Went past the Mercedes garage yesterday. Big, shiny car in the window, apparently the best model in its class that money can buy. So went inside, and offered a quarter of the asking price, because I reckoned that car wanted to come home with me. Know what happened?
Yep, I was slung out on my ear. Which is more or less the scenario when Barcelona made the call to Anfield about the services of Javier Mascherano last summer. Which is why you must forgive me for greeting the latest round of speculation over the Argentine's future with a degree of cynicism.
I don't doubt that the player's agent has spoken to officials at Barca, and I don't doubt the player himself would quite fancy a spell in the Catalan sunshine. Hell, I wouldn't mind it myself.
In fact, they wouldn't even spend £15million on a defensive midfielder. And when you consider that Mascherano cost Liverpool £18million AND his value has increased significantly since then, all talk of an imminent move is wild speculation in the extreme.
That is not to say, of course, that Mascherano won't sulk and pout until he engineers some sort of confrontation that could result in his exit. But that will not come until the end of the season at the earliest. He has three years left on a contract, and Liverpool will not accept less than they paid for him.
In fact, they will demand twice or even three times what they paid for him. That is the economics of the situation, and no end of wishing or fantasising will change that. Nor will it get me that Mercedes. Instead, I'm stuck with a company car that you have to get out and push when you come to a hill.
Yep, I was slung out on my ear. Which is more or less the scenario when Barcelona made the call to Anfield about the services of Javier Mascherano last summer. Which is why you must forgive me for greeting the latest round of speculation over the Argentine's future with a degree of cynicism.
I don't doubt that the player's agent has spoken to officials at Barca, and I don't doubt the player himself would quite fancy a spell in the Catalan sunshine. Hell, I wouldn't mind it myself.
In fact, they wouldn't even spend £15million on a defensive midfielder. And when you consider that Mascherano cost Liverpool £18million AND his value has increased significantly since then, all talk of an imminent move is wild speculation in the extreme.
That is not to say, of course, that Mascherano won't sulk and pout until he engineers some sort of confrontation that could result in his exit. But that will not come until the end of the season at the earliest. He has three years left on a contract, and Liverpool will not accept less than they paid for him.
In fact, they will demand twice or even three times what they paid for him. That is the economics of the situation, and no end of wishing or fantasising will change that. Nor will it get me that Mercedes. Instead, I'm stuck with a company car that you have to get out and push when you come to a hill.
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