Next Suarez in Reds' sights
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/next-suarez-in-reds-sights Author: Paul Hassall
Damien Comolli has revealed that Liverpool are in talks to
develop a partnership that could see them recruit the next Luis Suarez.
The Reds secured the signature of their second Uruguayan last week when
Sebastian Coates put pen to paper on a long-term deal.
The negotiations further strengthened the club's links with Nacional and our
Director of Football admits we are now close to establishing a formal
relationship.
Comolli told Liverpoolfc.tv: "I've got to thank the people from Nacional, the
directors and their chairman, because they have been very helpful. They tried to
help the player (Coates) complete his will, which was to come here.
"They tried to find a solution for us to make it happen. We now have strong
links with them because both Luis Suarez and Sebastian Coates have come from
this club and been developed by their academy.
"We are talking about a partnership with them that we would like to create
over the next three, four or five years, to see if there is more talent coming
through. Maybe we can help them to develop their standards and in turn have the
ability to bring those young players here.
"
During the Copa America they had 14 players out of the 23 who had at some
point played at Nacional or were developed by Nacional. That is a fantastic
record for their academy.
"So it is very interesting for us. We already have a strong link with South
America through Lucas, Maxi and Luis.
"Since it's been such a success with Luis - and I'm sure it will be for
Sebastian - why don't we try to make it an even bigger success by bringing in
other players from Nacional?"
According to BBC Sport, Liverpool will sign Nacional centre-back Sebastián Coates for £12 million.
The 6'6" 20-year-old Uruguyan is set to fill the void left by Sotirios Kyrgiakos, who moved to Wolfsburg on a free transfer.
For the Liverpool fans who didn't watch the Copa América or don't follow Nacional, here are the seven things you must know about your new defensive acquisition.
1. When A.C. Milan bought Kaká, his younger, and less talented, brother Digão came as part of the package. With Liverpool, not only have they bought one of the best forwards in the world, Luis Suárez's influence in bringing along compatriot and talented youngster Sebastián Coates should be thanked.
Rather then sit idly and watch as the saga unfolded, Suárez rung Coates up and told him to come to Liverpool.
Coates said, "He [Suárez] got in touch with me and we had a chat. It is good there is another Uruguayan already in the team - it is easier if there is someone I know well."
2. Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was hopeful of signing Sebastián Coates (though apparently management said no more spending).
Not that it would have mattered given that Coates told Ovacion,
"I'd prefer Liverpool to Manchester City [...] The Liverpool offer ticks all boxes, so fair to say it's a done deal. Luis's success is important for me as another Uruguayan joining."
3. For someone as imposing as Sebastián Coates is, he's not particuarly physical—certainly nowhere near as psycho as partner Diego Lugano.
The more games you watch of Coates, the more you find yourself uttering good positional sense.
Certainly from a defensive perspective, his football IQ is very high in predicting or having a good idea of where the opposing player will go.
Lugano is kneejerk, body on the line, overaggressive and safety first; Coates is the opposite in being calm, cool and, when in possession, looks up and surveys which option is best.
However, this could also be a bad thing as there were certain instances where he was very close to losing possession because he dibble dabbled.
The 2009 Copa Libertadores semifinal springs to mind, where it was Coates being too slow to release the ball which led to Mauro Boselli, the Wigan Athletic flop, scoring for Estudiantes.
4. Sebastián Coates wasn't supposed to start for Uruguay in the Copa América, nor was he even in the picture to be a legitimate partner to Diego Lugano.
If not for an untimely injury to first choice centre-back Diego Godín, and then an injury to backup Mauricio Victorino, Coates would have warmed the benches.
Credit to him who took the opportunity and ran with it.
5. Sebastián Coates was an excellent foil to Diego Lugano, who was winning challenges left, right and centre.
I ranked Coates as the sixth best player in the Copa América, with his partner Lugano ranking in at third.
Coates was easily the standout young player in the tournament and was awarded the Trophy Claro (though I do wonder if Coates would have played so well if he wasn't partnered up with Lugano).
For Coates to succeed, he needs to play with a more dominant, a more aggressive, a more fearless centre-back.
6. Back in June, a month before the Copa América, Ovacion reportedthat São Paulo was close to signing Sebastián Coates.
Obviously after Coates' breakout performances, European clubs like Porto, Manchester City and Liverpool became very interested.
Porto would have been a good stepping stone, but it seems Coates is confident he can break into the Liverpool first 11 and cement a position. I was wikiing Sami Hyypiä to see how old he was when he signed for Liverpool, but lo and behold, he shares the same birthday as Sebastián Coates.
7. I was wondering if anyone has noticed it, but I found out it was already a widespread reported little fact; which just goes to show how many people notice odd quirky things like me.
Oh and if you were wondering, Hyypiä was 25 years old when he signed for Liverpool.
Liverpool have confirmed a deal is in place for Alberto Aquilani to join AC Milan on loan.
PA PhotosRafael Benitez brought Alberto Aquilani to Anfield in 2009
The deal will see Aquilani spend the season at the San Siro with an option to make the signing permanent. It has been reported that Milan will be obliged to sign the Italy midfielder if he makes 25 appearances.
Liverpool said on their website that the deal would be subject to a medical, but a Milan statement read: "After undergoing his medical this morning, Alberto Aquilani arrived at the training centre at 13.20."
Aquilani, 27, joined Liverpool from Roma in 2009 as a replacement for Xabi Alonso, but he struggled with injuries during his debut season and was then allowed to spend the 2010-11 campaign on loan at Juventus.
Reds boss Kenny Dalglish had earlier suggested that he would be happy to include Aquilani in his plans but, with a high number of midfielders at his disposal, the Italian has been allowed to depart.
Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli told the club's official website: "I want to pay tribute to the way Alberto has conducted himself during these discussions. Throughout the entire process, his only desire has been to play football and he has put this ahead of any other considerations and at personal cost to himself. We wish him well for the season ahead."
80 min: GOAL!!! Exeter City 1-3 Liverpool. Nardiello, a former Manchester United player, gets up and hammers the ball straight down the middle and into the net. St James Park erupts in joy.
79 min: PENALTY TO EXETER!!! The sprightly Nichols is in the middle of a quick break upfield. He slides the ball to Nardiello, who enters the area and falls over the leg of the galoot Skrtel. That's a no brainer for the referee, who points to the spot.
77 min: A couple of changes: Adam departs for Shelvey, while Coles is replaced by the 17-year-old Nichols. Meantime, here's relationship counsellor Anthony Clifford: "Following on from Joshua's analogy though, that rich southern bloke now has to put up with your moody ex while you're with the hottest bird in town. Again. So that's obviously a win, right?"
74 min: A real lull at the moment. You get the sense that if everyone could agree to pack up and go home now, they would. "Aaaargh! I typoed Dalglish," cries Phil Sawyer, of his 63rd-minute entry. "Now I'm going to be exiled from supporting Liverpool. At least I'll now be able to fulfil my father's lifelong dream and become a Southport supporter instead."
71 min: Downing twists and turns down the right and does what he should have done minutes earlier: has a dig at goal. It's a great effort too, arrowing in at the near post before Krysiak parries brilliantly out for a corner. The set piece, this being Liverpool 1980-2011, is wasted.
69 min: Downing is in acres down the right. Instead of stepping into the box and taking a whack at goal, which he surely must, he opts to Gerrard a pass to the other wing for Carroll, who is miles offside. As the ball flies 20 feet over his head, Carroll can be clearly spotted mouthing "That is fucking shit". Overpriced at £35m, perhaps, but what a critic.
66 min: McNish is straight into the action, sending a low shot goalwards from 20 yards. Reina is down well to claim, because that was heading into the bottom-left corner. The effort momentarily wakes the crowd, who are otherwise in a minor funk.
65 min: Shepherd is replaced by McNish.
63 min: Henderson tries to Le Tissier a volley into the top right corner, flicking the ball up on the edge of the D and taking a lazy slash at the ball. But the effort flies miles over the bar. "That Henderson incident was indeed peculiar," writes Phil Sawyer. "I've also noticed that the only Liverpool player to roll around in agony after a challenge was Meireles, who was genuinely injured. If Daglish has adopted a no diving, no whinging policy, Gerrard's going to find it awfully difficult to get a game."
62 min: That two-goal burst has taken the sting out of this game. Exeter look visibly deflated. Downing and Henderson combine down the right, but they can't find Carroll in the middle. "Parents claimed the naïve innocence, didn't-realise-till-it-was-too-late excuse," begins Michael Hunt's lament. "Forgiveness is still pending."
60 min: Suarez, with a goal and two assists to his name, is done for the day. He trots off to be replaced by Downing. "You're right about Suarez, of course, he is tough," admits Joshua Collis. "But I'm still haunted by Torres, who was like a beautiful girlfriend who during the course of your relationship develops crippling migraines. When she first came along, she was lovely, everything was great. Filled you with joy and optimism. But then before you know it, the migraines kicked in, and she never came out any more, wasn't much fun, and eventually she dumped you for some rich southern chap. And although you've got over her now, the same irrational fear holds for your new girlfriend." An honest and emotionally brave account of a failed romance, Joshua. There are some Liverpool fans who still can't bring themselves to whisper his name.
58 min: GOAL!!! Exeter City 0-3 Liverpool. A twist in the centre circle from Suarez, who rushes away from Archibald-Henville and lays the ball off to Carroll, on the edge of the D. The ball breaks kindly to him after an Exeter challenge, and he immediately lashes an unstoppable skelp into the right-hand side of the net. Krysiak had no chance
55 min: GOAL!!! Exeter City 0-2 Liverpool. Suarez is set clear down the right and into the area. Instead of shooting, he unselfishly looks for Carroll in the middle. His low pass is cut out, but it pings back to Suarez, who immediately rolls another ball into the middle for Maxi, the Argentinian rushing in and sidefooting calmly home.
51 min: A beautiful turn by Henderson down the right, and the Liverpool man bursts into the area. He goes over the leg of Coles. He's gone looking for it, over a leg that's been foolishly left hanging out, and the referee decides it's a dive and books him. No complaints whatsoever from Henderson. All very strange, really, because you'll have seen plenty of penalties given for less than that, and it wasn't a particularly shameless dive. But everyone's happy enough, and we move on.
49 min: Suarez catches Shepherd late, the Exeter man requiring a couple of minutes worth of treatment as a result. There was no malice; Suarez looks genuinely apologetic and concerned. Happily, Shepherd can continue. "With the tenuous exception of Terry Henry, has there ever been an exciting foreign player with a less exciting-foreign-player name than current Liverpool target Seb Coates?" wonders nomenclature expert Michael Hunt. Seeing we're on the subject, you've a fairly interesting monicker of your own, there, Mike.
And we're off again! Liverpool set the ball rolling for the second period. And what a start to the half by Exeter! Dunne sends a pinpoint long ball down the inside-right channel for Nardiello, who scoots clear of Skrtel and chips the ball over the advancing Reina! Unfortunately for Exeter, the effort bounces wide left of the open goal, and would have been caught by both Skrtel and Wilson were it on target anyway. But still. That's got the crowd going right at the start of the second period
HALF TIME: Exeter City 0-1 Liverpool. And that's that for the half. Liverpool deserve their lead, but only just: the home team have been sprightly and determined, and clever enough to carve out a couple of half-chances. Not quite half-chances, maybe. Quarter chances? I don't know. Anyway, we're set up for a good second half. Raul Meireles, incidentally, dislocated his shoulder, but it popped back into the socket on the pitch. They're debating whether to take him to the hospital, or simply not bother until they get back home.
Added time at the end of the first half: Suarez attempts to chip the ball over Krysiak from ten yards out, just to the right of goal. Very ambitious, and slightly cheeky, bordering on rude. Up the other end, Shepherd welts one miles over the bar from 30-plus yards.
45 min: Dunne so nearly breaks free into the box as Shepherd rolls a ball into space between the dozy Skrtel and Wilson, who have left a huge gap between them. Luckily for Liverpool, Reina is out quick to claim.
44 min: A poor show by Dunne, who is robbed by a determined Suarez. Dunne bundles his man over then picks up the ball and pushes it lightly into Suarez's face. There's no anger in it, just petulance.
43 min: Exeter boss Paul Tisdale is wearing the sort of flat cap that would see him followed around Shoreditch by a gang of admirers. "When you said my set-up line was the most convoluted in the history of All Amusement, you neglected to point out that it was for the weakest pay-off line in All Amusement," blasts Phil Sawyer. "Come on, Scott, credit where credit's due, eh?"
42 min: It is now tipping down at Exeter.
40 min: Carroll forces a corner down the left. It's nothing to write home about, so I won't. "Is there a curse at Liverpool when it comes to corners?" asks Bryan Tisinger. "Adam was supposed to be the answer to Liverpool's dreadful corner kick-takers (and free kicks) of the past few years, but he was awful against Arsenal this past weekend (he wasn't taking them by the second half when Meireles came on). From your reporting, it sounds like he isn't doing much better. So it must be the curse of Liverpool, eh?" Put it this way: there was a Liverpool fanzine back in the day called Another Wasted Corner. This is when Liverpool were still regularly winning everything. This has been going on for at least 30 years.
36 min: Carroll often gets pelters for being a Big Man Without A Good Touch, but here he shows glimpses of his twinkle toes. First he heads a long ball down into space for Suarez, then exchanges a couple of one-twos with him, eventually switching play on the edge of the penalty area for the onrushing Adam, who screws a hopeless shot well wide right.
34 min: This should have been the second goal for Liverpool. Suarez irritates Jones into giving him the ball down the right. He scoots into space, then whips a delicious low cross straight through the six-yard area. It only needs a nudge to be deflected into the goal, but Maxi can't extend his leg to toe it in. Fantastic play from Suarez.
33 min: A couple of fine efforts by Goldbourne, who first wins a corner off Robinson with a mazy run - the set piece is wasted - and then soon after cuts inside from the right and looks for the top-left corner from 25 yards. It's an ambitious effort, but not a bad one by any means, flying only just wide left and high.
30 min: Maxi stands under a dropping ball, just on the edge of the area. For a second, there are memories of that goal against Mexico at the 2006 World Cup, but instead of welting the ball first time, he waits, lets it drop, and sees his simple hoof fly straight into Coles. "It's a shame that Archibald-Henville's mother didn't marry a fictional glasses leaving cliff disappearing swept out to sea Neighbours character," is Phil Sawyer's set-up line, perhaps the most convoluted in the history of All Amusement. "Then you could have shortened his name to Arch-Bishop. I'll get my coat."
28 min: A beautiful sunset over St James Park. The ball arcs across it, Adam hoicking a hopeless corner over everyone's head from the right.
25 min: Bauza looks to have jiggered his own knee. There was no challenge. He limps off and plonks himself on the bench, to be replaced by Keohane. That's a dreadful stroke of luck for the home side.
23 min: GOAL!!! Exeter City 0-1 Liverpool. Dunne breaks down the right and sends a dangerous cross into the Liverpool box. Reina claims and sends Liverpool upfield on a quick break. Henderson takes the ball wide right, then hangs a dangerous high cross into the area. Krysiak comes out and palms, but can't keep hold of the ball. It falls to Suarez to the left of goal, eight yards out, and the Uruguayan belts it low and hard through a thicket of players and into the net.
22 min: ... and he's not coming back, sent down the tunnel by a stern LFC quack, who is taking no chances. Meireles doesn't look too happy about his match coming to an early end, as he was playing well. Andy Carroll replaces him.
19 min: Meireles goes off for treatment after landing on his left shoulder, the result of a fair 50-50 challenge with Coles ...
16 min: A free kick for Exeter down the left as Flanagan over-enthusiastically bundles Noble to the ground. Shepherd whips it into the area, where Nardiello sends a glancing header straight at Reina. Either side of the keeper and that might easily have gone in, because it was flying at a rare old lick, and Reina would have had little time to react.
15 min: Another corner for Liverpool, another ball by Adam sent fizzing through the area. Archibald-Henville hacks clear.
14 min: Liverpool begin to turn the screw. Henderson and Suarez combine down the right to win a corner. Three in a row follow, each sent into the six-yard box at pace by Adam. Duffy and Coles hold firm in front of Krysiak.
11 min: Liverpool don't need Andy Carroll on the pitch to play it long: twice in less than a minute they nearly release Suarez with raking passes down the channels, but both times the balls are mopped up by a composed Exeter defence. "With LFC starting Suarez, Carragher, Reina, Adam and Henderson it could be argued they have a stronger side appearing at this tricky away trip to Exeter City than Arsenal do at their ho hum trip to Udinese," suggests Stephen Alexander. That reminds me:make sure you keep an eye on events in Italy with Bobbie Smyth's MBM.
8 min: Archibald-Henville looks to release Nardiello down the left, but Skrtel is over quickly to cover. Exeter look lively. Liverpool are beginning to ping it around nicely too, with Adam and especially Meireles showcasing some silky touches.
6 min: That little spurt from Suarez apart, Liverpool haven't put much together yet. They're happy enough to let Exeter get a feel of the ball, passing it around the back but getting no further than the halfway line before launching it into space. "I suspect I'll be the 978th Liverpool fan to bleat this," neighs Joshua Collis, "but why risk Suarez? Surely we should be beating Exeter with the visibly less fragile Andy or Dirk. I don't like to think of the outcome if Luis gets on the wrong end of an agricultural tackle. Imagine the bite he might take out of one their poor lads?" Suarez is many things, but visibly fragile is surely not one of them. The man's a ball of energy. He never stops. I suspect they had to convince him to sit quietly on the team bus on the way down to the game, as opposed to running all the way behind it. I'm guessing he might be quite hard to break.
3 min: Suarez, deemed surplus to requirements for over three quarters of the game against Arsenal, but picked from the start for this test, wins a corner down the right. Adam hits the set piece deep, Skrtel sidefooting clumsily into the side netting from close range. It was a fairly tight angle, but he should have hit the target. Sami Hyypia would have buried that.
And we're off! Exeter get the ball rolling. Jones launches a long one towards Bauza. The ball skims off the striker's head and through to Reina in goal. "Ooh aaar, we are Exeter," chant the crowd, doing the self-deprecating ironic thing.
The teams are out. A fantastic atmosphere at the no-apostrophe St James Park. Exeter in their red and white, Liverpool in their Spinal Tapesque none more black.
Exeter City, in Danny Coles for the suspended Steve Tully, who saw red in their weekend loss to Preston: Krysiak, Jones, Duffy, Archibald-Henville, Coles,
Golbourne, Dunne, Noble, Shephard, Bauza, Nardiello.
Subs: Pidgeley, Logan, Keohane, Frear, Bennett, Nichols, McNish.
Liverpool are expected to complete a deal for the Uruguayan international defender Sebastian Coates by the end of the week as long as Manchester City do not gazump the Merseyside club's offer for the 20-year-old defender.
Liverpool made their opening bid, of £7 million, in writing to the Uruguayan side on Monday as Kenny Dalglish seeks to complete a sixth signing of the summer.
Though that bid has not yet been accepted, Nacional are believed to be prepared to sell the player for that price should no other suitors crystallise their interest.
Coates's father, Peter, and his agent Matias Pittini have been granted permission to discuss personal terms with Liverpool and initial reports of those talks are extremely positive.
Nacional, though, are adamant they will not make a final decision on whether to accept Liverpool's offer until they have established whether the player - who trained in Montevideo yesterday - is happy to move to Merseyside and whether a more lucrative bid may be submitted.
As well as City, a Ukrainian side - believed to be Shakhtar Donetsk - have also registered an interest in the player, who impressed in Uruguay's victorious Copa America campaign last month, but Coates is thought to favour a move to the Premier League. He is believed to be keen to join international teammate Luis Suárez at Anfield.
Dalglish is keen to strengthen his defensive resources after Greek defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos left for Wolfsburg on a free transfer and 6ft 6in Coates, 20, is seen not only as another quality addition but also a sound investment for the future.
Though Roberto Mancini has tracked the 6ft 6in centre-back for several weeks and though City have held preliminary discussions with the Uruguayan side, they have not made a formal bid.
Sources at the Etihad Stadium have confirmed, though, that the Italian will be given no more funds once the deal to sign Samir Nasri from Arsenal is complete.
That would appear to place Mancini on a collision course with the club's Football Administrator Brian Marwood.
The Italian has made it clear he would like at least one more signing, though with the capture of Stefan Savic earlier this summer, a centre back would not appear to be a priority.
That would leave Liverpool as Coates's most realistic destination, as confirmed by Nacional's vice-president Hector Olmes.
"The offer is very good," he told the radio station Sport 890. "Coates will surely go to Liverpool."
The midfielder Dani Pacheco on Tuesday underwent a medical ahead of a season-long loan move to the Spanish side Rayo Vallecano.
Liverpool are currently in advanced negotiations with the 20-year-old Uruguyan's club Nacional over the deal.
The £12m-rated centre-back impressed in Uruguay's Copa America triumph in July and is keen to join international team-mate Luis Suarez at Anfield.
He would be Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish's sixth signing of the summer.
Dalglish is keen to strengthen his defensive resources after Greek defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos left for Wolfsburg on a free transfer and 6ft 6in Coates, 20, is seen not only as another quality addition but also a sound investment for the future.
Manchester City have been strongly linked with Coates but Liverpool are now firm favourites to add Coates to Dalglish's other summer signings Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Stewart Dowing and Jose Enrique.
Adding another central defender became Dalglish's top priority after completing deal with Newcastle United for left-back Enrique - and talks are progressing to conclude a move for Coates.
Arsenal finished Saturday's game with 10 men after Frimpong went off. He was booked in the eighth minute for inexplicably getting in Jordan Henderson's face as the Liverpool midfielder went to take a throw-in.
Frimpong's ugly tacke at Lucas Leiva on 70 minutes earned him second yellow.
On came Luis Suárez and Raul Meireles, below, who would be involved in both goals.
