The bid
£22 million, or thereabouts; that is how much Manchester City have apparently decided Daniel Agger is worth, at least on the first try. Reports of the bid have recently surfaced after previous incidents of speculation, although who isn't linked with Manchester City?
Whether the bid is real, or even their interest it would be difficult to believe that the Manchester club are not going to re-enforce what is already an impressive - and cup winning - team. After all, their local rivals and teams most people pick for title contenders in the Premier League have all been recruiting since the transfer window opened - from Chelsea's injection of creative, speedy talent to Arsenal preparing themselves should their top talent leave for once and finally even the least impressive team of the lot (in the league at least), Liverpool, have not only acquired a highly promising manager but have made transfers to pique the interest of most fans of the game.
In the face of such competition it would be illogical for a club to not look to improve their squad, especially given the few - yet crucial - holes that were revealed last season:
- Centre Back - From an experienced and suspect medicine to a youngster greener than a well-kept football pitch it became obvious around the point of the hectic Christmas schedule that Roberto Mancini was not so spoilt for choice in the middle of his defence as he was out wide. There has been speculation of a loan move for Stefan Savic whilst Kolo Toure appears to be less out of favour than ever. If both were to leave the club during this transfer window in one form or another then that would leave their Italian manager with only two recognised central defenders to pick from as he attempts to win as many trophies as he can out of the four (plus Community Shield) on offer.
- Centre Forward - Not that it needs to be said to those not having lived under a rock for the past year or so but once again Roberto Mancini found himself lacking in options where he ought to have been spoilt for choice. From Super Mario's off-field shenanigans to a certain Argentinians union-esque behaviour and the maligned hot and cold specialist from Bosnia it really was a season where the Italian manager had the well-behaved Argentinian star forward to thank for digging his team out of a hole on more than one occasion.
- Defensive Midfield - Well what do you know, the younger Toure is not merely a big destructive power! As the less informed fans of the Premier League became preoccupied with the "revelation" that was Yaya Toure it soon became apparent that the imposing Ivorian would become something of a solitary figure when it came to the centre of his side's midfield. Nigel "WAX ON" de Jong went from star pupil to untrusted rogue, whilst the obvious limitations of the often under-rated yet always trusted Gareth Barry came to the fore against players of a clever nature. Thus it was that David Pizarro joined on a loan deal in January to add some much needed calm and at times clever passing to a midfield that had at times struggled to hold back the barrage of the high intensity league they called home. To cap it all off there are two words to explain this flaw in the Premier League winners: Owen Hargeaves.
Why Daniel Agger?
Of prime age (27 years old), sure footed, well rounded, versatile both positionally and tactically, captain of his national team and repeatedly linked with the top club in the world over his career and with the capacity to play anywhere on the position.
Oh, he is a centre back by trade.
Surely a bid of £22 million would be considered just about right, if not a little shrewd considering that the player in question - the aforementioned Mr. Agger - has yet to showcase the full array of his talents at the very top of the game and so is only likely to cost even more during the next few transfer windows?
Sadly for the Danish international, who is on the verge of a half century of caps, his time at Liverpool has seen him break down in front of the fiercely faithful fans on more occasions than is befitting a player of his undoubted quality. Although it is a worrying trend it can also not be forgotten that his current club do not have the best record of keeping the best physical care of their star players (names such as Fowler, Owen, Murphy, Gerrard and Torres come to mind) and he is still yet to reach the age where, by convention, a football player peaks in terms of time played on the pitch and the quality they show on it.
Then there is the predicament of the club itself. Liverpool has been nothing if not bountiful for journalists of the game over the past few years, lurching from mediocrity to crisis and back to mediocrity again, unceremoniously dumping arguably the most beloved of their many legends in the process. A lack of serious league-winning credentials since the heady days of when a certain blond-haired striker displayed a penchant for scoring in the vast majority of matches he played in, as well as a less than stable connection with Europe's premier competition have left players of great potential such as Agger in the presence of lesser competition more often than not. This is hardly the breeding ground for certified world class talent and yet with his fitness troubling in it could also be seen as a blessing in disguise; it could well be that he has worked past his injuries just in time to join a genuine top level team which has both a burning ambition to the best and an insurmountable level of finance burning a hole in their pockets to achieve their aims.
So it is that yet again a player who would presumably be perfectly happy where he is plying his trade may be looking at the choice of upgrading to not only real success but a significant boost to his financial future once his body decides that enough is enough; that Daniel Agger's body seems likely to say that sooner than most may very well be on the Danish captain's mind this summer.
'via Blog this'
The Player
Of prime age (27 years old), sure footed, well rounded, versatile both positionally and tactically, captain of his national team and repeatedly linked with the top club in the world over his career and with the capacity to play anywhere on the position.
Oh, he is a centre back by trade.
Surely a bid of £22 million would be considered just about right, if not a little shrewd considering that the player in question - the aforementioned Mr. Agger - has yet to showcase the full array of his talents at the very top of the game and so is only likely to cost even more during the next few transfer windows?
Sadly for the Danish international, who is on the verge of a half century of caps, his time at Liverpool has seen him break down in front of the fiercely faithful fans on more occasions than is befitting a player of his undoubted quality. Although it is a worrying trend it can also not be forgotten that his current club do not have the best record of keeping the best physical care of their star players (names such as Fowler, Owen, Murphy, Gerrard and Torres come to mind) and he is still yet to reach the age where, by convention, a football player peaks in terms of time played on the pitch and the quality they show on it.
Then there is the predicament of the club itself. Liverpool has been nothing if not bountiful for journalists of the game over the past few years, lurching from mediocrity to crisis and back to mediocrity again, unceremoniously dumping arguably the most beloved of their many legends in the process. A lack of serious league-winning credentials since the heady days of when a certain blond-haired striker displayed a penchant for scoring in the vast majority of matches he played in, as well as a less than stable connection with Europe's premier competition have left players of great potential such as Agger in the presence of lesser competition more often than not. This is hardly the breeding ground for certified world class talent and yet with his fitness troubling in it could also be seen as a blessing in disguise; it could well be that he has worked past his injuries just in time to join a genuine top level team which has both a burning ambition to the best and an insurmountable level of finance burning a hole in their pockets to achieve their aims.
More money, less problems
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