29 May 2015

35% Price Crash: Liverpool free to sign 'excellent' South-American maestro for €29m

Last summer, credible sources - including Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, and The Independent - claimed that Liverpool held talks with Benfica over the signing of Argentine attacker Nicolas Gaitan, and with the summer transfer window just around the corner, the 27-year old is reportedly back on the Reds' transfer wish-list.

Manchester United are heavily linked with a move for Gaitan this summer, but according to the Daily Mail today:

* Liverpool and Benfica have discussed a deal for Gaitan (who is nicknamed 'El Zurdo' on account of being left-footed').

* Gaitan is allegedly one of Brendan Rodgers' 'top targets'

* Benfica are allegedly willing to sell for €29m [£21m], which is a 35% discount on Gaitan's (excessive) €45m buyout clause.

Liverpool's interest in Gaitan goes back to 2012, when Portuguese Newspaper Jornal Record claimed that Brendan Rodgers planned to make a move if the deal for Joe Allen fell through.

Alas, much to the ongoing chagrin of Liverpool fans across the globe, that particular deal went through without a hitch.

Gaitan - along with former team-mate Lazar Markovic - helped Benfica win the Portuguese league last season, and picked up 20 goals/assists along the way.

This season, the Argentine has reached the 20 mark again, which shows a pleasing level of consistency. Stats for the last four seasons:

* 30 goals/67 assists in 214 appearances.

* Goal every 7 games.

* Assist every 3.1 games.

* Goal/assists every 2.2 games

Gaitan's goal stats are clearly not good enough for a player with a €45m buyout clause, but his assist rate compensates for that somewhat.

On the plus side:

* Gaitan is only 27, which means his prime years are still ahead.

* Practically injury free for his entire senior career (missed only 8 games in the last 8 years)

After the Markovic fiasco, Liverpool should probably steer clear of signing attacking players from Benfica, though to be fair, Gaitan is stronger, older, and more experienced than the Serb.

Gaitan is clearly not going to solve LFC's goalscoring problems, though. If he struggles to reach double figures in the Portuguese league, it's unlikely that he's suddenly going to become a goal-machine in the Prem.

Worth pursuing?

Author: Jaimie K


  1. Ger Rodgers out of there next week and lets start to repair the damage =this will be LFC last chance - other Clubs getting stronger NEVER FORGET STOKE 6 POOL 1 WITH 5 - O HALF TIME


  3. How you know that

  4. Nicolas Chamberlain9:06 pm, May 29, 2015

    Because some reliable media outlets are reporting it...
    Could be good addition but nothing to get really excited about.

  5. Nicolas Chamberlain9:07 pm, May 29, 2015

    Are you really a Red?
    You are beyond negativity mate, with your last chance...
    Get over yourself.

  6. Nicolas Chamberlain9:13 pm, May 29, 2015

    That are we are trying to sign multiple targets is not a good sign...
    It means we will be stuck with Rodgers while there are top class managers available. No confidence anymore in the transfer committee.

  7. aRE YOU RELATED TO Neville Chamberlain - he was very positive about Hitler =Face Facts

  8. You haven't grasped the 'buyout clause' Jamie. In Spain and Portugal every player has one. They are always excessive, that's the point! Remember, they have to accept a bid that meets it so they make it the highest they believe a team could ever bid for a player. I think Messi's is something like £200m.

  9. It really doesn't matter who the player plays for. If he's good and fits what u are trying to build and u can afford him go for him.
    We've signed players from Madrid morientes anyone? How did that work out. No body knew sakho when he signed from mets for West ham but he's been terrific for them.

  10. Stan Dinaround9:29 pm, May 29, 2015

    Deal to include Marko going in the opposite direction for a year to get his confidence back..... If he's lucky.

  11. BS. We have suffered from very bad management decisions and we deserve to be at much better position because of the money we have spent in last 10 years. I am not saying we deserve to be at the top but with resources we have had...we should have definitely be in and around top 4.

  12. Stan Dinaround9:31 pm, May 29, 2015

    I think he knows exactly how a buyout clause works...But the point being, if Benfica wanted to, they could insist on it being triggered, alas, it seems thy don't expect that, so in the grand scheme of things, it is a discounted price... What's not to understand. I would like to see anyone buying Messi off Barca for less than his buyout.

  13. Regarding the article then I don't feel Gaitlan is the best option for us. I think Lallana will be better this season as injuries hampered him last season. Again Markovic will grow into the Prem and showed positive signs last season, just not often enough, if Sterling goes he'll get more game time in his preferred position.

    Ibe looks really good. If we looked at 1 more push for either Reus or Firminho.

    I would look at 2 strikers, Lacazette (unlikely) Vietto. Defensive Midfeilder, Carvalho or Illermandi. Would like to give Illoris a chance so get him back from his loan, confident that Lovren can only get better. Wisdom is back so should be given a chance although I do like Montoya and then Clynne.

    Get rid of the deadwood and work with a slightly smaller squad, let's get this group really tight as they have alot of potential.

  14. Didn't just mention him in my potetial signings as haven't seen him play, what's his position?

  15. Stan Dinaround9:32 pm, May 29, 2015

    I would be interested to see Ilori play as a DM with his good range of passing..

  16. O K - well argued mate - no offence meant and good for you for sticking up for LFC - I love the Club

  17. Stan Dinaround9:35 pm, May 29, 2015

    Believe it when it is announced by the club as a done deal, and the obligatory photos at Melwood appear.

  18. £10.5M hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahaahhahahahaha! Jamie that killed me!

  19. Then let me go out and say it, there is not one English player out there worth buying. Not one. The shocking state of the national team is not because they're all so flippin brilliant. If you'd have to list the best 10 for any position on the pitch you would not find one Englishman. And no we dont need the worlds best in every position but whatever English players we have now are enough to make up the numbers so we dont need any more. And any future ones should just come from the academy

  20. Well I like him he's perfect for rwb
    That way no one is forced to play out of position there

  21. Jamie Redknapp's impressed? Jamie Redknapp is impressed when someone can tie their own shoelaces...No surprise

  22. No, we can't have that. 'Absolutely outstanding' is more like it. Or 'absolutely sensational'.

  23. That's telling it like it is and to be fair when you put it like that, it's a wonder we haven't indeed gone the way of the Jurassic's.
    I think all us LFC fans have probably evolved since the heady days of the domination age and have now acquired a certain panic gene, which is perhaps not totally justified, for instance we do still find our own foreign imports from time to time, Suarez and Couts being two recent successes.
    The bigger panic for me is our current inability to hang on to them, wouldn't it just be great if we had that sky lamp to shine and have them all come running home... not Aspas though... actually maybe just Suarez.
    Do get the feeling though, that as you say, this money we have needs to start cementing our place above all the other also-rans a bit lively.

  24. Potential is not about what he's won. It's what he could become.I think he deserves to one of the highest paid players in the club right now so he deserves to be on the money he's demanding
    He's now a key player for the club. And what ever his output is
    He's our primary threat going forward. If we had better players then he be wrong but we don't.

  25. Wow! listening to you makes me wonder just what I have been doing for the last 40 years to not realise that English players are just inherently bad.... Forgot... We are shite, we are shite, we are shite.... It's sinking in... Keep telling me....

  26. Could you sound any more entitled?

    We deserve were we are because of the bad management over 20 years, not 10.

    Money spent is completely irrelevant. Using your argument Burnley didn't deserve to get promoted because they spent a lot less then other clubs.

    QPR didn't deserve to get relegated because of the money spent on wages and transfers.

  27. Wow..what's it like in the future? Do cars fly?

  28. BR is still the Liverpool Manager.

  29. voice of reason1:21 am, May 30, 2015

    i think its due to the competitiveness of our league i mean apart from atletico madrid who do barca and real have to compete against same can be said about bayern with BVB out of the picture there games are much easier so there players dont get as spent out as ours also they have a little known thing as the christmas break rejuvinating and helping recovery time for players imo the other leagues are much easier than the EPL

  30. 7.5m and Aspas and Alberto and Coates
    I am channeling my inner Ayre which means I will go out tonignt and spend $50 for a six pack of beer........

  31. Ive watched Montoya on the Spanish League games and he honestly didn't look that special...........am I missing something?

  32. ok..but then please explain why they all do so much better, and miles so; as if they are playing a gear lower than most of our teams, when there is a champs league or europe game...?
    ..champs league games are played against the ebst of the ebst if we are all so good and have so much competition in our league and their leagues are so cr*p then how do they get teh practice to do us...?
    ..no bro...they are efficient in the market and have a methodology to match...their coaches and development is far superior...why oh why cannot we follow at LFC given that we are not shy to shell out the cash...?

    ...answers on a postcard please...

  33. yeah man, we have the cash, we haven't been shy to spend...btu something just in the system from management up is amiss and I feel it almost got solved with Benitez when he butted heads against the bosses...but then he went off on some kind of very public mid-life crisis and fuc**d off his best mate ayesteran (probably accused him of touching his balls) and then as his psyche disintegrated so it reflected on our team....in the end it was a dribbling mess and Old red nose down the road had a great laugh....
    ...its gonna take someone with a strong mentality to sort this out..like i said either we get BR help or just have to get in a tough robust personality ...wish I knew bro...I wish I knew.....

  34. voice of reason2:59 am, May 30, 2015

    i'm not talking about LFC as we are imo total s*** i mean that they can clearly take there foot of the peddle for there league matches and reserve there energy for the tough europe games... do u remember when LFC played real madrid first leg (yup i am contradicting myself i know just using an example) when real played us it was clear they took there foot off the peddle after the first goal... thats what i mean they can hold back in big games and take the chances in the bigger games.... they are efficicient in the market but to say EPL is inferior is a lie theres a reason why EPL has so much more international fans than the other leagues....

  35. Martin Montoya is availble for £7 milion but why LFC never get him ? He is versatile wingback who can operate left or right side. You have option but why you just simply let him go ? Blind and stupid...

  36. What is wrong with Benteke ?? When he plays against You people start to S*!t yourselves when he gets anywhere near the ball, How many crosses do we have in our games when the ball goes over our small attackers ? (lots) crosses from our wingers, free kicks, corners and we have nobody there !! with an average 6 corners 6 free kicks and a lot of normal crosses, So if say we have 20 going in and Benteke only meets 10 and misses say 5 off target that is a good 5 chances of scoring, even when he has the ball it takes 2 to try and stop him and that should leave a man free, So I say Welcome Christian Benteke with open arms and say Thank you

  37. Why all this Wing Back stuff, Don't normal Fullbacks go down the wing ?? Playing so called wing backs does not work as it always leaves the backline exposed like it did all season, So get back to basics with four across the back a defensive midfielder and build from there.

  38. name a better right back mate?

  39. Nonsense. The England team has always been rubbish regardless of the individuals in it. Care to name a better right back than Clyne?

  40. Yet you want us to keep signing them even though you know all that. Wow....

  41. Yeah I knew that. But have Dolphins took over?

  42. Vouchers & Discounts9:51 am, May 30, 2015

    Didn't the great PHILOSOPHER say NO big man up front as it wasn't his PHILOSOPHY ?

    Seems his PHILOSOPHY has changed.

    AND he can take his PHILOSOPHY and PHLOSOPHISE somewhere else !!

  43. Vouchers & Discounts9:54 am, May 30, 2015

    Well I am.

    All we'd be doing is getting an almost finished player OFF their wage bill.

    They'll be laughing their socks off if he comes to us

  44. I'm hoping FSG turn out to be our hard hitting, get the job done kind of guys, made a good stab of it so far and can only imagine they're pretty frustrated with this last season and I can't see them not making drastic changes to get the job done if required.
    I'm also wishing I'd not missed the obvious start to my last reply; Holy emergencies DinMan, we've gotta get ourselves back to the top of the League, quick, to the BRatmobile :)

  45. Chris Rossington12:11 pm, May 30, 2015

    Who are the much better options that you speak of?