Diego Capel is a very gifted left winger

The transfer window is finally open [Edit: actually it's not till 1st July], exciting times indeed. But for all the rumours doing the rounds about who we're going to sign this summer, there's one name which hasn't sprouted up yet.
It's well known that Liverpool has been scouting Seydou Keita who plays for Sevilla, surely they must have noticed Diego Capel who also plays for them. The likes of Juventus, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal are known to be chasing him, yet there's nothing from the LFC camp yet.
The 20 year old winger is blessed with pace, acceleration and exceptional ball skills, plus he's Spanish, what more could Rafa ask for ? So far we've been linked mainly with wingbacks & midfielders, but we badly need wingers too.

Do we really need Gareth Barry ?

It's great that LFC has started chasing players for next season, but not so great that top of the list so far is Gareth Barry (£10m bid made). We've got a crowded midfield as it is with Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas, Alonso and the emerging Plessis (really hope this kid makes it). Unless Alonso is being shipped out this summer, where are we going to fit Barry ?
I hope it's not on the wings as a workmanlike non-winger type (ala Kuyt). The really key positions for us are proper wingers & wingbacks who can take on players with some pace, power and creativity. I yearn for the Liverpool of old when we played arguably the most attractive football around. Maybe I'm being harsh on Barry, but do we really need him ?

At least he's not content with life on bench

Scott Carson has made it clear that he doesn't want any more loan moves and wants a permanent move from Liverpool. He says he'd rather play in the Championship than sit on the bench in the Champions League.
Fair enough, I can respect an attitude like that, it's so much better than many players who will happily pick up a pay check and not play any football (I'll refrain from mentioning any names!).
I think Carson is a good keeper but is far from ready to be first choice for a top 4 side so a move would be good for him. We're bound to make a hefty profit on him, but lord only knows how much we get in the end.

Liverpools new signing to be Little Rafa ?

Rafa has confirmed that Liverpool have agreements with 2 young players and also a senior player who can walk in to the Liverpool first team (LINK).
With all the constant media speculation about possible new signings, the most pragmatic I've heard yet is regarding the brazilian Rafinha (aka "Little Rafa") who plays at right back for FC Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga. It also helps that the player himself has already welcomed the idea of joining LFC ;-)
However he'll only be turning 23 this September, so I'd hardly class him as a 'senior player', but maybe Rafa does. Hopefully we will be securing his services as he's a solid defender who is comfortable with the ball and has the ability to burst down the flank, not to mention he's equally good with both feet.

Borrowed money buys Mascherano

With all the recent upheavals in our club, I was beginning to doubt we'd be making any significant signings until a new manager was appointed. Fortunately that hasn't been the case as we look to have secured a winner in Skrtel and now in particular the long drawn out saga of trying to sign Mascherano has finnally come to an end and he has put pen to a 4 year contract :-)
While we won't be seeing Hicks or Gillet using their own cash, hopefully they'll borrow some more money to give us a more complete squad in the summer. I feel we've definitely got the right quality in both central midfield & defence, but alas we're still in need of wingers, wingbacks and another striker.

Simon Skrabb on trial with Liverpool FC

He already had a trial with us last August and his club Jaro have confirmed that he will be visiting Liverpool 2 or 3 times a year prior to a possible permanent transfer further down the road.
At just 13 years of age, the attacking midfielder is rated as yet another of Finlands most promising youngsters and if he turns out to be anywhere near as good as Lauri Dalla Valle (who was also bestowed with that tag when we signed him) then we could be in for a real treat further down the line :-)

2 more youngsters fly the nest

On the final day of the transfer window, 2 more youngsters have left LFC. Besian Idrizaj who was hailed as a very promising talent when we signed him (Austrian Young Player of the Year) never really settled in Liverpool, he has returned to Austria to play with Wacker Tirol. As for 'home grown' Lee Peltier, the impressive defender has made his loan move with League One side Yeovil Town permanent.

We've still got the best midfield in the world

If there's one thing which was completely obvious last summer, it's that Momo Sissoko was living on borrowed time. With the sheer quality we already had in midfield and the arrival of Lucas Leiva (who is surely destined for world class status), there was little room left for Sissoko.
I know Sissoko has taken a fair amount of stick over the years for his wayward passing, but to be fair he has been a tremendous signing for us, a true destroyer with so much energy and passion and I loved watching him play when he was on form. He also played a massive part in our title charge a couple of years ago when we finished with 82 points.
Now that he is on his merry little way to Juventus, I would prefer to remember him for his fantastic contributions to LFC. Bon voyage Momo :-)

Andre Wisdom signs for Liverpool :-)

Crikey, we've started signing babies now, our latest youngster to sign up is but a mere 14 years old. LFC have paid an undisclosed sum with additional payments based on his progress over the years.
While there's plenty of talk on the net about how talented the highly promising boy is, I've yet to find out what position he plays! If there's anyone out there who happens to have seen him play for Bradford City youth teams, feel free to enlighten us as to what he's actually capable of ?

Matt Hughes on trial with Liverpool

Despite being only 15 years old he has already impressed in Rochdales academy & reserve teams. The defender is extremely highly rated, possessing excellent leadership qualities & fantastic all round attitude.
One of the things I really like about Rafa is his determination to chase down top youth talent and build something akin to what Wenger has done with Arsenal. While I hope Matty Hughes trial is a success, I doubt we'll sign him for another couple of years (until he's eligible to sign professional forms).

So who's this Martin Skrtel fellow ?

Apparently he's meant to be hard as f**k and full of promise, hmmm, well not if you've seen him play against Everton or Ireland (little Kevin Doyle managed to out jump him (6"4') for a headed goal). While he's been criticised for lacking pace, he's faster than Hyypia and Hyypia managed to be one of the best defenders in the world for several years !
He passed his medical today and also his transfer fee & personal terms have already been agreed. Initially I imagine Skrtel will be backup to Agger & Carragher but in the next couple of seasons we just might get to see him replace Carragher if he does get to fulfill his vaunted promise.

Will the Yanks let us have Daniel Opare ?

He's only 17 years old, but is an incredibly exciting prospect and was rated the best defender at last years under-17 World Cup with his surging runs and precise crosses from right back. The young Ghanian has made it clear that his preference would be to play in the premiership.
Unfortunately he's got a buy out clause of £1.5 million from his club Ashanti Gold and things are still up in the air regarding the extent to which Hicks & Gillet are prepared to back Rafa. Despite any differences they have with Rafa I'd like to think they're at least still prepared to bring in highly promising youngsters which Liverpool can build on in years to come.

Alex Cooper signs for Liverpool

The young 16 year old left winger is a bit of a speedster with an aggressive streak (which can help in the premiership if he makes it). Despite his young age he has already played for Ross Countys first team and has been called up for Scotlands under-17 side as a result (yes that's right he's Scottish!!).
So that troublesome little left wing of ours has another pretender stalking it, as ever he joins a long line of youngsters signing up for us and I hope we end up reaping the benefits much like Arsenal have done over the years.

Is Tomas Ujfalusi a transfer target for us ?

Not sure how much truth there is to this, but the 29 year old centre back is a possible transfer target for us and he only has 6 months remaining on his existing contract with Fiorentina.
My gut instinct is that his agent is only playing with Fiorentina by naming the clubs which have expressed an interest in signing him as the player has said that he's 50/50 on whether he wants to leave or not, which kinda implies he wants to stay. I doubt he's anywhere near the top of Rafas list and is probably more of a backup option if any deal for Kahka Kaladze slips through next month.

Carson & Crouchies balancing act ;-)

Being an Irishman, I've never really enjoyed listening to all the ludicrious nonsense which the media spouts about England winning whenever they're in a major tournament. So I'll not be shedding any tears now that they're knocked out :-)
Still the Croatia game represented a chance for Carson & Crouch to bump up their transfer value for the Reds in January. Sadly for Scott Carson he made a bit of a blunder so that'll knock a million or two off his transfer value come January :-(
Fortunately Crouchies excellent goal should increase his transfer value by a million or two, so that will help balance LFCs coffers ;-)

Javi Martinez or Javier Mascherano ?

They may share the same initials and buy out fees but there's big differences between the 2 players. For one Javier has got more letters in his name and I think it sounds cooler so for that reason alone I would prefer we signed him at the end of the season ;-)
The Reds amongst many other clubs are currently heavily scouting the impressive 19 year old Martinez who plays for Athletic Bilbao but at £17 million, I doubt we've got room to buy both himself and Mascherano at the end of the season, plus we've got a packed quality midfield as it is !
With Mascherano we've got a proven performer (premiership & europe) both on and off the pitch who has a real hunger to play for the Reds so I really hope he's the one we go for.

Tim Bjorkstrom on trial with Liverpool

While it's unusual for us to be linked with non-latino players, there is the occasional gem which pops up. One such potential player is 16 year old Tim Bjorkstrom who is currently on trial with the Reds.
Probably his biggest advantage is that he doesn't play in midfield or goal (Benitez seems to be stock piling in these positions) which should make any possible breakthrough a little easier, the central defender is quite highly rated after a string of good performances for Swedens under-17 side.
Given that his trial is of indeterminate length we could be waiting a while for any confirmation of his signing.

Mascherano - music to our ears

Best news I've heard all day is Rafa giving Mascherano the thumbs up for a very likely permanent transfer at the end of the season :-)
Right from the start of his 18 month loan with us he's impressed with his exceptional ball winning skills, rarely having an off day, but it's his attitude off the pitch which I like most. You don't hear him moaning incessantly about being left out of the squad or anything like that, he takes his chances when given and is a true team player. If only all our players were like that !

Lauri Dalla Valle has signed for Liverpool

And the youth ranks continue to swell, according to Finnish newspaper Karjalainen, Liverpool has signed Lauri Dalla Valle, they also claim he'll receive a signing on fee of between €0.5m & €1m.
While he is widely regarded as one of Finlands hottest ever youth prospects (not that there can be too much competition for that title), I doubt LFC would be willing to pay a signing on fee for a 16 year old attacking midfielder !
Having said that he was on trial with us last summer after failing to settle in Italy with Inter Milan and has been hyped for quite a while now (scores a goal every second game), so it's not like LFC have no idea of what they're getting for the money.

Another Reds starlet is leaving

An agreement is already in place for FA Youth Cup winner Jimmy Ryan to make his loan move with Shrewsbury Town permanent in January. The midfielder was part of our famed youth team from a couple of years back and like the rest of those players he never broke in to the first team.
I'd high hopes that from that crop of players we'd get to see another local youngster make the breakthrough, while Spearing and Lindfield remain part of the squad it looks like the very talented Adam Hammill (on loan with Southampton) is the one with most potential. Now that LFC is 'cash rich' I hope it doesn't mean we'll always look to the transfer market for our next player :-(