On Alvaro Arbeloa

Arbeloa to Madrid for £3.5m

Unfortunately, it’s not surprising, although the fee is lower than expected. Still, even in the last year of his contract, it’s £1m more than Benitez paid for him. Silver linings, and all.

But when Kolo Toure’s moving for £15m at the same time as it looks like Dossena’s going back to Italy for £4-6m, it feels a bit like the Rick Parry bad old days of Liverpool getting screwed on transfer fees. And couple that with the Alonso news of the last week – first, the fee was £35m, then £30m, and now, in the above Arbeloa article, the Echo suggests Liverpool will take £28m. Fuck.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. I’m still hoping beyond hope Alonso will be in Liverpool red in a couple of weeks. On the other hand, Arbeloa is assuredly leaving, and his service over the last two and a half seasons doesn't deserve to be overshadowed by lingering malignant gossip.



I’m going to miss his goal celebrations the most. They never failed to amuse me, and were insight into one of the more likeable characters on a very likeable team.

Liverpool’s going to miss the reliable defender who replaced an aging Steve Finnan without missing a beat. The best thing about Finnan was his consistency, and Arbeloa was consistently better. At £2.5m, he’s one of the best pieces of business Benitez did. He went from the Real Madrid cantera to Deportivo to Liverpool as an unheralded right back, and is now a ubiquitous member of the Spanish national team.

98 games, two goals, and what I’m assuming is somewhere around five assists (if you can find a reliable tally, let me know). If my count’s correct, 42 of those 98 appearances ended with a clean sheet.

But I can’t quantify Arbeloa’s attributes with stats. He was a dependable, hard-working defender who could play anywhere along the backline. He was a Benitez player to a tee. And yes, it feels weird using the past tense with Arbeloa, but he’s not a Liverpool player anymore. 'Dead to me' is a bit too harsh, but, well, there you go.

Even though he’s joining that mob, I can’t begrudge him the move or do anything but wish him all the best in the future. He wanted to return to Spain, to the club where he started, and he was out of contract in a year. Given Liverpool’s other options in defense, I’d wish he’d seen out this season – £3.5m is less important to me than squad depth, especially when I don't trust Degen any farther than I can throw him – but again, it’s understandable.

The writing was on the wall with the Johnson deal. Now, instead of fighting with Glen for a starting berth, he’ll be competing with Sergio Ramos.

Good luck, Alvaro.

So, Glen Johnson (yes, again)

I thought I’d said pretty much everything about the Glen Johnson deal in the previous post, but seeing as it’s been seven days, it almost feels like new news. And I’ve got a few addenda I could make, although some of this might sound familiar. Plus, having 20+ comments in the last post necessitates some new material.

First and foremost, I’m struggling to think of many deals done before the window’s opened since Benitez came to the club. Lucas was, maybe Bellamy and Reina, and that’s it. Whether that’s down to Parry’s exit and Rafa’s subsequent rise in power (more likely) or the owners actually backing the manager (far less likely, but hey, at least Gillett finally sold the Canadiens), it’s a very good sign.

Rafa identified a player who was ostensibly his primary target, and got the deal done by June 22. As said, it’s a record fee for a defender, and the third-highest fee in Liverpool history (yes, offset by the £7m still owed on Crouch, but still). And I still doubt Benitez would spend all his money in one place – the summers of ’05-07 showed how Benitez spends on a budget. Right back is a place where Liverpool needs to improve, especially in the opposition’s half, but I still don’t think it’s the biggest weakness, and more deals will be done.

The “news” over the last week makes me think Arbeloa’s probably leaving. Which is an utter shame, both for morale and defensive purposes, and I’ll be very sorry to see him go. I think Liverpool will have to buy a replacement or promote Darby, because Degen wasn’t bought for his defense (I’d argue he’s who Johnson’s replacing). But against 16 or so teams, the fullbacks will be attacking as much as defending, and this transfer shows the need for more from that position.

Last summer, I wrote about how width had to come from fullback for Liverpool to fully utilize the 4-2-3-1. Unfortunately, in the same post, I rejoiced in the signings of Dossena and Degen for that purpose. Ha.

But the sentiment remains. When teams sit back, Liverpool needs fullbacks who can charge upfield, supply crosses, and even offer a threat at goal. Aurelio does this. Insua’s done it on occasion (and much more so for the reserves), but has been restrained more often than not (and rightfully so given his age and experience). And Johnson has done it well enough to become first choice for England.

Arbeloa gets forward, but his overlap and crosses aren’t always up to par, and he and Kuyt can be one-dimensional. It’s similar to Finnan at his best; both were consistent, both were decent, but both also had a tendency to stop on the ball and play back into center midfield instead going at a defender, although I'd argue Arbeloa is marginally better.

I’m not saying Glen Johnson is a panacea, or the end all, be all of transfers. I’m massively afraid these last two posts are over-hyping him and his potential impact on the squad. I’m similarly afraid he might be a big fish, small pond player, and it’s a surprisingly large fee for a right back that cost £4m two years ago.

I obviously think he’s going to help the team or I wouldn’t have written these posts. And without regard for jinxing it, Benitez rarely fails with big money deals (no one mention last summer).

And again, I still think money needs to be spent in attack. But this is a very encouraging signing.

So, Glen Johnson…

Looks like right back can be checked off the list.

Liverpool poised to sign Johnson

All the stuff I’ve seen around the Internet focuses on the fee. Don’t focus on the fee. It will only make you crazy.

1) We really don’t know how much money Benitez has. But I’m pretty sure Benitez knows. And if Johnson – even at £17m – is within his budget, awesome. Sign him up. Rafa knows the holes in his squad better than we do. And chances are he’s smart enough not to spend all his summer cash in one place. Liverpool needs an attacking right back, and it looks like Liverpool will get an attacking right back. That’s all that matters. If it makes you feel better, Portsmouth supposedly still owes £7m on the Crouch deal, which will just be written off.

2) You pay a premium for English players. This is nothing new. What’s new is that Liverpool finally looks able to afford it. Ferguson has been paying over the odds for English talent for years, and sadly, it’s paid off for him. With this signing, it looks like Liverpool might be there as well. And the prices for English players are only going to get worse if Platini’s quota plans bear fruit.

3) I’ve written time and time again that width in the 4-2-3-1 comes from full back. This signing fills that to a tee. Both Aurelio and Insua are excellent at it, and it’s why I was optimistic over last summer’s signings of Dossena and Degen. Glen Johnson is a far better player than Dossena or Degen. And for all of Arbeloa’s outstanding qualities, attacking flair isn’t one of them; too often, he and Kuyt are one-dimensional on the right. But Glen Johnson is one of the best attacking fullbacks in the league, and is the best English one.

I sincerely hope this signing doesn’t come at the expense of Arbeloa. Not only is Alvaro an excellent squad player, he’s excellent for the squad – he seems to get along with everyone (the Carra incident not withstanding), and his goal celebrations are a perpetual riot. Liverpool is thin at right back even with Johnson’s signing (Benitez obviously doesn’t think Darby’s ready, and Degen’s injured more than Kewell). And Arbeloa could still be crucial, whether it’s because of injury or in a match where Liverpool will actually have to defend.

Right back and left wing are the two positions that Liverpool has to strengthen. Another striker to beef up the squad would also be nice, but those are the two “glaring” holes in the first team.

This solves one of them – once personal terms are reached, mind you – and it’s only June 16. Johnson will offer more in attack, and will be another dangerous player forward when Liverpool’s struggling to break down 10 men behind the ball. And that Benitez is confident enough to spend £17m on a right back – double Liverpool’s previous record for a defender, and the third-highest transfer fee in club history – shows that there’s probably more money to spend, despite all the dire predictions.

Next season cannot start soon enough.