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Transfer Ticker: Liverpool seals Adam deal, City bidding for Lavezzi and more

Adam (Getty Images)

Liverpool appears to have finally landed Charlie Adam.

After a long chase that spans back to the winter transfer window, Liverpool and Blackpool have agreed on a transfer fee for the Scottish international, who was a consistent performer in the Premier League last season and whose set-piece potency was among the best in the league.

Adam still needs to pass a physical and agree to terms with Liverpool, but all signs point to him swapping out tangerine for red in the locker room for the upcoming season.

Liverpool was denied another midfield transfer, though, as Aston Villa has reportedly rejected its £15 million offer for midfielder Stewart Downing.

Here are a few more items from around the transfer market:

CITY BIDS FOR LAVEZZI, SIGNS SAVIC

Manchester City might have its replacement for Carlos Tevez already lined up.

Reports from England suggest that the Manchester club has submitted a bid for Napoli and Argentina striker Ezequiel Lavezzi. A key part of Napoli's proflic attack last season, Lavezzi played the role of creator for Edinson Cavani more so than the role of lead scorer, though he did find the net six times.

City, meanwhile, continues to fortify its defense by signing 20-year-old Montengrin defender Stefan Savic from Partizan Belgrade to a four-year deal. The move comes a day after the club completed its signing for former Arsenal left back Gael Clichy.

INTER INKS VELEZ STANDOUT

Inter Milan has added Argentine midfielder Ricardo Alvarez to its roster after agreeing on a £10.6 million fee with Velez Sarsfield for his services.

The 23-year-old Alvarez, a reported transfer target for Arsenal, is a playmaking midfielder and is the first coup for new Inter manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

QUICK KICKS

Valencia has benefitted from Almeria being relegated by pouncing on the opportunity to sign 22-year-old Argentine forward Pablo Piatti to a five-year contract once the player passes his physical. Piatti scored eight goals last season.

Former Lyon standout Sidney Govou is back in France after signing a two-year deal with recently promoted Evian Thonon Gaillard. He spent one season in Greece with Panathinaikos.

Ajax and Dutch international midfielder Demy de Zeeuw has left the Eredivisie for the pastures of the Russian Premiership, joining Spartak Moscow after the clubs reportedly agreed on a £6 million transfer fee.

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What do you think about the latest movement on the transfer market? Do you see Adam making as big an impact at Anfield as he did for Blackpool? Think Lavezzi would have success at Manchester City? Do you see Alvarez being an insurance policy in case Wesley Sneijder leaves Inter?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Man U success in previous years was built on British players I don’t disagree with that. However you said Man U IS a team built on British players which is were i disagree. Look at last seasons Man U roster and look at the potential roster for this year and moving forward that is no longer the case(I won’t insult you with listing the names since you say your knowledge is strong but look at how many potential starters Man U will have next season that are homegrown British players and how many they had last season). Lets not forget this all started because of a transfer Liverpool JUST made so I am not discussing what it took to win in 99. Liverpool use to have lots of success as well with British players but in this game if you don’t adapt you fall behind like seria A.

    Arsenal may crumble but every English team in the top 4 is filled with non British players. Just go through LAST seasons starting lineups not 99’s. I can believe this is even an issue when we are discussing the EPL if it were another league I could understand it but the EPL really!

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  2. Read my original statement, I they “built or bought British.” My knowledge is sound in the world of soccer and not just based around the EPL.

    Let me relate it to you this way. The MLS is a pretty tough league and many overseas players have come here and failed. A backbone of good solid MLS vets usually helps a team win.

    Another example – Arsenal. Most times they field not one single British player and you see how they wilt and crumble under the hard playing style of the EPL as the season goes on.

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  3. adams without a doubt deserves the chance to prove it at a big club and i wish him the best. in other tangerine news, where is dj campbell headed to? ive heard a bit of speculation and i hope his performances and 13 goals give him a shot at the prem

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  4. For that statement to include the fact that Man U IS a British team you should list current players. Your list mostly reflects the past.

    Rooney isn’t a homegrown player so to say Man U assembles itself with homegrown talent only adding a few sparks like Barca shows your lack of knowledge.

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  5. I am not saying any non British player is a step up that would be ridiculous. You still have assemble a good team with guys that perform that will include some British players for the English teams. However if Liverpool is going to rely on a predominantly British squad with guys like Adams doing the heavy lifting then there is limit to the success they can have.

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  6. What you are ignoring is the fact that Adam has proven he can play at a very high level in the Premiership.

    It’s not enough to be non-British.

    Aquilani, for example, may be more talented but he hasn’t shown he can flourish in the EPL. And Liverpool have a recent history with non- UK players who didn’t work out.

    Liverpool and most clubs can’t afford to risk spending money on supremely talented players who, for one reason or another can’t play up to their talent level in the culture of the EPL no matter where they come from.

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  7. I watched that game I know he is a great player I never said otherwise. However he isn’t the type of player to put Liverpool at the top again. If he comes off the bench that’s a different point then the notion that a squad of British players can be on top at this moment.

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  8. I like how you think Vidic, Van Der Sar, Nani, Hernandez, Park, Evra etc.. are just added flair to a homegrown British team(check the roster that many non British players is a lot more then added flair). I am not talking about Man U’s success from 99. If you follow this game at all you know a lot has changed in those 12 years. I really hope Liverpool does go heavy on British players then they can be as successful as the Brtish teams are in international competition. Meanwhile the top teams will continue to get non British talent. If homegrown talent means players brought up in Barca’s academies then you can build a team off of that but only Barca has that luxury at THIS point.

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  9. Jay,

    Go and watch blackpool vs. manunited from last year. Charlie Adam put 10 orange jersey’s on his back and almost beat the red devils. He did it all year vs every team. Having him even to come off the bench and spray the ball around is a luxary for any team.

    Yes, you do need something more than an all british team to beat barca.

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  10. Jay,

    I love the argument you make. Barca is also a squad full of mostly homegrown players who have been around together for ages. They have nearly the same model as Manchester. Build from within, add flair where needed, win.

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  11. Patrick,

    Giggs, Scholes, Brown, O’Shea, Beckham, Nevilles, Rooney and on and on. The backbone of Man U IS and was British with added flair around the edges. You think Man U has been around for only 5 years?

    It’s amazing the lack of knowledge on this blog.

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  12. Adams is worth a player for liverpool. he did enormously well last season. his pass, ability to control the ball and his free-kicks were outstanding…i hope he does do in his new club.

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  13. Indeed but the job of beating Barca doesn’t get easier with a squad of British players. You would need to look past that and make the best squad possible which would mean a lot of non British players. Besides even winning the EPL requires a squad that has lots of non British players that are a cut above Charlie Adams if you want to top teams like Man U. Manu U had lots of non British players in their starting 11 last season.

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  14. “It would be hard for a team that relies heavily on British players to win the champions league now”

    Dude, it’s hard for anyone not named Barcelona to win the Champions League now.

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  15. I would be dissapointed if lavezzi leaves Napoli. I was really looking forward to them competing in the champions league.

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  16. Yeah but the EPL and European football has changed since 99. It would be hard for a team that relies heavily on British players to win the champions league now. Barca, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Man U and Arsenal all rely on heavily on non British players in key roles. Liverpool or any other EPL team would have a hard time getting it done with a heavy dependence on British players now. Players like Charlie Adam are great players but they are a level below what you need to win a champions league now.

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  17. The Treble winning 99 team had Andy Cole, Nicky Butt, Beckham, Giggs, Sheringham, Neville, Scholes. Then Irwin and Keane were from Ireland but thats close enough.

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  18. Fair enough but its still a bit much to say Man U relied on British players for their success. Especially since Giggs is great for a spark but isn’t a day to day guy anymore.

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  19. giggs is welsh, van der sar is no englishmen, nor is ronaldo/nani/anderson/ park/chicharito, berbatov, vidic wes brown, john shea etc. They have some englishmen, but lets not get carried away here, the Man Utd of the past 5 years or so was not a “british” team.

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  20. Well, Cole is a wide player, and if Aquilani and Poulsen leave, they still have Spearing, Gerrard, Lucas, Henderson, Adam, and Meireles. Besides, I thought Kenny wanted to give Aquilani a chance and Poulsen said he wanted to stay…

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  21. Notice how Liverpool is going British? The great teams of the past were very British in nature. In fact, look at Manchester United in that much of their success was based on the British backbone they built/bought through the years. You may be able to add Chelsea into that mix as well but less so.

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  22. Aquilani and Poulsen are likely on the way out. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Joe Cole gone too. They’re going to be a lot better this year than they were last year. Hopefully Gerrard can stay healthy and they’ll be back to the top 4

    Reply

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