Man City to offer £8 million for Crouch (Mail)

Three words.

Sell sell sell.

I want to capture Ricardo Queresma!

Exactly my thoughts, but he costs £25mill at least

Push for £10 million and then settle for  £9 million.

Has anyone read Crouch's book thats just come out?

Im only a little way into it bu he seems a good lad who just wants play football - he is also funny as F**k

I wouldnt begrudge him wanting to leave for regular football but would be sorry to see him go, that said - I dont think he is a world class player and I would have simiilar feeling to him going as I did when Heskey left - nice bloke but he is someone elses problem now

Has anyone read Crouch's book thats just come out?

Im only a little way into it bu he seems a good lad who just wants play football - he is also funny as F**k

I wouldnt begrudge him wanting to leave for regular football but would be sorry to see him go, that said - I dont think he is a world class player and I would have simiilar feeling to him going as I did when Heskey left - nice bloke but he is someone elses problem now.

Sounds like a good read.

Anywhoo.

LFC.TV

RAFA: CROUCH IS NOT FOR SALE



Rafael Benitez has moved to end rumours surrounding the future of Peter Crouch by insisting: "He is not for sale."

Speculation has been rife that the Reds' striker will be heading for the Anfield exit door during the next transfer window after failing to establish himself as a first team regular this season.
 
But Benitez insists Crouch still has a big part to play at the club and isn't available for transfer.
 
"People have been talking about Peter Crouch for two months, but he is our player and we don’t want to sell him.
 
"He is a nice boy, a good professional, a good player. It is clear that this team now with four strikers creates more competition for places, but I don't have any problems because Crouch is a good player."
 
The Liverpool manager was also pleased to welcome Yossi Benayoun back to Melwood after the Israeli midfielder decided to return early from his country's training camp.
 
"He knows he needs to be training if he wants to be part of Saturday's team, so he was back training today," added Benitez.
 
"He was tired, but happy to be back."

Tell City to double their offer.......then we'll think about it!

Tell City to double their offer.......then we'll think about it!

Yeah, I'm wondering if that's part of the thinking behind it, but at the same time telling everyone 'this guy has a role to play for us'.

Agreed^^."He's not available for transfer.............. (ahem) for eight mill."

He is a s good as out of here. I wouldnt want to see that as a player, its a kiss of death! He is gone for 16 million in the summer im guessing.

Push for 11m and settle for 10m, try not to be greedy. Use the money and top up a few mil. to get another quality striker or winger.

Ok, I've said before that I don't know as much about the club as I'd like to, so I'm turning to you guys to inform me.  What are the reasons Crouch can't secure a starting spot?  Is it that he's just not playing good enough, or is it not meshing with the tactics on the pitch or what?

Ok, I've said before that I don't know as much about the club as I'd like to, so I'm turning to you guys to inform me.  What are the reasons Crouch can't secure a starting spot?  Is it that he's just not playing good enough, or is it not meshing with the tactics on the pitch or what?

Bit of both, I'd say. We now have other strikers who have improved the strike force, so from mainstay striker to bench warmer mostly for Peter. He has his uses, and in the event of injuries, we may yet see him more often, but things have significantly changed for him.

This business with refs picking on him is also a bit of a factor. Don't want to overstate the case, but it certainly doesn't help his chances of selection, and he doesn't always help matters by sometimes pleading innocent when he does foul opponents, as he did against Russia the other day after the most blatant shove. I don't like seeing that from anyone, but a Liverpool player! As EddieC said before, we expect a bit more class than that.

Could have been frustration. I do feel for the guy, and I'd like to see him turn it around, but success in football is less likely to be achieved through sentiment, so I think he will be gone by next season, but he may yet have an input in this one. We'll just have to see.

Like the guy, but if he wants to go then let him, and remember his good performances, like the hat-trick against Arsenal.

Looks like everybody is divided on Crouch, £8 millions seems cheap to me, after all he is an international player therefore you have to pay for this status, it's not me saying so, its the market...selling him for more then £12millions would be very difficult but around that price tag, it wouldn't be a bad move..

Clearly he wants to play and his commitment to the club is undeniable, the problem I think with Crouch is that when he plays it seems to limited the way we deal with the ball, we seems to loose that ability to pass the ball from the back to the forward without having to launch these long balls...On the plus side, he is a pain in the backside to mark for any defenders and in Europe he could be vital to have him as a joker..

If I was on the bench week in week out I'd want to leave as I'm sure you all would.  Rafa can't play him just to keep him happy, he has to be included for the right reasons. It seems Rafa has other ideas at present, right or wrong, he will stand or fall by his decisions. As for crouchie leaving, not for 8 mill, has to be closer to 12. Then we go in for Quaresma.

£8 million is a little low but I would certainly settle for £10m . hes not a bad player and seems a sound lad  , but I think his ego is getting a bit big and if he is not happy sitting on the bench for us then so be it , we will replace him.

The only logic in keeping him is because he offers another option on paper , by pumping it up when its a neccesity , but thats exactly why I would sell him because to be frank for such a big man , his heading is a joke and he prefers the ball to his feet and we have 3 better strikers than him who are capable of the same.

overall hes a decent player and he has serviced the club well but if he thinks he deserves better than to sit on the bench , which is fair enough , then he can leave to a smaller club

Sell him to Chelsea. 30 million in the bag. The way he plays makes the team drop in their performance. Sell him in January, 13-14 seems right.

Crouch must play v Besiktas... if he doesn't there is something wrong or he is def on his way in Jan...

Crouch must play v Besiktas... if he doesn't there is something wrong or he is def on his way in Jan...

I wouldn't be surprised at all if he was on his way in Jan. But then I wouldn't be surprised at all if he started with Torres against Besiktas.

Torres is out...Which means Crouch is almost a certainty to start against Besiktas....who will be his partner? Im hoping its Babel.

I don't think Babel and Torres wil work.

Yes you will all think up to Crouch to flick it on to Babel. Has that ever worked with Torres, Bellamy, Kuyt? No.

Babel plays one-twos, pass run, he is good on the floor. But at least if Crouch plays then Alonso should play so we don't get useless long ball by our defense.

If Torres is def out I would ask SG to play off Crouch up-front... Arbeloa and Fabio are also out apparently.

Team would be:

      PR

SF JC SH JAR

JP XA JM YB

    SG
        PC

Subs: Itadje, Hobbs, Lucas, Kuyt, Babel.

Does that make sense?

Hmm....no.
I'd rather play Benayoun as a second striker than Gerrard.

Hmm....no.
I'd rather play Benayoun as a second striker than Gerrard.

With Babel on wing? Maybe.... and SG in midfield instead of JM.