Albert Riera

[Reslivo]

Liverpool have confirmed the deadline day signing of Spanish winger Albert Riera from Espanyol.
The Reds have beaten off competition from Premiership opposition to secure the 26-year old on a four year contract.
 
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is thrilled to have landed the former Espanyol man and is confident his new recruit will have no problems in adapting to life in Premiership football.
 
"Riera has the qualities we were looking for," said Benitez. "He's a left footer who normally plays on the left wing, he's good in the air, strong, powerful and a good crosser of the ball.
 
"He's the kind of player we have been talking about. He can beat players and get good deliveries into the area for our strikers.
 
"We've known about him for a long time, since he was at Mallorca and then through his career with Bordeaux, Manchester City and Espanyol.
 
"He can talk English and of course he knows the Premier League, which is a big bonus. Usually foreign players need time when they go to a new country, but Riera already knows the league and the style of football
 
"He also had offers from other English clubs but he said no to them because he wanted to come and play for us. That means a lot to me because it shows the commitment he has to play for Liverpool."
 
Riera will wear squad number 11 at Anfield.

Completed, we now have our winger. Thoughts?

[JD]

"He's a left footer who normally plays on the left wing.

But Rafa's going to play him right back.

[lil cisse]

Good signing, I think he will do well. Will be good to see how well he links up with Dossena, Aurelio and Insua.

Gets to keep his number from espanyol. Im glad he has signed.

[ayrton77]

Completed, we now have our winger. Thoughts?

First of all a warm welcome to (probably! ) our last signing this summer!  

Thoughts are that it will be a relief to have a left-footed player on the left-wing! I don't know if he'll be the answer to all of our recent problems of width but I don't see why we shouldn't see a significant improvment on that flank. Maybe we'll be a bit less predictable having a winger who doesn't cut inside every time he gets the ball!

What do people think about the impact on the rest of the squad? Babel to move to the right wing permanently, or to become super-sub and Carling/FA Cup starter? I'd hope for the first of the two options, but it's hard to see Rafa moving Kuyt upfront or to the bench more often.

[Shay]

1. Riera is known as Spain's answer to Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing but when among friends he goes by the nickname of 'Flossy.'
 
2. Albert was born on April 15, 1982 and shares his birthday with actress Emma Watson and former Blue Peter presenter Katy Hill.
 
3. Riera can boast to have matched new teammate Steven Gerrard's achievement of scoring in a UEFA Cup final. However, unlike Stevie, it would prove to be a bitter-sweet occasion for the winger, as Espanyol eventually succumbed to a penalty shoot-out defeat in the 2007 final against Sevilla. The match had ended 2-2 after extra-time.
 
4. Albert can already claim to have some Barclays Premier League experience having made 15 appearances for Manchester City after spending some of the 2005-06 season on loan at the club.
 
5. He made his Blues debut in a memorable 3-1 win at home to local rivals Manchester United on January 14, 2006. A similar result would be most welcome if he makes his Reds bow against the Red Devils on September 13.
 
6. Riera managed just one goal under City boss at the time Stuart Pearce, when he opened the scoring in a 3-0 win at home to Newcastle on February 1, 2006.
 
7. Guillem Balague believes the winger will make the most of his second spell in the Premier League after claiming City did not take full advantage of the 26-year-old's strengths. "He was not given the opportunity to play in his natural, attacking, position at City," he wrote on his website. "He spent his time there being used as a wing back: his natural position is a winger in a 4-2-3-1 formation."
 
8. Albert hails from the island of Mallorca and comes from a town called Manacor, which incidentally, is the same place where tennis star Rafael Nadal was born.
 
9. Riera has already sampled the famous Anfield atmosphere after playing 77 minutes of City's 1-0 defeat away to Liverpool in the 05-06 campaign. Harry Kewell was the Reds' goalscorer that day while Joey Barton was sent off for the visitors.
 
10. Albert scored his one and only international goal in Spain's 3-1 win away to Denmark in a European Championship qualifier on October 13, 2007. He has five caps for his country to-date.



Flossy?

[Reslivo]

I have been looking forward to this news all day to be honest. More width, more of a challenge. Now just stick Babel on the right until we get a decent RW.

[baines77]

Thats good news!!!  hope he does well for us.

does anyone else think the arsenals viera song  would be good, bit obvious like??

"reira wo wo wo wo,"
"reira wo wo wo wo,"
"He came from Espanyol"
"To the blue sh*te he said NO!!" 

[Billo]

When we were first linked with him, everybody was saying that he is just a smoke screen. But I am glad we have signed him, left footed and can beat his man. just hope he doesnt cut in from left, more crosses would do fine. Has anybody seen him play for espanyol? his strengths and flaws? not asking about his short period of time in city.

[xabigerrard]

Thats good news!!!  hope he does well for us.

does anyone else think the arsenals viera song  would be good, bit obvious like??

"reira wo wo wo wo,"
"reira wo wo wo wo,"
"He came from Espanyol"
"To the blue sh*te he said NO!!" 

  Good one
  well
 WELCOME  TO LIVERPOOL ALBERT
  hope he makes an immadiate impact

[Scouse pie]

First of all a warm welcome to (probably! ) our last signing this summer! 

Thoughts are that it will be a relief to have a left-footed player on the left-wing! I don't know if he'll be the answer to all of our recent problems of width but I don't see why we shouldn't see a significant improvment on that flank. Maybe we'll be a bit less predictable having a winger who doesn't cut inside every time he gets the ball!

What do people think about the impact on the rest of the squad? Babel to move to the right wing permanently, or to become super-sub and Carling/FA Cup starter? I'd hope for the first of the two options, but it's hard to see Rafa moving Kuyt upfront or to the bench more often.

Nah, I'm sure Rafa will stick with Kuyt on the right wing! I think he'll alternate babel between the striker or left wing tbh. But rightt wing would be a good idea with Riera on the left wing.

[dunlop_liddell_shankly]

I've got to be honest I'm not overwhelmed. I don't know how he performed in Spain, I don't follow football outside of Britain, so I can only go on his form for Man City which was little less than useless. He showed nothing as to why another Premiership club would want him. So my initial reaction isn't exactly one of great joy however I hope he has come on since those days at City. I hope he is the answer to our left wing problems.

Welcome to Anfield Albert.

[DOOLEY]

good stuff
little more width
lets be honet we were never gunna get silva

yay we boguht sumone

good luck MR Riera

[graham135uk]

I hope he is a good signing for us, with Dossena, and Riera on the left, it is what we have been missing.

That would put Keane back in the middle, where we would get the best out of him.

As a lot of you said, I would like to see Bable on the right.

But Rafa's going to play him right back.

  you could be right.

[LFC Viking]

I don't think we should rest all our hopes on him, but I do hope that he sorts out our left wng.
Looking forward to seeing him play.

Welcome Albert!  

[JD]

I have been looking forward to this news all day to be honest. More width, more of a challenge. Now just stick Babel on the right until we get a decent RW.

When Gerrard returns from his injury Benitez will be putting him on the right.  With Mascherano and Xabi in the middle the fact remains that Liverpool's best right winger is still Steven Gerrard.

Welcome to Anfield, Albert!

[ayrton77]

When Gerrard returns from his injury Benitez will be putting him on the right.

Whilst this would be common sense, is it just specualtion? Because we had Masch and Alonso for the game against Villa, but we still had Kuyt on the right. Don't see what Riera's arrival would have on the positioning of these 3 players?