Names we’ve been linked to: Ji-Sung Park, Lucas Leiva, and Christian Poulsen.
It has been uncharacteristically quiet in terms of rumors about Fabiano or Navas. I’m sure these rumblings have been more subdued given their current injury status. And there’s still plenty of time for that to change…
Any thoughts on the three guys up top? Park has been really good this year, though I’m not sure he’s really the type of player we need right now. Poulsen we obviously know, and might add some poise to the middle, but I’m not sure about the attack. And Lucas I don’t know at all.
Thoughts?
park’s contract ends 2011 (the daily mail thinks we’d pick him up on a free?), he’s a very high-profile player with the kind of experience the club could really use, and he’s not so old that he’s coming here as part of a retirement plan. but on the other hand, do we need another winger? while i love the idea of bringing in people to the club who are used to a certain level of play and who expect to play in the CL/compete for league titles every year, i feel like it’s guaranteed bringing in a high-end winger is going to cost us capel or alfaro or perotti, which i’d hate.
poulsen would be great if we’re making a profit–anyone remember how much we sold him for in the first place?
leiva is very interesting. somehow i can’t see us pulling a 23-year old off liverpool, but they’ll probably need to make space and money for whatever panic signings they’re going to make in january, so…
Lucas might benefit from leaving Anfield…seems like he becomes the whipping boy for fan frustrations there quite often and not always deservedly. I think he could potentially play in the middle as well–pair him with DZ and ship Renato off somewhere.
I see Park as a fine player but more of a complementary piece–he is not a player you would build around, but rather the sort who makes a team a wee bit better every time he is out there. On a free, great–otherwise, as Jeremy said, another winger can’t be high on the priority list.
I’d take Poulsen for what we sold him for…I’ve always liked him.
I like the sound of bringing in disgruntled but good players. And we have a game at 6GMT today. I don’t have time to do a preview but I could be here for some of it.