Philipp Degen Player Thread

very very depressing signing cant believe people on here are happy with this signing arsenal scum and chelsea fans are laughing at us chelsea spend 16 on botswinga utd will prob buy alves and we buy some reject from dortmud who were close to relegation and he couldn't make the team, we can forget about the league for another year thanks hicks u clown

Do as Redkenny suggests, check the price   

Can't get any cheaper than free !!

hes a free because his contract ends 1st july i believe 

One thing that worries me.

"He is an offensive player with great energy and a winning mentality. His strength is going forward and I am confident he will be prove to be a quality addition to our squad."

Wasn't the whole idea to sign a RB or LB that had a defensive style of play?!?!  Just a thought.

But I surpose if he was free...

heres the link

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/7409840.stm

Liverpool to sign defender Degen

The Switzerland international defender will move to Anfield on 1 July when his current deal with the German club ends.

The 25-year-old former Basel player will compete with Alvaro Arbeloa and Steve Finnan for the right-back berth.

"His strength is going forward," Anfield manager Rafael Benitez told Liverpool's website.

"He is an offensive player with great energy and a winning mentality.

"He also played in the Champions League during his time with Basel and so is used to top-level football."

Degen - whose twin brother David plays for Basel - has made 26 appearances for Switzerland since making his international debut in 2005.

He spent three seasons at Dortmund, making 70 appearances before opting to move to Anfield.

"When I received the offer from Liverpool, there was no doubt I would accept it," said Degen.

"They are one of the biggest clubs in the world and I am looking forward to the challenge of establishing myself there and playing in the best league there is."

Remember-In Rafa we trust.

Not sure what to think about this to be honest, never even heard of the lad before a couple of days ago but if hes on a free why the F**k not..

Welcome to Liverpool and good luck, like any player I hope he does well and proves to be a good addition to the team!

Hopefully he can add some real pace to the wide position, stay fit for the season and I think it would be nice to see him play in the Euro's for the Swiss so we can get a look at what he can bring to the table.

Haven't heard of him before, but if Rafa believes he is good enough to play for us then so be it.

Hope he turns out to be a good player.

Welcome to Liverpool Mr. Degen!

I can honestly say I am not happy with this signing, we can do alot better than him. I think this because of how unkown he is. but to be fair I have never seen him play and he might turn out to be a great player and become a key figure in the team. its like voronin, got him on a free and only time will tell. hopefully he is 100 times better than that long haired mug though.

How can you be unhappy with the signing if you have no idea what the player is like? Chelsea signed Micheal Ballack on a free so just because of our problem with one player we got a free, you shouldn't assume he isnt a good player.

How can you be unhappy with the signing if you have no idea what the player is like? Chelsea signed Micheal Ballack on a free so just because of our problem with one player we got a free, you shouldn't assume he isnt a good player.

If he  was a world class player then there would be alot of talk about him and would have been having alot of top clubs after him, there are many players world class players in his position such as alves and if Hicks is going to do what he said and that was provide funds then we should be going after players such as alves. Regarding ballack, if you look back on his 1st season and a bit at chelsea you will see he struggled and had trouble adapting and that is why there wa a lot of talk about him finding a new club.

also to be fair i never said he wasnt a good player, i just said we can do better than him and i also said time will tell as to whether or not he is a good capture.

Either he turns out like Voronin or like Ballack has for Chelsea. Let's hope it's the latter, but I'm not going to judge just because he's free like others on here are doing. Some people have been saying they've never heard of that Dossena lad either, but because there's a price tag of 8m slapped on people automatically think he's worth it. If we had to pay 5million for this guy would you guys be so cynical? Give the lad a chance...

*edit* again, and read what Rafa has to say. By not spending large amounts of money on players with heavy competition like the right back spot has, we've got more money to spend on other areas where quality is more in requirement.

I respect all our fans ambitions for us to progress as a club but i think we need to give up on the world class signings. We have all seen from our targets and the transfer budget that we arent going to get them.

Im just putting all my trust in rafa now, we all know the owners arent going to cough up alot more money so we arent going to get world class signings. Im sick of the way the owners are treating our club and it is making things look grim, we need more money and i have no idea where it is going to come from. Im trusting in rafa to find us some more players like agger and skrtel to improve our squad. If rafa is willing to shell out as much as £8 million on Dossena then he must have seen something promising in him.

IRWT

I hope he doesnt turn out to be a Swiss Roll!

Nah, seriously, give the lad a chance before you write him off.

How many people had heard of Skrtl before we signed him?

I respect all our fans ambitions for us to progress as a club but i think we need to give up on the world class signings. We have all seen from our targets and the transfer budget that we arent going to get them.

Im just putting all my trust in rafa now, we all know the owners arent going to cough up alot more money so we arent going to get world class signings. Im sick of the way the owners are treating our club and it is making things look grim, we need more money and i have no idea where it is going to come from. Im trusting in rafa to find us some more players like agger and skrtel to improve our squad. If rafa is willing to shell out as much as £8 million on Dossena then he must have seen something promising in him.

IRWT

Excellent call lil cisse, you've summed up the current situation and my feelings in a nutshell. This summer it's obvious we aren't going to get any big names coming to the club, because big names=big bucks, and whilst Hicks and Gillett are supposed to be so F***ing rich they aren't putting another dime in the club IMO.

We have to trust Rafa's judgement, and of course the scouts that work for him constantly following players around the world. Let them do what they're paid for: finding the right talent for the club based on the funds we have available. Rafa isn't a mug, he must have had a shortlist prepared of players he wanted for various prices, based on who would be owning the club when the transfer window opened. He can't just have been sat back hoping for £XX million to spend at will.

IRWT

Excellent call lil cisse, you've summed up the current situation and my feelings in a nutshell. This summer it's obvious we aren't going to get any big names coming to the club, because big names=big bucks, and whilst Hicks and Gillett are supposed to be so F***ing rich they aren't putting another dime in the club IMO.

We have to trust Rafa's judgement, and of course the scouts that work for him constantly following players around the world. Let them do what they're paid for: finding the right talent for the club based on the funds we have available. Rafa isn't a mug, he must have had a shortlist prepared of players he wanted for various prices, based on who would be owning the club when the transfer window opened. He can't just have been sat back hoping for £XX million to spend at will.

IRWT

Exactly. Another thing that keeps coming to mind is the meeting he had with the owners to discuss targets, I cant stop thinking what rafa must have had to do and it saddens me to see it. Surely he either went in with his first choice targets and they told him its not possible or he went in with cheaper alternatives because he knew they would be tight with money.

I feel sorry for rafa having to work with so much restriction on what he can do. I really hope he leads us to the league title next season it would prove alot of people who doubt him wrong. I'd love to see the sky sports people e.g. matt le tiss, eat their words and stop criticising us all the time.

I trust in rafa 100%, whatever he does I will have faith in him to do well.

IRWT

Exactly. Another thing that keeps coming to mind is the meeting he had with the owners to discuss targets, I cant stop thinking what rafa must have had to do and it saddens me to see it. Surely he either went in with his first choice targets and they told him its not possible or he went in with cheaper alternatives because he knew they would be tight with money.

I was thinking what it would have been like to have been a fly on the wall in that meeting... I don't know if I would have liked to have seen it or not. I really wonder how it went, if Hicks was upfront with Rafa about the situation, or if he tried to fake him out like he did the press by saying he would back up Rafa's requests.

I think they must have been honest with one another, at least from Rafa's perspective. I imagine he went in saying that ideally he'd want certain players, but that he knew he wouldn't get them, and gave an alternative list. He has remained very noble throughout, after all he didn't come out in the press and moan about it all, even with the pressure he is under at times to deliver the results without the same means as the other top clubs.

I was thinking what it would have been like to have been a fly on the wall in that meeting... I don't know if I would have liked to have seen it or not. I really wonder how it went, if Hicks was upfront with Rafa about the situation, or if he tried to fake him out like he did the press by saying he would back up Rafa's requests.

I think they must have been honest with one another, at least from Rafa's perspective. I imagine he went in saying that ideally he'd want certain players, but that he knew he wouldn't get them, and gave an alternative list. He has remained very noble throughout, after all he didn't come out in the press and moan about it all, even with the pressure he is under at times to deliver the results without the same means as the other top clubs.

Yeah true it would have been strange to see how it had turned out.

I think we are heading in the right direction. The first two signings we have targeted are one of the main things we are lacking, especially in our current formation, Attacking wing backs. I've watched a video of Degen today and although videos arent the best way to judge, he does look like he isnt afraid to attack. He has the pace to get up the field and also to get back and he likes to link up with the right mid by the looks of things, playing a quick one two then putting in a cross for players in the box to get on the end of.

Dossena from descriptions that people that have seen him play sounds similar, an attacking fullback who likes to get into attacking positions. It seems like a good start and i think they will help us. We have been lacking this and its one of the things people think the other top sides have that we need. We may not have heard of them but lets give everyone we sign a chance, i mean imagine if we had written of Agger, Skrtel, Arbeloa etc before they had signed, not having heard of someone doesnt necessarily mean they arent a top class player. We will just have to wait and see, but personally it think we need to just trust in rafa i mean who would of though in practically his first game Arbeloa would mark Lionel messi of all people out of a game, he has the potentail to become even better than he already is, he just needs more games which i think he will get next season. Remember how well he started last season.

Things may not look the brightest at the moment but im sure things will begin to look up. We have to have faith in our manager and trust in his judgements, we arent far off where we need to be, we just need to turn those draws into wins and signing attacking players is a start for that. The owners are getting on everyones nerves but they arent going to change and hicks isnt going to shift, until he does we have to do what we can but im confident we can challenge i trust rafa to guide us to where we deserve to be. He is the best manager we could have and we need to stick by him and trust in his moves and decisions.

IRWT

Great reply again lil cisse - if these new signings are as attacking minded as you say then they are just what we need: someone on each side to help link up between the defence and midfield and offer something different on the wings. We need more movement on the flanks, everything has looked a bit slow and laborious this season in these positions, even static and optionless at the worst.

I'm not afraid that Rafa signs players we haven't heard of, the examples you give of the great defensive signings Rafa has already made show he knows what he wants and where to find it. And whilst it can be difficult for a player to change league, more often than not Rafa has found players who adapt very quickly to the EPL and, even more importantly, improve their game once they arrive!

The world has very few world class right backs, in my opinion maybe 5 at most. So if there are only 5 players that are without doubt above the other RBs then Degan isnt such a bad signing IMO, im sure we will be able to think of alot of RB worse than him than better is what im trying to say. No i dont expect him to become the best RB in the world far from it, i expect him to be the new steve finnan, mr consistant only with a bit more pace, a bit more flair and a bit more gyle.

Very true, great reply. I think the main things that are promising for next season are the stability looks like it will return even stronger than it was last season. Having Daniel Agger back will be like having a new signing without needing any time atall to settle. He brings so much to our defence and you really notice it when he is not there, he will settle our defence more and his distribution really helps us to keep the ball on the floor and pass it around well. Arbeloa hopefully will be confident for next season, i hope the euros do him some good, he deserves it, bargain of a player and he has done very well so far.

Our defence looks solid and will only improve. The attacking side of our team looks good too, Babel having had his first season looks such a promising player, Torres phenominal, yossi has been a key player and we have so many attacking options. We have been linked to some great wingers and although some dont seem like the type of player some fans want/ have heard of e.g. Riera i think they would do well for us.


We just need to play to our strengths and we are a very difficult team to beat. We should look at the positives not the negatives from now on. Degen is our first signing and may he do very well for us, he may not have been the fans first choice but we arent chelsea, we cant go into the transfer market and buy alves, silva, villa, lahm and quaresma all in one go. I would love to have the money to buy all those kinds of players but we dont, lets just focus on the good things not the bad.

IRWT

SWISS STAR TO SIGN FOR REDS
Paul Eaton 20 May 2008 
  Liverpool Football Club today confirmed that Swiss international defender Philipp Degen will sign a contract with the club on July 1. 
The right sided full-back - who will represent his country at this summer's European Championships - is out of contract with Borussia Dortmund this summer and has opted to begin a new career on Merseyside from next season.
 
Degen, 25, spent four seasons in his homeland with FC Basel before his move to the Bundesliga and will provide competition for Steve Finnan and Alvaro Arbeloa in the right-back role at Anfield.
 
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez said: "Philipp is still young but has gained great experience from playing in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and on the international stage with Switzerland. He also played in the Champions League during his time with Basel and so is used to top level football.
 
"He is an offensive player with great energy and a winning mentality. His strength is going forward and I am confident he will be prove to be a quality addition to our squad."
 
He added: "Sometimes you can find these players on the market. When you find a player like him who costs no money it means you can use money for improving other parts of the squad.
 
"He is a good signing, a player of potential, who can help us improve in the wide areas."
 
Looking ahead to the move, Degen said: "When I received the offer from Liverpool, there was no doubt I would accept it. They are one of the biggest clubs in the world and I am looking forward to the challenge of establishing myself there and playing in the best league there is." 
SWISS STAR TO SIGN FOR REDS
Paul Eaton 20 May 2008 
  Liverpool Football Club today confirmed that Swiss international defender Philipp Degen will sign a contract with the club on July 1. 
The right sided full-back - who will represent his country at this summer's European Championships - is out of contract with Borussia Dortmund this summer and has opted to begin a new career on Merseyside from next season.
 
Degen, 25, spent four seasons in his homeland with FC Basel before his move to the Bundesliga and will provide competition for Steve Finnan and Alvaro Arbeloa in the right-back role at Anfield.
 
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez said: "Philipp is still young but has gained great experience from playing in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and on the international stage with Switzerland. He also played in the Champions League during his time with Basel and so is used to top level football.
 
"He is an offensive player with great energy and a winning mentality. His strength is going forward and I am confident he will be prove to be a quality addition to our squad."
 
He added: "Sometimes you can find these players on the market. When you find a player like him who costs no money it means you can use money for improving other parts of the squad.
 
"He is a good signing, a player of potential, who can help us improve in the wide areas."
 
Looking ahead to the move, Degen said: "When I received the offer from Liverpool, there was no doubt I would accept it. They are one of the biggest clubs in the world and I am looking forward to the challenge of establishing myself there and playing in the best league there is." 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDVx5S81XXw