Under the ownership of NESV and John Henry, Liverpool have undertaken a massive and expensive rebuilding programme. The club are certainly on the up at the minute and Kenny Dalglish’s return to management after an 11-year absence from the game has gone as well as could be hoped by this point. However, in a recent interview, owner John Henry alluded to the fact that the club may have overpaid for some its talent – is this a theory that holds up upon closer inspection?
The genial Henry argued: “There was a lot of criticism in Boston that we weren’t going to spend money on the Red Sox after we did the LFC transaction. We spent something like $300m in the off-season in Boston, and then there was the fear we wouldn’t spend in Liverpool. It is really surprising, ironic, to be now accused of overspending. Usually owners are accused of the opposite.”
Of course, he was referring as much to the Boston Red Sox’s expenditure as Liverpool’s, but the creeping suspicion that the owner may feel that the club have failed to achieve value for money is something that has seeped through to the terraces.
Since January last season the club have spent £112.8m on transfers while recouping £77.95m, giving a net spend (for all you Rafa Benitez fans out there) of just £34.85m. It’s difficult to argue against the fact that the quality of the squad has increased. There is more strength in depth and competition for places. The result has seen Liverpool slowly but surely climb up the table and become a force to be reckoned with once again.
A lot has been made of Sporting Director Damien Comolli’s role at the club and his preference for the Moneyball system of using statistics to back up the club’s scouting network system with regards to purchasing players.
The big elephant in the room with this theory has been the poor performances of Andy Carroll who cost the princely sum of £35m. Comolli stated that Carroll’s price was somewhat irrelevant as the club were always prepared to pay £15m less than whatever Torres was eventually sold to Chelsea for. However, this does seem a tad disingenuous, because if Liverpool had sold Torres, for say, £25m, Newcastle would have flat out refused to sell Carroll for £10m.
Comolli argues that: “The whole principle is about creating value, and managing to find a player in the market who is underestimated financially compared to his stats.”
Taking a look at Liverpool’s purchases since this policy was implemented and it is fair to say that there is a mish-mash of bargains, gambles on future potential and those that appear to be justifying their price tag. About par with any other football club, then. Let’s take a closer look at the individuals.
Jose Enrique has solved Liverpool’s long-running problem at left-back since the departure of John Arne Riise at a cost of just £6m and Luis Suarez has been magnificent since his £22.8m move from Ajax – making a mockery of the those that questioned whether he’d be able to make the transition from the Eredvisie to the Premier League smoothly.
Charlie Adam looks to be a decent squad member and at £8m, he certainly delivers an end product in terms of goals and assists, but with just one-year left on his deal and at a relegated club, you’d have hoped Liverpool could have got him for fractionally cheaper. Still, while people, myself included, may have their reservations on whether he has the sufficient quality to take Liverpool forward, he looks to be a favourite of Dalglish’s in his new-look Liverpool side this season.
Stewart Downing is simply not worth £20m, though. There’s no other way around it. He lacks the pace to truly trouble a top quality full-back and his delivery can range from the fantastic to the feeble. Liverpool have certainly overpaid with him, but to be fair, Villa’s price estimation was driven up largely because of the earlier departure of Ashley Young in the same transfer window – a player Liverpool are said to have prioritised over Downing and subsequently missed out on.
Promote Kenny Dalglish as Director Of Football and appoint Frank Rijkaard As NEW LIVERPOOL MANAGER!!!
please don’t!
Carrol what a waste of money and Henderson 55m and sitting on the bench what a total waste of money kenny
No it isn’t. Too soon to make this kind of determination!
Impatience rules!
The only difference between a benched Carroll or Voronin is that one cost £35mln while the other was free but on the pitch they make the same contribution, they both watched the game from a box seat on the pitch.
Give the kid a moment. You might yet eat your words on Andy!
kopking shut the fuck up you dont know if they are a waste of mone yet look how long it took berbatov at united etc so shut the fuck up and akash you can go and fuck yourself you clearly know fuck all about football dalglish is a much better manager than rikjaard 3 league titles 2 fa cups- with liverpool as manager premier league title with blackburn -as manager and avereges of a top 3 inish throughout his short managerial career but no your right im sure rikjaard has won many english league titles and before you go on about spanish cups champions league guess what prick he was managing barcelona anyone would look good managing them even hodgson so fuck off you little fool im getting fed up of foreign morons like you doubting dalglish when you clearly know fuck all about him
Amen !!
Voronin was a better player than Caroll.He generally don’t always fell down when collapsing with other players.You could see Caroll is very very Big like John barnes Late games.So kk must pick a whip now and beat caroll like a horse to lose the fattest player in lfc.
You sound like a 10 year old manc! Mate…
Your forgetting that the net spend could be reduced further with the sale of Aquilani and Cole. Downing has been disappointing. Statistically he has produced 0 goals 0 assists. I have optimism on Carroll though. I truly believe he can come good. Players usually show up around 23, thats when they are really in the zone. But most of them fall before that because of the support and pressure of fans that keep jumping on their back. Look at United, I don’t see the same pressure on their youngsters as I do with Liverpool’s and they are the defending champs. Sure they look better than Livepool’s youngsters, but anyone can see that Carroll and Henderson are low on confidence, they need support!
We Spend roughly close to 100 mil for players. My fear is, what if that is the only money that the owners are going to spend then We are stuck with bunch of average players. Personally i think the American owners do not have the money to compete with the big teams. So the chance of getting the title back to Liverpool is really slim even our players dont believe it (Suarez). If we dont make it to top 4 then we are in trouble.
Reading these messages are making me chuckle because we are only 8 games into the season! Spurs aside, we have done well. The players have to gel and that can take time, unless you’re constantly buying in the top bracket of players like man city. We have beaten Arsenal (away) and drawn with Man Utd. We beat Everton (away) too! We could have easily knicked all the points against united at the death – Kuyt’s chance, Hendo twice. Yeah, we should beat Stoke all day long, but they are a good, organised team, especially at home. Carroll and Downing were pricey, but I guess the theory is to supply Andy with crosses. I’m sure it will all come together, especially with Enrique marauding up the left wing too. Gerrard is like a new signing now too. Hope he can stay fit!!! His name on our teamsheet will lift all our players before a match. Chillax fellow kopites! We are well on course for top 4, and then the door opens up for the top players, doesn’t it…….
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