Raheem Sterling (Liverpool -> Man City)

Isn't that what top footballers (or more pointedly their agents) do George? And isn't that all the more reason to tie to a longer term contract?

Tell you what if £140k guaranteed 20 goals next season from the wing or midfield in the current climate I'd pay it if up to me.

Is it silly money? Of course.......but so is £40k a week!

Word is he is being offered 100k/week....might be more like 70-80k/week.

Fact is offering him 140k/week does not guarantee 20 goals next season...not even close.

Truth is there is 2.5 years left on his contract...if he signed 100k/week now and banged in 20 goals next season his agents would demand 150k/week the following year.

Sounds like Raheem's people want him to start off high and go higher before Raheem has done anything; it should not work like that.

Isn't that what top footballers (or more pointedly their agents) do George? And isn't that all the more reason to tie to a longer term contract?

Tell you what if £140k guaranteed 20 goals next season from the wing or midfield in the current climate I'd pay it if up to me.

Is it silly money? Of course.......but so is £40k a week!

Let's see if he is capable of delivering that sort of return first!

I know they don't live in the real world but you and I would not get a pay rise way over the odds based on telling the boss I'm going to brilliant next year.......

What exactly would you want him to have achieved at his age AZ?  An FA Youth Cup winners medal?  An u21's WC or UERO winners medal with England? 

He's just had his breakout season at 19 playing regularly during a title challenge.  Find me another player that has done this or is doing this in the last few years.

You complain about his lack of consistancy even Messi fu**ed up from time to time at 19.  They all do, it's part of their development, coaches would be more alarmed if they never made mistakes as that's how they learn.

As for his numbers well yeah ok maybe they don't seem that impressive but they're better than Ronaldo at 19 and he's been scoring at a 1 in 2 ratio since being moved to striker. 

Deb, they can renegotiate yearly if his agents so desire...as a club we can't just sit there and tell him " whatever you want Raheem...whatever you want"

We start doing that next thing you know its "I want 250k/week" after he knocks in 15 goals at age 20.

Honestly...I think Philippe is a far more important player to our club than Raheem...I truly believe that, I don't see Couts asking or getting 100k/week; so I cannot see why everybody wants to give Raheem whatever he wants in an effort keep him.

In the end we can give him everything he wants and he will still move on if that is where his head is at.

Of course we want World class players which in itself would mean world class outcomes - 5 goals in the League this season suggests he has some work to do yet.
We are offering to make him one of the highest paid 20 year old in world even before he achieves those world class levels.

Luis had already shown he was on another level, Raheem its all still future potential and I think we as a club have set a baseline of paying based on performance so when he knocks in consistently 20 goals a season and provides similar assists then i have no problem paying him the going rate.
I'm just not convinced on paying way over the odds on future potential.

If he was a striker I'd agree with you, 5 goals isn't enough however since he was moved to the strikers position he's scored at a 1 in 2 ratio which is pretty good.

Imo if we are offering less than 85k a week then we are trying to get him at below the going rate for a player of his ability at that age. He is already shown he is a key player for us for the last year, and he is going to get better. He is one of the best 2 or 3 young players in the world right now, and like it or not they cost big wages.

I would hope to get him for 90k but would definitely go as high as 100k if pushed.

If he's asking for more than this, then he's getting greedy, but I suspect he has not been offered 100k.
As we don't actually know though its kind of hard to say which party is pushing their luck.

I think Stevie's interview the other day where he implicitly criticised the club for not giving Sterling or Henderson new deals yet was interesting ( and maybe what prompted Brendan to start responding publicly).

My guess is that the owners are probably trying to get him to sign for just a tad below the market rate. There's probably not a huge gap in what they are offering and what he would take. In the end, if we aren't offering him 100k yet, then I think we will need to ( and we should).

The lad (as anyone with the gift of sight and an ounce of football nous will tell you) is a top player, a prodigious talent, who (excluding experience) has got the lot - game intelligence, skill, pace and strength. He can play out wide, as play-maker or through the middle. One of the best, young players in world football today.

That's why he's coveted; that's why top clubs want him. Lucky, for us, he's ours. And yet we have Liverpool 'football' fans arguing the toss whether or not he's worth paying the money which will keep him.  I don't know if I should laugh or cry. 

Put it like this - Pretend Raheem Sterling was a) at a different club (top, with ambitions of titles and/or Champions League) and b) we were looking to sign him (in the hope of competing for those 'titles')... Now - setting aside the ridiculous notion that we would actually compete, with other clubs, for his signature...How much do you reckon we'd have to pay?

Exactly.

Agree 100% Mouse.

Deb, they can renegotiate yearly if his agents so desire...as a club we can't just sit there and tell him " whatever you want Raheem...whatever you want"

We start doing that next thing you know its "I want 250k/week" after he knocks in 15 goals at age 20.

Honestly...I think Philippe is a far more important player to our club than Raheem...I truly believe that, I don't see Couts asking or getting 100k/week; so I cannot see why everybody wants to give Raheem whatever he wants in an effort keep him.

In the end we can give him everything he wants and he will still move on if that is where his head is at.

Not a very good message to be sending to our other potential wc players though is it.  Come play for us for peanuts and when you've proved your value to the team there'll still be some reason why we can't pay you that value.

But hey wtf at least we'll win the "financially moral trophy" or maybe the "we beat the mercenaries cup".

He's got 2 years on his contract.  Sounds like Liverpool have offered him a large increase and he's holding out for a phenomenal increase.  I don't think he is worth the kind of 6 figure sums being bandied about.

Not a very good message to be sending to our other potential wc players though is it.  Come play for us for peanuts and when you've proved your value to the team there'll still be some reason why we can't pay you that value.

But hey wtf at least we'll win the "financially moral trophy" or maybe the "we beat the mercenaries cup".

In your scenario then Deb, lets just be done with it and pay him like Messi & Ronaldo now because surely he must be worth it in the future; no reason to have to earn it or anything your.

"Your potential alone Raheem makes you one of the greats...here take anything you want because you deserve it"

In your scenario then Deb, lets just be done with it and pay him like Messi & Ronaldo now because surely he must be worth it in the future.

How much would we have to pay to sign another Raheem Sterling though AZ?

£20M odd and £80K a week?

How much would we have to pay to sign another Raheem Sterling though AZ?

£20M odd and £80K a week?

Pay him 80k week?...who is saying not to?....word is the 100k/week is not good enough.

So where do you stop Si?..125k/week?...150k/week

At what point does Raheem become not worth the money?

as a fan of lfc, i say give him the contract. couldnt care less about what he is is worth and what we are willimg to pay. let him go and he will go to one of our rivals. then we can shove that money where the sun dont shine, while holding our dick in our hands.

and no we wont be buying a world class player with that money, because we buy cheap and hope the player turns good. im tired of posts about the numbers, i swear there are more posts concering wages and fee then football itself. no im not against owners nor the manager. just tired of bullshitt.

Apparently £5mill a year with incentives. Sounds good to me but haven't broken it down to weeks. Not sure how many years either. Only read it in the Express yesterday. Not the best of sources I know, but whatever.

How much would we have to pay to sign another Raheem Sterling though AZ?

£20M odd and £80K a week?

And the rest. Bottom line if we let him go we cannot compete with the other sharks for a player of similar quality/standing In Todays market. That isn't speculation that's a fact.

And while we're at it, how many of yous who are pointing the finger at Sterling gave barely a second thought to the £20 million the club wasted on Lovren, the 8 million on Alberto, the 6/7 million that went on Aspas. All gambles, all failures (still time for Lovren but you get my point), all money wasted/overspent, money gone.

We know this kid can play, can score goals, has pace to burn, is versatile. He isn't a gamble, the money isn't a gamble is it? Not like every other transfer out there, they're all gambles. That's why we have to keep our best players at the club.

And the rest. Bottom line if we let him go we cannot compete with the other sharks for a player of similar quality/standing In Todays market. That isn't speculation that's a fact.

And while we're at it, how many of yous who are pointing the finger at Sterling gave barely a second thought to the £20 million the club wasted on Lovren, the 8 million on Alberto, the 6/7 million that went on Aspas. All gambles, all failures (still time for Lovren), all money wasted/overspent, money gone.

We know this kid can play, can score goals, has pace to burn, is versatile. He isn't a gamble, the money isn't a gamble is it? Not like every other transfer out there, they're all gambles. That's why we have to keep our best players at the club.

Exactly.

In your scenario then Deb, lets just be done with it and pay him like Messi & Ronaldo now because surely he must be worth it in the future; no reason to have to earn it or anything your.

"Your potential alone Raheem makes you one of the greats...here take anything you want because you deserve it"

And in yours we'll never have a wc player stay beyond 20.  Sorry no we'll never have a wc player because they'll be too old and expect too much money.

We've become a footballing finishing school for the rich clubs to take their pick, that's just F***ing great 

I firmly think Sterling missing tonight's game is connected with this situation.

as a fan of lfc, i say give him the contract. couldnt care less about what he is is worth and what we are willimg to pay.

Makes no sense this 

Though I think Raheem's agents would give you a big 

Makes no sense this 

I think he's saying that as a fan of LFC he'd be very open to the idea of keeping one of our best players.

I think I agree.

And in yours we'll never have a wc player stay beyond 20.  Sorry no we'll never have a wc player because they'll be too old and expect too much money.

We've become a footballing finishing school for the rich clubs to take their pick, that's just f**king great 

Then I will go along with you Deb and suggest we make him the highest paid player in the premiership and not even negotiate.

I believe Rooney is on 300k/week..and our offer should be 325k/week.

Then I will go along with you Deb and suggest we make him the highest paid player in the premiership and not even negotiate.

I believe Rooney is on 300k/week..and our offer should be 325k/week.

You know full well he won't be looking anything near that AZ.

Using extremes doesn't strengthen your point.

I think he's saying that as a fan of LFC he'd be very open to the idea of keeping one of our best players.

I think I agree.

So the question remains i posed to you Si...pay him whatever his people want without negotiations or reservations?

The offer it seems is 100k/week.

How much more should we pay?

Makes no sense this 

Though I think Raheem's agents would give you a big 

actually it does. i rate raheem and i want him to stay. he is on peanuts compared to the other players in top 4 teams. where we see our self.
i cant take you serious anymore, you defend every fsg move like it was your job. glorfying them like nazi propaganda.