Liverpool eye Brazilian star

[Cunny]

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverp...64375-19924636/

 

Liverpool eye Brazilian star

Oct 10 2007 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

 

RAFAEL BENITEZ is tracking Brazilian striker Afonso Alves as he contemplates another spending spree in the January transfer window.

 

Alves is one of several names under consideration by the Liverpool manager, who can expect further backing from the club’s co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

 

And Benitez’s interest would suggest Peter Crouch is heading for an Anfield exit in the new year.

 

Alves is one of the most sought-after forwards in Europe and scored an incredible seven times for Dutch club Heerenveen on Sunday in their 9-0 victory over Eredivisie rivals Heracles Almelo.

 

The 26-year-old forward cost Heerenveen a club record £3million when arriving from Malmo ahead of last season, and went on to score 34 goals in 31 league games before being named Holland’s player of the year.

 

Alves, who has seven caps for Brazil, was a target for Middlesbrough during the close season and would cost in the region of £8m.

 

Benitez is also thought to still be keeping tabs on another Brazilian, Roma’s stepover king Alessandro Mancini.

 

The Liverpool manager ruled out a move for the left winger during the summer, but is aware Mancini has fallen out with Roma coach Luciano Spalletti and is reportedly seeking a move in January.

 

Lyon are favourites to sign the player but Liverpool would be able to offer a better package to the 27-year-old.

 

PSG defender Bernard Mendy is another player on Benitez’s list of possibilities. The 26-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and would be available in January for a small fee.

 

Mendy, who spent the 2002-03 campaign on loan at Bolton Wanderers, operates on the right side of defence.

 

Meanwhile, Dirk Kuyt has handed Liverpool an early derby injury scare after pulling out of Holland’s squad for their forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against Romania and Slovenia.

 

Kuyt has remained at Melwood to undergo treatment on a hamstring strain suffered during the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

 

The Dutch striker will definitely miss Saturday’s away game against Romania.

 

But while Holland have not ruled the forward out of the home game with Slovenia the following Wednesday, it is thought unlikely Kuyt will have recovered in time to play.

[McBain]

A hmmm

 

A yes please

 

And a no chance

[Mike]

any truth in the alberto frog rumours?

[Sion]

Don't know about this Alves fella, but anyone who scores like he's doing, no matter what level, knows where the net is.

 

Mancini looked poor versus the mancs

 

Mendy looked a great prospect when playing for Bolton, not seen him at all since.

[honourablegeorge]

So we get an Alves after all. Hopefully he's from the Van Nistelrooy/Ronaldo end of high scoring dutch league players, as opposed to the Kezman.

[honourablegeorge]

Incidentally, this is worth a listen. It's yesterday's guardian podcast, and they read out a statement by Alves' PR man, where he absolutely slanders Heerenveen, callign them "slave drivers" and "Nazis" for keeping him tied to his contract.

 

http://download.guardian.co.uk/sys-audio/F...081007FMIX1.mp3

[Magic8Ball]

Benitez set for spree

David Maddock 10/10/2007

 

Rafael Benitez will raid the Anfield war chest to strengthen his ailing squad in January.

 

The Liverpool manager revealed last week that he still has over £20million to spend after clearing the decks by selling unwanted players during the summer.

 

And the Mirror has discovered that he has been tracking FOUR players - with a view to signing at least one of them when the transfer window opens at the turn of the year.

 

The Spaniard's priority is a defender after injury to Daniel Agger and the loss of form of full-backs Steve Finnan and John Arne Riise.

 

 

Chief target is Paris St Germain full-back Bernard Mendy, who has been made available and will be sold in January - with Inter Milan, Juventus, Tottenham and Manchester City also interested.

 

The France international has six months remaining on his contract, and has refused all offers of a new deal, leaving PSG with no option but to try to get as much cash as they can for him.

 

Mendy, 26, who has been watched all season by Benitez's spies, will cost around £3m, and has already made it clear he wants to leave PSG.

 

Benitez is still keen on Roma's Amantino Mancini, despite having an offer for the right-sided midfielder rejected in the summer.

 

The Brazil international has since fallen out with Roma coach Luciano Spalleti in spectacular style and his agent, Gilar Veloz, has been instructed to find him a new club during the transfer window.

 

Liverpool will face competition from Lyon for Mancini - but they can offer bigger wages. Benitez will be prepared to pay around £8m to land the 27-year old South American.

 

Scouts from Anfield were at Heerenveen at the weekend to watch Brazilian striker Afonso Alves rattle in an incredible seven goals to set a scoring record in the Dutch League.

 

The Brazil international was top scorer in Holland last season with 34 goals, but when he demanded a move Heerenveen priced him out of the market at £12m.

 

Benitez knows Peter Crouch could leave in January and will seek to replace him with Alves. ...no wait

 

Liverpool are also keeping tabs on Monaco's attacking midfielder Jeremy Menez, who has taken the French league by storm since arriving as an exciting teenage prospect. Now 20, he has been dubbed the 'new Zidane', and Liverpool know that Manchester United and Arsenal have also watched him closely, which could spark a major transfer scramble in the summer.

 

Benitez has been disappointed with the form of so many of his players and for the first time in his Anfield reign he has been openly critical of his team.

 

He knows that he still needs more quality and that is why his scouts have been working overtime across Europe.

 

link

[Guest Anders Honoré]

the new zidane.

[Magic8Ball]

He knows that he still needs more quality and that is why his scouts have been working overtime across Europe.

 

that's the line that givees me the most hope !

[beejay]

It's always great fun to see us linked with lots of continental players in the transfer market but the concern is that we may yet again struggle to "gel" . If we had a settled pattern of play so you drop one player out of the system and slot the new lad in, then maybe no problem but we are not like that.

 

I know nothing about alves (christ I wish it was the other one) but I would have thought a centreback is the priority not a right back and I can't recall Mendy pulling up any trees at Bolton. Mancini was utter gash v mancs the other week.

[honourablegeorge]

Mendy did well enough at Bolton, I thought. He was the "next big thing" for a while, before he left France originally. He does play centrally, but I'd have expected us to be aiming for a centre half/left back, not the other side.

[Guest PaulMcC]

Is Mendy not scheidt? I thought he was a right back who was quick but wasn't the best of defenders.

[Smith]

I've seen a bit of Afonso when he was playing for Malmö. On his day he's quite a player. Nice technique, a sweet right foot and a tidy finisher.

 

"Benitez doubles up on Alves" is what I like to see this January.

[growler]

with arbeloa solid at LB, we only actually need cover for Finnan. Especially with high hopes for Insua too.

 

As for Alves, well can't argue with that. Crouch and Riise have shown this season they are not up to the task.

[MFletcher]

I'd love Mancini, but Alves' attitude sounds awful.

 

I can't see the logic of Mendy either... Why would we go for another right back when left back is of greater concern? Unless he plans to use Arbeloa as our long term left back.

[Bailo]

Disagree with Finnan being in poor form, unless one game defines that now.

[psl]

Disagree with Finnan being in poor form, unless one game defines that now.

 

One bad warm up is enough.

[honourablegeorge]

I'd love Mancini, but Alves' attitude sounds awful.

 

I'd be happy for our players to whinge themselves into a knot over their contracts if they went out on a Saturday and knocked in seven.

[MFletcher]

I'd be happy for our players to whinge themselves into a knot over their contracts if they went out on a Saturday and knocked in seven.

 

The defending in the Dutch league is mediocre though. Kezman was consistently excellent at PSV, but really didn't click at Chelsea or Atletico.

 

I'd be worried about him coming in, not playing a couple of games and going straight to the media to claim he's being victimised more than the other three strikers by rotation.

[Magic8Ball]

I'd be happy for our players to whinge themselves into a knot over their contracts if they went out on a Saturday and knocked in seven REGULARLY.

[goodrobotusses]

Mendy hardly played at right-back for Bolton, 'cause he couldn't really defend. Was fast as buggery though - played on the right of their front three and seemed to do pretty well in the end, though he decided he wanted to go back to France at the end of his loan. Of course, this was years ago now - he was just a kid then. I'd hope he's developed a bit in the meantime.

 

Mancini I'm not convinced by, but we do need a winger and he's one of the better ones that we'd actually be able to get (people who rant about Quaresma forget Porto sold Anderson and Pepe for big money this season, so won't need to sell).

 

Alves I know nothing about other than he's scored a lot in Holland.

[honourablegeorge]

Ah, you're right - Mendy did play a very advanced role at Bolton.

[Hassony]

the worrying thing about alves is that Dunga prefered to play Wagner love ahead of him and he is one of the worst players that i have ever seen

[honourablegeorge]

Brazil team selection is as much about keeping sponsors happy as anythign else, though.

[Hassony]

Brazil team selection is as much about keeping sponsors happy as anythign else, though.

 

why would any sponsor want wagner love to be selected (unless its a dating agency!)