Samuel Eto'o

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Out of contract at Chelsea at the end of the season. 33 years old.
League record: 8 goals and 2 assists in 15 starts and 5 sub appearances
CL record: 3 goals and 1 assist in 5 starts and 3 sub appearances

Would you take him as a 3rd striker? I wouldn't mind if the pay is reasonable - maybe on a 1-year rolling contract. Gives a proven, experienced striker, who probably won't give the manager grief over minutes, and who fits our playing style.

A young, promising 3rd striker isn't going to get much time barring injuries/suspensions to Suarez and Sturridge, and it's hard to keep 3 top class strikers happy if we went for someone of Sturridge's level. A pair of top class strikers with a satisfied, experienced backup and a young understudy seems like a good compromise to me.

 

[Whirly]

I think the wages would be prohibitive considering what he was earning at Anzi, and now Chelsea.

 

[Frogfish]

I would. He probably realises that his salary will decrease with age. Class player who could also teach Studge a thing or two.

 

[Whirly]

Apparently he's *only* on ~100k/week at Chelsea, but that's actually a reasonable number to work with.

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

NO THANKS.

WE ARE LIVERPOOL.

Not some retirement home or reject shop.

 

[Woland]

Yeah but he's better than Aspas and we're gonna have a zillion games next year

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

I'd rather have Borini back.

 

[DHSC]

Could be a good free, along with Ashley Cole.

Some might disagree, but we will need to supplement our squad with some experience given we are playing in Europe next season.

 

[localny]

I would

 

[juniormember]

If he's happy on a short term contract, then definitely. We don't have any top youth prospects coming through in the striking department and he's miles better than Borini, and he was also part of the press-like-hell Barca team and did very well there. Don't know how much stamina he's still got in the tank but our fitness test before signing him should tell us exactly that.

 

[keniget]

I think Eto'o will be off to somewhere like Abu Dhabi in the summer to earn a few gazillions before he retires.

 

[Whirly]

I think Eto'o will be off to somewhere like Abu Dhabi in the summer to earn a few gazillions before he retires.

There was talk of him going back to Inter.

 

[Hansern]

No thanks. We dont need any 40 year old strikers coming in.

 

[Ryan]

Fuck no.

 

[Rouge Penguin]

Surely he'll be off to America?

Will be better options come the summer

 

[Glen C]

Fuck that, hell no. We're meant to be going forwards, not backwards.

 

[juniormember]

Fuck that, hell no. We're meant to be going forwards, not backwards.

We'd be going backwards if he was a Suarez or Sturridge replacement.
Not so much if he replaces Aspas or Borini.

 

[Dreambeliever]

No fucking way. He hasn't even looked decent this season nevermind with another year on the clock.

 

[Glen C]

We'd be going backwards if he was a Suarez or Sturridge replacement.
Not so much if he replaces Aspas or Borini.

Not backwards in ability but backwards in philosophy. He would command VERY high wages. The days of us paying high wages for over the hill players is over.

 

[nealmac]

Age is against him, (I didn't realise he was THAT old), but yeah, I think he'd be a decent 3rd striker. He's on a good run at the moment.

 

[juniormember]

Age is against him, (I didn't realise he was THAT old), but yeah, I think he'd be a decent 3rd striker. He's on a good run at the moment.

He's supposedly younger than our Stevie..

 

[peterhague]

No, he hasn't looked up to it this season and it'll be worse next year.

We play 2 up front, so having one good back up should be the minimum, especially as Sturridge is injury prone. I don't think there are any concerns about finding enough playing time for them, especially if a new striker is versatile enough to play in a wing forward role.

 

[nealmac]

He's supposedly younger than our Stevie..

Just checked. He is. He was only 33 last month. Stevie will be 34 in May.

 

[juniormember]

No, he hasn't looked up to it this season and it'll be worse next year.

We play 2 up front, so having one good back up should be the minimum, especially as Sturridge is injury prone. I don't think there are any concerns about finding enough playing time for them, especially if a new striker is versatile enough to play in a wing forward role.

I think our true shape is 4-3-3. The only reason Rodgers went with a 4-4-2 diamond, after the initially unsuccessful 3-5-2 is because our two forwards are undroppable.
So when one is suspended or like in the case of the Norwich game injured, we'll just revert to a 4-3-3 with Coutinho and Sterling either side of the forward.
The backup striker will be used only in emergencies when both forwards are out, and when we need a good player coming on late in games, right into the box when we're chasing a game and they've parked a bus.
I think Eto'o would be a good option for a year while our priorities in purchases might be elsewhere, unless we find a brilliantly versatile forward in the Suarez mould.
Aspas's transfer fee plus wages will easily cover Eto'o's 80-100k wages.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

I think we're more in need of a wide forward than someone like Eto'o, he'd be too expensive anyway.

 

[peterhague]

Eto'o is finished. I was surprised anyone suggested this, let alone the majority agreeing with it.

 

[juniormember]

He's actually not been bad at all.

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Some comparisons with younger strikers in the league, by the way. Stats obviously don't tell the full story, but whatever:

Remy (27) : 22 starts, 1 sub: 13 goals
Van Persie (30): 17 starts, 1 sub: 11 goals
Bony (25) : 23 starts, 7 subs: 11 goals
Negredo (28) : 20 starts, 8 subs: 9 goals
Welbeck (24) : 13 starts, 8 subs: 9 goals
Benteke (23) : 24 starts, 2 subs: 10 goals
Adebayor (30) : 16 starts, 1 sub: 10 goals
Eto'o (33) : 15 starts, 5 subs: 8 goals

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Aspas's transfer fee plus wages will easily cover Eto'o's 80-100k wages.

80K to 100K base pay won't cut it for me, especially given his age and the likelihood that injuries will limit his minutes even more. I'd be okay with a lower base with heavier performance-based incentives though. If big money is what he seeks, he'll end up in the Middle East or the US, or even Turkey (linked with Besiktas), but if that's not the main concern, then I think this might be a worthwhile punt for a season.

It was interesting for me to discover he'd actually just scored 1 league goal fewer than Negredo, whom I'm pretty sure was really well-rated by lots here when he was playing in the La Liga and then first arrived.

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

If this was Championship Manager, would you sign him ?

No way, Jose.