £8m, and he is as good as other guys around the league who cost four or five times as much. What I am about, and what I believe this club is about, is making good business decisions.”
The pursuit of £50m-rated Van Dijk, then, seems completely at odds with the above. Shattering the club transfer record on a central defender doesn’t really tie in with the “buying talent at the right price” and “making good business decisions” ethos. That’s the kind of bold move you see Chelsea or the Manchester clubs making, not Liverpool.
Of course Van Dijk would be a good addition, but you don’t need to spend that much to get a good centre-back. Liverpool know this as they recruited Joel Matip on a free transfer last summer.
If Liverpool had a strong squad in place and only needed one or two major additions, then pushing the boat out to get Van Dijk would make sense, but they don’t and therefore it doesn’t, not unless they genuinely are going to splurge like never before. Don’t hold your breath on that though, not if this quote from Moore is anything to go by.
“I trust [sporting director] Michael Edwards implicitly to do a value proposition of a particular player and say, based on the data analytics we have on them and the comparables we have on other players, that this is what we go for. I’m yet to see the process of how it works, but I hear nothing but good things the way we do it and in particular about Michael – and his process of this.”
If Moore has heard “nothing but good things” about this system it’s probably because he’s been listening to the people who operate it. Supporters might tell a different tale, such as the one about Deli All ending up at Tottenham because Liverpool’s “value proposition” told them he wasn’t worth £5m.
Or how about Salah, who the Reds reportedly offered £28m for this week? The bid was turned down by Roma, who are holding out for £40m, but Liverpool chasing Salah at that price makes a complete mockery of that system Moore has heard such “good things” about. It was those rigid guidelines on “value” that saw them fail to sign Salah in January 2014.
The player recently confirmed that Liverpool had spent months chasing him and that he was keen on the move. Liverpool wouldn’t pay the asking price of £11m, presumably because their “value proposition” process said no. Salah moved to Chelsea instead, who then sold him for a profit soon after. If Liverpool eventually do sign the Egypt international, it may cost them more than three times what it would have done then. So much for “value proposition”.
Then again, paying £50m or more for Van Dijk could also be seen as a damning indictment of Edwards and his team, as former boss Brendan Rodgers claims he twice looked into signing the Dutchman before he eventually ended up at Southampton, but on both occasions he was told no by the scouting team, of which Edwards was the main man.
Indeed, it appears that the only time this “value proposition” system doesn’t apply to players is when Southampton are involved as Liverpool seem willing to basically hand them a blank cheque every summer.
And suddenly the interest in Van Dijk makes perfect sense.
Dave Usher is one of ESPN FC’s Liverpool bloggers. Follow him on Twitter: @theliverpoolway.
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 02/06/2017 23:45:14
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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton
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Sourced from Daily Mail article
Virgil van Dijk ‘almost there’ as he returns to fitness
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Southampton central defender Virgil van Dijk is ‘almost there’ as he looks to get back to full fitness.
Van Dijk, who is a transfer target for Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, missed the second half of last season with an ankle injury.
But he is now back in training, with the defender posting a video to Twitter on Friday night showing himself in action.
In the video the Southampton star shows off his passing skills, with some light running in between.
He captioned the video: ‘Never stop working. almost there!’
Van Dijk is in for a busy summer, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all eyeing up a transfer, though Southampton are looking for more than £50million for the Dutchman.
Van Dijk, 25, signed a six-year contract last summer and made 30 appearances last season before it was curtailed by his injury.
But his return to fitness could give confidence to his many suitors.
Former manager Neil Lennon, who worked with Van Dijk at Celtic before he moved to the Premier League, claimed that the Southampton defender could become one of the best in the world in his position.
‘Yes, [Van Dijk can become the best defender in the world],’ he told Sky Sports. 'I think he could play for Barcelona, I think he could play for Real Madrid - it wouldn’t surprise me if he took his career on to those pathways.
'The first day he came into Celtic I pulled him to one side after training and said “you enjoy yourself here because you’re not going to be here long”.
'I couldn’t believe we got him for £2m. He was outstanding. I couldn’t believe that none of the big clubs took a bite at him before Southampton.
'I believe he could play at any club side in Europe now - he’s that good. He’s only 24, he’s got 10 years in him.
'He has got everything you want from a modern-day centre-half: he’s powerful, he’s quick, technically brilliant, he reads the game well, superb in the air.
‘So it doesn’t surprise me that the big clubs are coming in now - it’s just surprising that they have waited so long.’
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 03/06/2017 09:48:43
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| Forget Claude Puel – Here Are 3 Super Managers Southampton Could Look To Sign This Summer – SoccerSoulsSOCCERSOULS | ...inadequately brought into existence by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!
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Take a look back on a memorable September for #SaintsFC during the 2016/17 campaign: http://sfcne.ws/VidSeptReview
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 03/06/2017 10:49:08
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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article
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Southampton midfielder Steven Davis played the second half, as Northern Ireland beat New Zealand 1-0 in a friendly match, at Windsor Park.
Saints’ club captain, who also skippers his country, was named among the substitutes by manager Michael O’Neill, as he gave some of his youngsters a chance.
Davis was introduced at the interval for Matthew Lund, with Northern Ireland already in front by that stage, thanks to Liam Boyce’s sixth-minute goal.
That effort proved to be enough to separate the sides, despite the visitors going close in the second half, with Kosta Barbarouses hitting the post.
Northern Ireland’s attention now turns to a big World Cup qualifier away to Azerbaijan, on Saturday 10th June.
O’Neill’s side are currently second in Group C, with ten points from their first five games, behind only world champions Germany at the halfway stage.
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 03/06/2017 11:49:10
| | Arsenal face stiff competition in race to sign Virgil van DijkDAILYCANNON |
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Sourced from Daily Echo article
Saints will make their own call over Puel
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Saints will not base their decision on whether to stick with Claude Puel or axe the Frenchman go based on another club coming in for him.
Saint Etienne are reportedly keen to try and bring Puel back to his home country for next season after they axed Christophe Galtier.
Puel is believed to be one of several names on the Saint Etienne shortlist with the Ligue 1 club well aware that the manager’s stay at St Mary’s could soon come to an end.
There has been a theory that Saints may wait for a formal approach for Puel before letting him leave, as it would mean not having to pay compensation and would be seen as a move that would suit all parties.
The situation would be vaguely similar to George Burley’s move from Saints to the Scotland job in 2008, when it seemed the switch suited all parties rather well.
However, Saints are unconcerned by interest in Puel from elsewhere, and are not factoring it into their decision making process.
Puel has two years remaining on his Saints contract and the club are prepared to pay the appropriate severance package if they opt to go in a different direction.
Vice-chairman of football Les Reed is still mulling over the best way ahead with Ross Wilson, and is determined not to rush into a decision that they might regret.
Saints do keep a shortlist of potential managerial targets should they end up needing to find a new boss, but the club will want to be sure they can land who they would want should they opt to make a change after one season under Puel.
Thomas Tuchel has been linked after leaving Borussia Dortmund.
He is a manager who Saints are believed to have tracked in the past, but whether they could realistically attract him at this stage remains to be seen.
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Check out our gallery of the best images from September of #SaintsFC’s 2016/17 #PL season: http://sfcne.ws/SeptSeasonRview
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The European champions welcome their opponents to Estoril for this afternoon’s game (4pm BST), which is their final one before a host of competitive action in the coming weeks.
Portugal visit Latvia on Friday 9th June for an important World Cup qualifier.
At the halfway stage of qualifying, they sit second in Group B, three points behind leaders Switzerland, having taken ten points from their opening five games.
After that’s out of the way, Cédric and his international teammates then jet off to Russia for the FIFA Confederations Cup.
The prelude to next summer’s World Cup finals sees Portugal grouped with Mexico, Russia and New Zealand, with their participation beginning on Sunday 18th June.
Germany, Australia, Chile and Cameroon are the other nations competing in this year’s tournament.
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@OficialCedric - Cédric Soares
Hoje, jogo de preparação contra o Chipre.
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 03/06/2017 16:49:51
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...sufficiently fashioned by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!| Manchester City Transfer News: Virgil van Dijk Rumours, Latest on VitoloBLEACHERREPORT |
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