It’s clear that Liverpool want Jamal Lewis. That much we do know.
They see him as the ideal cover for Andy Robertson – the Scot they signed from Hull in July 2017 but for whom they still have no natural replacement should he get injured.
James Milner does a good job there, but he’s… James Milner.
If I were Jurgen Klopp, I’d probably be having a look at Jamal too. Ticks the homegrown box, modest outlay (more on that later), and young enough to be moulded into the ‘heavy metal football’ the German demands.
It’s also one hell of a move for Lewis, who I suspect would barely believe his luck, even if he went on the premise of being an understudy rather than a starter.
Few go to a club of that stature and walk straight into the team. Jamal knows that. So do his agents, and they don’t care one iota. Incidentally, the same agents who represent Roberston and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
So, even if the agents hadn’t blabbed – in a not-very-subtle attempt to put the squeeze on City – it wouldn’t have taken long for the link to be made.
But there’s a problem. When isn’t there.
We’re told Liverpool value the player at £10million and City value him at £20million. The usual.
Liverpool fans – who’ve suddenly become experts on the qualities and deficiencies of Norwich City players – tell us we’re “having a laugh” if we think they’re going to pay £20million.
How dare we.
We should feel privileged they deem one of our players good enough to even be on their radar, let alone be in receipt of some of Fenway Sports Group hard-earned cash.
As our Ed Couzens-Lake put it…”We’re expected to roll over and have our tummy tickled if Liverpool come calling”.
Ed knows.
Hell, let’s go full red carpet and guard of honour. That’s the norm for the darlings of English football, right?
Maybe we should go the full 180 and offer them Jamal plus a few quid for the honour of doing business with them.
And then there are, of course, the hacks from the nationals whose hackles are up because we’re ‘standing in the player’s way’ and denying him his dream move.
It’s obviously okay for the big six and the other European giants to flex their muscles and play hardball when it comes to outgoing transfers, but heaven forbid little old Norwich doing the same.
Cheeky little b@stards.
But, back in the real world, if they think Stuart Webber has gone soft despite, like the rest of us, having been bruised and battered over the last year, they should think again.
If Liverpool are serious about signing Jamal they can make us a serious offer and then we may just start talking.
We may have spent the last 12 months being bullied on the pitch – and that was our own fault – but if Liverpool, or any other Premier League club, think they can do the same off the pitch… think again, lads.
Not happening.
And if Leeds think they can have Emi on the cheap…
We’ll probably settle for a lot less than £20M with a few add-ons, the lad wants off and that’s it. Next one please, the bus is waiting.
Gary, I think Webber’s been clear on our position with our young talent, and it would be very disappointing if Jamal or anyone else left on the cheap now. However, most of the ‘reporting’ is through blogs and tabloids, where the headlines bear little relation to the content of the article, most of which tends to be wild speculation and wishful thinking. Pretty sure SW won’t crumble whoever is asking. Based on his Maddison comments, I’m not expecting him to begin talking below £25m for anyone TBH. Let’s see.
I am curious how players and agents are contacted by clubs to discuss moves and agree terms, and only negotiate transfer fees afterwards – Man Utd seem to be playing the same game with Sancho.
Under FA rules, isn’t an approach to a contracted player only allowed once a fee is agreed and permission given by the selling club? Or has that gone the same way as the 6-second rule for goalkeepers?
Glen, since you raise the issue, I’ve started to check the time recorded in the top left of the screen on Sky as soon as the goalkeeper has the ball in his hands. 6 seconds? My record so far is 17 seconds, and that’s with the keeper free of any interference and able to get rid of it. Can’t remember who it was, but it was one of the “big 6”.
However, I have seen a referee award a foul throw once this season!
Hi Gary
I’ve seen it quoted as £8million plus £2m in add-ons as I’m sure you have too. I actually had to assimilate the entire phonetic alphabet in a previous incarnation and the ones I remember best just now are: Foxtrot Oscar.
And we don’t need the Algerian left back we’re being touted with in part-ex, not with our brace of Sams [McCallum and Byram] already on board.
That offer for Jamal is simply trying it on – let’s see if Webber is allowed to stand his ground and if he isn’t he’ll be off too.
Don’t start me on Emi to Leeds.
Yes this is just the start. We do not want to be in a position of building a new team just before the season. If Leicester can sell Ben Chilwell then they will have money and be looking for a full back. There is no way we should settle for 10m. As for their defender. He is unproven, there is a buy back clause for Liverpool and he wants to play for Bielsa. What exactly is in this for us apart from Jamal wanting to go? Personally I have no qualms with selling some of our defenders. As a unit they have not been successful however talented they are individually. I want to see some quality being brought in though. As for Liverpool fans, nobody likes them and there are good reasons for that.
Username of the year. Uncontested award winner.
Well it made me laugh anyway 🙂
Whatever we get for Jamal it certainly should be on our terms. But the reason I have commented on your piece is the brilliant pen name you have used. Congratulations
Yes; isn’t it amazing what lockdown has let us discover….
I wonder how big those of some of the national journo’s are????
Oh; 10m for Jamal will just about pay for half of him.
Buendia to Leeds……..that HAS to be the best joke since our re-start performances!!
O T B C
@John
There’s a b10dy ice cream van that comes round where I live and his chime is ‘Emi Buendia, from Argentina!!’ 😀
Well said Gary.
I won’t dwell on what I think of Liverpool or their derisory offer because you couldn’t print it anyway. Suffice to say, Stuart Webbers credibility is on the line here. He has stated the asking price for our players, this is not the time to renege on that.
Should we allow ourselves to be pushed around by this lot, I suspect the low offers for all and sundry others will soon come pouring in. We can’t set a precedent.
If we allow all our best players to disappear for peanuts the whole idea is defunct. We need to maximise and reinvest.
Time to stand up to the bullies, and show our teeth. let’s see a little more of ‘bernies norwich’ and a little less of delias.
Nonsense, they can buy out his contract. I doubt that’s worth 20 mill.
No they can’t. It is his registration that City hold. That is what is being bought.
And we have immediately turned down this first bid.
A good piece as always. We can and of course should when we are not under pressure to sell, hang out for the fee we feel is warranted for Jamal. The big sticking point is of course how much the player wants to go that could fuel the fire. It appears this could be happening despite him being more than happy to sign a long contract.
I am not convinced bench warming backup is best for his career but it seems from what I’ve read elsewhere international coaches prefer premier league bench warming to Championship regular play
Mike
The offer has been refused, we’re not stupid scouser types, laugh our loud and rolling around the floor with my trouser cuffs hung far too wide
Hi Gary
Excellent.
You forgot to add Villa and there supporters wanting Cantwell for £18m to replace Grealish who they price at £80m.
Bayern Munich are interested also so I would prefer Cantwell up sticks for the Bundesliga at least he would come back to haunt us for a couple of years.
Leeds have been quoted £15m for a LIVARPOOL player who hasn’t played a first team game and wants only a team that will give him first team slot and said he would go back to spain for nothing
They really are trying it on
Just because the sycophants at Stockley Park rolled over every time LiVARpool asked a question of them last season doesn’t mean Norwich has to follow suit. If they offer a fair price for Jamal then fine but, if not, then the club has every right to say no.
All the Sites say Around 10mil inc. Transfer Market ,so it is a fair price, just not for LFC as they will improve the player, so 12mil plus an add-on of sell-on and/or cup wins bonus etc would be ideal.
If not and you hold on to him he won’t be happy and will leave asap probably for a lot less money.
Just because “all the sites” say it’s a fair price, it doesn’t make it a fair price. Just because our valuation is (unsurprisingly) different to Liverpool’s, that doesn’t make it automatically unfair.
If someone offered £120 million for Salah, but you valued him at £150 million, would you cave in because “all the sites” said he was worth £120 million?
Oh, and we may get other offers for the player…
We’ll not be bullied.
Liverpool have offered £10M for a player we value at £20M+. If they next offer £15M we should up our valuation to £50M.
Who cares if it’s ‘fair’ ? I see precious little fairness throughout the whole of football and we have been amongst the biggest victims of this.
None of us are interested in giving Liverpool a fair deal, we don’t want or need to,sell our player, either cough up,the asking price or eff off.
What good is a sell on?
There are probably only 3 or 4 bigger clubs than Liverpool in world football. Meaning he will likely be there for years, or wilt on the bench and they lose money.
Likely deal will be around 18m plus performance bonuses.
Which would be fair
Tomorrow Gary I intend to make what I feel is a reasonable offer of £30,000 for Jurgen Klopp’s wonderful home in Formby.
I m sure he will give this offer all the care and intention that Stuart Webber will with the similarly generous offer for Jamal Lewis.
Yanic Wildschut cost us £7 million, yes I know that was silly but Jamal is worth only £3 million more ?
Give me a break.
This offer isn’t even close.
Next Leeds will bid £15 million for Emi !!!
Great piece, Gary.
Surely having any number of ‘sell-on’ clauses is irrelevant if he goes to Liverpool?
If it was Leicester, Saints, Palace for example, sell-on would have some value and benefit if a (perceived) top six club was interested at some stage in the future..
But if he goes directly from NCFC to a “top six” outfit, where next??
And what financial benefit to us when such a move did take place?
Exactly JD – any move from a top-six club is most likely ‘downwards’ and probably for a smaller fee than the one Liverpool will initially pay. How does that make any sell-on clauses helpful to us?
I feel certain that Barcelona or Madrid will offer Liverpool £120,000,000 for him in a couple of years. OK, sarcasm aside. there are clubs that can afford to pay much more than £20m for a top class FB. Liverpool are looking for a very cheap option in the hope of cashing in in the future.
An emotive article, Gary and I think echoes all our sentiments.
Having watched the Sunderland documented following (I think) your comments about it recently, I have one word.
Frightening.
I appreciate we are in a different place to them. But I can see why clubs will think they can hover like vultures around the smaller less-wealthy, relegated clubs.
Rodwell was the scariest part of that documentary.
My mate who is a massive LFC fan says they won’t pay over £10 for a backup player. I pointed out that where Liverpool choose to okay him has little bearing on his actual market value, which he acknowledged.
A good read.
They won’t get much for £10! 😀
Couple of hubcaps!
They have no need to pay for hubcaps Martin as their fans must’ve nicked hundreds,
Will they get many back-up players for only £10??
Knowing them, probably yes!!!!
O T B C
I’m happy at £10 million for Jamal as long as part of the deal is we swap owners!
You naughty moose John 🙂
That’s the best and most innovative so far!
O T B C
Let’s be avenue in a scouse accent? Please make this happen.
Think it would be an American accent, if it’s the owner you swap. Definitely don’t want to swap any fans with them!
Very true, and there’s always the risk that if we got promoted they would try and burn down city hall.
That wouldn’t bother me in the slightest. I’d give them my lighter.
You have to live here to know 🙂
Am I the only one that’s a little surprised by this move?
Don’t get me wrong, Jamal’s a proper athlete and can no doubt be improved by better coaches, but I don’t think he’s particularly stand-out at Premiership level and is certainly nowhere near ‘Liverpool level’ quite yet.
Then again no doubt the same comments were made about Andy Robertson when they signed him!
It will be interesting to see how this one pans out, but I think we can clearly say we’ve seen the last of Jamal, sadly.
Could not agree more. I have not been that impressed with him in the PL. formed part of the worst defence in the division. Two others of the defence alway seem to be highly rated, hard to understand, as they between them conceded so many goal last season, and the season before in the Champs.
Can’t see how he will fit there, based on this seasons performance, his favoured pass is backwards, which need to be coached out of him in such an attacking side.
I said elsewhere that the best we will get from Liverpool is £15mill, still 5 short of Webber’s price. Will we cave in to that ? Then we will see an undisclosed fee to keep us guessing ? If the lad wants to go, termed as desperate in some quarters, then what good is that to us. He knows what he is heading for, glad the subs seats are plastic now or splinters aplenty would be waiting.
This makes me think he is more keen on the money and the prestige of wearing thier famous shirt, than actually playing football.
I always take the view if they want away, they do not want to play for the team. then goodbye . I do not care a monkies if he came through the academy or not. This club is bigger than any player.
Good luck to him and wish him the best now
A player is only worth what others are willing to pay for him. At this stage, with apparently only one suitor in sight, City are of course right to hold out for a higher fee, and see if others are going to join the queue.
We have to be careful though.
The first problem is that Lewis appears to be keen on the move – as you’d expect. So keen in fact that others who may have had him on their radar could decide there’s no point getting involved in a bidding war. Why put in a bid for the sake of it if you think Liverpool are going to match it anyway? It’s not other clubs’ job to push the price up purely for our benefit.
Secondly Lewis is not yet, as far as I can see, a Premier League level full back, certainly not at top 6 level. If he were he would not have lost his place in one of the worst defensive units in PL history to a guy who doesn’t normally play in his position.
Thirdly, history is potentially repeating itself here. Liverpool do not pay over the odds for players based on their “potential”. In 2017 when they bought Robertson from recently relegated Hull they apparently paid an initial fee of £8m. Robertson was then 23 and had considerably more top flight experience than Lewis has. So I very much doubt if they will be going much higher than the figures that have been reported.
Lewis is, I’m sure, highly professional. Like Robertson, who nearly started a degree, he is an intelligent lad too. Both traits are probably partly what makes him attractive to the Reds – they believe he has what it takes between the ears to be able to develop.
If he doesn’t get his move I doubt if he will sulk. But with McCullum on board and Byram fit (hopefully) he’s not even guaranteed his starting place with us, especially if he becomes less focused than he should. So the big risk if we do hold out and simply don’t sell him is that his value will start to go down.
Webber is a smart operator and will have worked all this out long before the likes of me. My bet is that in a week or so, unless a bidding war does start, the move will happen.
The fee? Well, not enough in our view, too much in the eyes of Liverpool fans. So both parties will probably be happy with “undisclosed”.
Liverpool and their fans are having a laugh – ten million… it’s a joke. If the boardroom gets involved then as you say Stuart Webber will be gone and I don’t blame him. Should be left to do what he has been brought in to do. I can’t see Stuart Webber letting anybody go easily… it’s his right to hold out for what the club values these players at. It’s the old story – we are a big club let’s roll them over again because we want to keep all the money. About time we held out till we get what we want. I believe Webber will hold out till we get what we want or it won’t happen and there’s only one club to blame, and it’s not Norwich City.
Stuart Webber got us £25million including add ons for Maddison when we had to sell. I don’t think he will roll over in any negotiations.