Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Liverpool Plan Audacious Move To Sign Everton Youngster

Liverpool are reportedly interested in Everton youngster Seamus Coleman and will hope to take advantage of their fellow Merseyside club’s perilous financial position by making a significant January offer for the Irish international.

Anfield director of football Damien Comolli has earmarked a move for the right sided performer and boss Kenny Dalglish is also said to be a fan of the former Sligo Rovers man and could see the Everton man as a player who could ably fill a role out wide at Liverpool.

There is apparently still some concern over who can best play out wide right at Liverpool where currently new signing Jordan Henderson and Dutchman Dirk Kuyt are the club’s main options. Neither player is a natural fit for that role and Coleman’s consistent displays for Everton over the past 18 months have caught the attention of many prospective suitors.

Seamus Coleman was signed by the Toffees in January 2009 and became a regular last term when he notched up 40 first team appearances and figured both at right back and in his more accustomed position in a right wing role. The likes of Man United have also been linked with the County Donegal born wide-man.

Clearly it would be a contentious move for the Irishman to make but he would be by no means the first to do so and given the fact that David Moyes has to deal with a non-existent transfer budget there may be a financial imperative for the Everton to sell one of their big names to once again balance the books.
Coleman is tied to a long term contract so any bid for his services would not be cheap.

Reds Send Scouts To Monitor Zurich Striker

Liverpool is reportedly set to rival Sunderland for FC Zurich striker Admir Mehmedi when the transfer window opens in January.

The 20-year-old has scored 13 goals in 47 appearances for his current employers, while he has been awarded three senior international caps for Switzerland.

According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool has sent scouts to monitor Mehmedi and will battle Sunderland for his signature.

The Barclays Premier League duo are also likely to have to contest Nuremberg, it has been claimed, in pursuit of Mehmedi.

United & Liverpool Chase Dutch Striker

Ajax starlet Danzell Gravenberch is attracting the attention of Manchester United and Liverpool, it has been claimed.

The 17-year-old striker is coming to the end of his contract at the Amsterdam Arena and is reportedly prepared to listen to offers from elsewhere.

According to reports, both Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish have identified Gravenberch as a potential acquisition and a move to United or Liverpool could be on the cards.

However, Old Trafford or Anfield are unlikely to the only possible destinations for the Dutch youngsters, with Aston Villa and Juventus also touted as potential suitors.

Aquilani's AC Milan Deal Is Just A Formality, Says Agent

Alberto Aquilani will stay at AC Milan beyond 2012 as the loan deal from Liverpool will be made permanent, his agent Franco Zavaglia has said.

The 27-year-old Italy international joined the San Siro-based outfit in the summer from the Premier League side.

Aquilani's deal consists of a loan, but Milan will have an option to buy his full rights from Liverpool if he features in 25 or more games for them this season.

Zavaglia believes the Italian will remain with Massimiliano Allegri's men.

"We can without doubt consider Milan activating the buy-out clause to be a pure formality, especially as he’ll soon reach the written parameters set by Milan and Liverpool," Zavaglia told Itasportpress.

"Alberto is doing well and I think this is clear for all to see."

Aquilani has played in 9 Serie A matches for the Rossoneri who take on Fiorentina in Serie A on Saturday night.

Carragher In Line To Return

Jamie Carragher is in line to make his Liverpool return in Sunday's trip to Chelsea after recovering from a calf injury.

The vastly-experienced defender suffered the blow in last month's Carling Cup win at Stoke, forcing him to miss their last two outings.

However, Carragher is on the mend and first-team coach Steve Clark has been pleased with the 33-year-old's training over the past few days.

Clark believes that providing the former England international continues his upward curve in the coming days he could feature in Sunday's mouth-watering clash at Stamford Bridge.

"Jamie has joined in training over the last couple of days and looked good," Clarke told the club's official website.

"He was out for a couple of weeks with a minor calf injury.

"We just made sure he took his time, recovered from it, and he's trained well these past couple of days.

"He'll be in contention for the weekend if there are no mishaps between now and the game."

Adam Out To Prove Himself At Anfield

Charlie Adam is determined to silence his critics, with the Liverpool midfielder vowing to prove he is not just a flash in the pan.

Adam was one of the stars of the Premier League last season, with his efforts for Blackpool earning widespread praise.

The midfielder's displays were ultimately in vain, as Blackpool was relegated, but they earned him a move to Liverpool.

Adam has moved into a much bigger pond at Anfield and is aware the expectation is far greater. His form has been patchy and he has admitted there is added pressure on his shoulders but he is looking to prove he can thrive in the spotlight.

"I hadn't played in the Premier League until last season and people judged me on how I performed for Blackpool," Adam is quoted as saying in Match magazine. "But I want to show that I can be a Premier League player on a consistent basis, and that I'm good enough to play for Liverpool.

"The expectation levels here are really different to what they were at Blackpool. We are expected to win every week, whereas that wasn't always the case last season. But having that kind of challenge is something I really look forward to.

"My family and my mum and dad are proud, but no one is as proud as me to be a Liverpool player. Not many people can say they've had the chance to play in front of the Kop every week with over 40,000 fans behind them.

"I come in every day with a smile on my face, and when you're sat in the dressing room watching all the top players walk in, you realise what you're a part of."

Scotland Target Jonjo Shelvey After Missing Out On Sebastian Coates

Manager Craig Levein has revealed Scotland missed the opportunity to persuade Sebastian Coates to play for their national side – but are determined not to miss out on Liverpool FC player Jonjo Shelvey.

Levein says Scottish Football Association officials have already been in contact with Jonjo Shelvey about him changing football allegiance from England.

The 21-year-old has represented the country of his birth at under-16, 17 and 19 level but has yet to play senior international football and would be eligible to play north of the border because of his Scottish father.

Defender Coates also qualified to play for Levein’s side through his dad but Scotland were too late in their attempts to prise him from the clutches of Uruguay, where he was born.

The 21-year-old had represented his country at every level up to under-20 before the start of the summer so would still have been able to change to Scotland.

However, when capped by the senior side in July’s Copa America – which Uruguay won as Coates was named the tournament’s best young player – the game was up for Levein.

But the Scot’s manager is far more optimistic of landing Shelvey, who is currently enjoying a profitable loan spell away from Anfield with Championship side Blackpool.

“We’ve been in touch and we are hopeful,” said Levein.

“As usual, we will continue to try and unearth as many players as possible to be able to play for us.

“We want as many good players as possible to be able to play for us.”

However, on the missed opportunity with Coates, who has now played six times for his country’s senior side, Levein admitted: “He'd been capped by the time we found out about him.”

Kelly Nets In Belgium Defeat

Martin Kelly was on the mark again as England U21s lost 2-1 in Belgium on Monday night.

Liverpool's No.34, who also fired last week against Iceland, headed his country into a 14th minute lead, but the hosts stormed back to win the Euro 2013 qualifier with a stoppage time winner.

Kelly and U21 skipper Jordan Henderson played the full 90 minutes and Jon Flanagan was an unused substitute.

Reflecting on the defeat, Henderson said: "We are very disappointed. We felt we did well in the second half when we settled into the game and I personally had a chance to finish it but we are still top of the [group], in a good position and we need to win our last three games.

"The games are not easy but we came here to do a job and unfortunately we didn't.

"We have a lot of work to do and hopefully this will give us a wake up call for the games ahead.

"I think we could have started better but in the second half we settled down and had a couple of chances.

"We need to be more streetwise in the last minutes to not concede but we will learn from that and come back stronger."

Lucas Lands Prestigious Gong

Lucas Leiva's impressive form during 2011 saw him crowned the North-West's Premier League Player of the Year on Monday night.

The Brazilian scooped the award at an MBNA sponsored ceremony held at Lancashire County Cricket Club in Manchester.

The gong was in recognition of excellence both on and off the pitch.

The Reds midfielder has been on international duty with his country over the past week and played the full 90 minutes in Brazil's 2-0 friendly success over Egypt last night.

Following the win, Lucas tweeted: "Well done everyone for the victory. It is always important to finish the year winning."