Liverpool

[Dunny]

Welcome aboard: Toure completes free switch to Liverpool from Manchester City


By Dominic King
PUBLISHED: 16:08, 28 May 2013 | UPDATED: 20:10, 28 May 2013 138 shares
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Kolo Toure will officially become a Liverpool player on July 1 after he completed a medical ahead of his move to Anfield.
Liverpool have agreed in principle a two-year deal with Toure, who has taken a drop in the £90,000 a week salary he was being paid by Manchester City.

His contract expires on June 30 and the formalities of the free transfer will be completed then.

To the rescue: Kolo Toure is set to complete his move to Liverpool from Manchester City



Brendan Rodgers is anxious to bolster Liverpool’s defence in the wake of Jamie Carragher’s retirement and while Toure does not fit the profile of players who Liverpool sign under Fenway Sports Group, the 32-year-old will provide experienced cover.
Liverpool's need for fresh faces at the back is further accentuated by Skrtel's uncertain future at the club.
Speaking this week the Slovakian, who signed from Zenit St Petersburg in 2008, has revealed he is ready to consider offers to leave.

Huge loss: Jamie Carragher has retired after over 15 years in Liverpool's first team


'I have not had any specific offers,' he said. 'But if some should come and they interest me, I would probably ponder it seriously. [But] I do not want to be that specific.
'The club has the biggest say in this in any case, because they have the right for it with me being contracted.
'Besides, I am not saying that I want to leave at any cost. I feel sorry for what happened in this season. But I have been here for five-and-a-half years and I have built a position here.


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[Dunny]

Liverpool set to clinch signing of Celta Vigo striker Aspas after agreeing £7.7m fee


By Paul Collins
PUBLISHED: 18:52, 29 May 2013 | UPDATED: 18:52, 29 May 2013 8 shares
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Liverpool have agreed a £7.7million fee with Celta Vigo to sign 25-year-old striker Iago Aspas.

Aspas - who will play in relegation-threatened Celta's final game of the season against Espanyol on Saturday - will fly into Liverpool next week to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical.

Aspas has attracted interest from Swansea and Valencia but Brendan Rodgers has moved quickly to beat off competition for the 25-year-old, who has netted 12 goals in La Liga this season.
Scroll down to watch video


Striking it rich: Aspas has been a revelation in his first La Liga season



In-demand: Swansea and Valencia were keen on securing the 25-year-old's services

Rodgers was keen to add to his striking options with Luis Suarez's ban for headbutting Branislav Ivanovic ruling him out of the start of the next campaign, leaving Daniel Sturridge and Fabio Borini as the club's only remaining frontmen.

Like his new team-mate Suarez, Aspas is no stranger to controversy. He recently received a four-match ban for headbutting Deportivo defender Carlos Marchena.

VIDEO: Watch Aspas headbutt Deportivo's Marchena


Aspas came through the ranks at Celta, making his debut in 2008 and top-scoring with 23 league goals last season as the club were promoted back to the Spanish top flight.

Celta are one point adrift of safety heading into Saturday's clash at home to Espanyol.


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[Dunny]

Celta Vigo striker Aspas arrives in Liverpool for medical ahead of £7.5m switch


By Graeme Yorke
PUBLISHED:11:54, 11 June 2013| UPDATED:13:03, 11 June 2013
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Iago Aspas is expected to complete his £7.5million switch to Liverpool later on Tuesday after undergoing a medical.

The Celta Vigo striker, who scored 12 goals in the Primera Division last season, cancelled a scheduled holiday to talk terms with the Reds this week.

Aspas, 25, who arrived in England on Monday night, told Marca.com: 'I was forced to cancel my holiday in the Caribbean, but the reason I did more than justifies why. When I heard of Liverpool's interest I did not hesitate even for a minute.'




Suited and booted: Iago Aspas is expected to complete his £7.5million switch to Liverpool later on Tuesday






Welcome to Merseyside: Aspas arrives at Liverpool (left) ahead of his switch from Celta Vigo






He added: '(Liverpool) is one of the biggest clubs in the world and although I had offers from Italy and Portugal and other countries I decided my future was in English football.'

The Merseyside outfit have agreed a fee of £7.5m for the left-footed forward, who would ask his potential team-mates for help in tackling the English language.

'I hope I will get help from (Jose) Reina, Suso, Dani Pacheco, Luis Suarez, (Philippe) Coutinho, Lucas Leiva and Jose Enrique,' he added. 'I'm calm, but at the same time I'm very emotional about taking such an important step in my career.



Scouting report: Skilful, deadly and a bad-boy reputation... Aspas has all the qualities to be the new Suarez


By Pete Jenson
PUBLISHED:14:54, 11 June 2013| UPDATED:15:48, 11 June 2013


The hyperactive performances, the twisting and turning inside the area in impossible spaces, the speed, the sorcery, the bravery against bigger opponents and the red card for a headbutt during his team's biggest match of the season, not for nothing are the comparisons being drawn between Iago Aspas and Luis Suarez.

To put Aspas, who will turn 26 just before the new season starts, in the same category as a player who single-handedly took his country to a World Cup semi-final and then led them to victory in the Copa America would be an exaggeration.



On his way: Iago Aspas arrives for his Liverpool medical

Aspas is a long way from the Spain national side but his raw talent suggests in Brendan Rodgers' hands he could develop into at very least a more than effective 'Suarez-lite' and with some of the Uruguayan's more self-destructive traits added for good measure.

Celta Vigo's number 10 scored 12 goals in 33 starts in the league last season – not bad for a player who would have preferred to have played off the striker and may have been able to do so if loan signing Park Chu-Young, borrowed from Arsenal, had not been so poor. He started only eight games.

In what was his last season for Celta, Aspas lit-up the club's Baliados stadium with some outstanding performances; but he also lost his head in their biggest game of the season, almost costing them their place in the top-flight.

It was back in March when they visited neighbours Deportivo de la Coruna. They needed Aspas at his best in what was a local derby and a relegation six-pointer.
But despite the enormity of what was at stake – both Celta and their opponents Deportivo were in the bottom three with just 10 games left – Aspas let everybody down.




Star man: Aspas helped keep Celta in the top-flight





Ready-made replacement: Aspas has similar attributes to Liverpool's Luis Suarez


After what looked like an innocuous clash in the penalty area with veteran defender Carlos Marchena he bent down and head-butted the former Spain international leaving referee Carlos Velasco with no option but to pull out the red card. Celta were down to ten men, after just 29 minutes.

They lost the game 3-1 and Aspas was banned for four of Celta's remaining nine games. He was fined by the league and by his club and when he came back four games later he was straight back in trouble booked for diving, so ruling him out of the next game.

The yellow in that 1-0 win over Levante that he inspired was harsh – like Suarez his reputation at times goes before him. And like Suarez what he does on the pitch more than makes up for his moments of madness.

Celta needed to win their last two games of the season to stay up and both were won largely thanks to outstanding performances form Aspas.

He scored a penalty to wrap-up a 2-0 win over Valladolid in the penutlimate game of the season and then in the final match he was superb again setting up Natxo Insa with the goal that – courtesy of neighbours Deportivo's defeat – kept Celta up.

As it turned out his red card had neither been enough to condemn Celta or save Deportivo. He was a hero on the last day and not the villian.

He will return a hero whenever he goes back to Vigo – a local boy made good, his excesses forgiven by his own supporters becasue of his brilliance.


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[Dunny]

Liverpool confirm Simon Mignolet's transfer from Sunderland has been completed

25 Jun 2013 21:00Busy boss Brendan Rodgers "delighted that we have been able to sign one of the top goalkeepers in the Barclays Premier League"




Simon says... yes! Mignolet is now a Liverpool playerLFC


Liverpool have announced the signing of Sunderland and Belgium goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Also linked with Arsenal this summer after helping the Black Cats avoid relegation last season, Mignolet has become the latest new arrival at Anfield this summer and the club has tweeted a picture of him posing in their kit.
The 25-year-old, who spent three seasons at Sunderland, passed his medical and has agreed terms on a five-year deal to challenge Spain international Pepe Reina for the job as the Reds’ No 1.
“I’m delighted that we have been able to sign one of the top goalkeepers in the Barclays Premier League,” said Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
“Simon will join a club that will give him an opportunity to demonstrate and improve his huge talent.”
Battling with Reina - if the Spaniard who has been linked with Barcelona doesn't leave - is not a problem for Mignolet.
"Competition can only be a good thing," he told Liverpool's official website. "I've been in big competitions wherever I've been - in Belgium with the national team and in Sunderland with Craig Gordon and Keiren Westwood, who are international goalies.
"Now it's the same again with Pepe and with Brad Jones.
"It's only a good thing - to be competitive and to train as hard as you can, it can only bring the best out of you.
"Pepe is an experienced goalkeeper who has proven a lot over the years. I'm looking forward to working with him, the same as I am with Brad and the goalie coach.
"It's a challenge, but that's what you want. You want to play in the big games, you want to play for a big club and to play with pressure.
"I'm very confident in myself and I can't wait to get the first clean sheet under my belt.
"I've never been a nervous person. I'm quite confident in my own abilities."
Mignolet's arrival follows hot on the heels of the Reds buying Sevilla midfielder Luis Alberto and another La Liga prospect, Celta Vigo forward Iago Aspas.
Rodgers is also bringing in ex-Arsenal and Manchester City defender Kolo Toure on a free to add experience to his back-line following Jamie Carragher's retirement



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[Karl]

Excellent 'keeper!
Sunderland will have a hard time getting a replacement up to Mignolet's very high standard.