Lot of guff being written on this thread.
Benayoun wasn't up to it. The manager knew that. He had a look and came to that conclusion. The manager didn't want him. The manager backed his judgement. We want a manager that does that. That knows what he wants and knows what he doesn't want. He wasn't bothered about giving him to Arsenal, and full power to him. He has the courage of his conviction. Take a bow son.
We offered Dalglish Benayoun as a replacement for Mereiles. We valued Benayoun at £3m. Dalglish didn't want him. Redknapp didn't want him, despite the fact he was desperately short of numbers. Benayoun is 31 years old, has had a year out with injury. He was never that great to start with. He was good, but for a club like ours, was never going to command a regular spot. There is no guarantee his achilles is up to it. Either way, he is no prized asset, there was no long line of suitors.
The manager looked. He didn't fancy him. One bit. He wanted him out, so much so that he sent him to one of our major rivals on loan, a major rival that was desperate, given the fact they've just lost two heavyweights and run out of time.
Even Arsenal wouldn't take the risk of a permanent deal, despite the fact they could have got him on the cheap (just as they like it).
Will he pull up any trees at Arsenal? Not likely. AVB decreed he was a dud, or a crock, or both. That's good enough for me. He's closer to the squad than any of us and he's achieved more in the game. I think he deserves our trust at this stage. Cut him some slack.
Mereiles? Good signing. Very good signing. Far better than some of you appreciate.
We wanted Modric. We deemed him good enough to walk into our first team. We deemed him good enough to strengthen us. We deemed him realistic in terms of wages and worth the outlay. We did not find anyone else that ticked those boxes, not in the manager's opinion. So what did we do? We held back, quite rightly. I congratulate the manager for this. It's quite obvious the money was there, but he was prudent, quite wisely. Silly sums on a player the manager deems unworthy of granting a first-team spot is foolish, for once you have him you're stuck with him, and you preclude yourself from buying a replacement (as we'll find with Torres). AVB has done us all a favour here. Prudence was the order of the day.
Mereiles has come as back-up. Quality back-up. We needed back-up, badly. Ramires or Lampard get injured and we're f**ked. Josh is potentially our best player but he's not ready to play ten games in a row in the frenetic and aggressive Prem, not if we want to win it, not in high-octane top of the table clashes. We must not rely upon him, for this will impede his development. He's ready to feature, not to play every game. He's nowhere near that stage yet. Midfield is the battleground. AVB has protected him with this signing, and for that we must all be thankful. We will see Josh but we will not be relying completely upon him. That's as it should be.
Every squad needs its foot soldiers and we have bought a better foot soldier than Smertin, Maniche, Tiago, Jarosik and the rest. Mereiles may not be the world's greatest player but he is no mug, give him his due. Five years younger than Lampard, at his peak, 50 caps for Portugal (who aren't a bad side), the same nationality as the manager, and popular with scousers even though Hodgson signed him. Furthermore he's adjusted to the Prem. At £12m I'd say we've done good business. I'd say we needed him. I'd say we're lucky to have him. We could have done a lot worse.
He will know he can't walk into our side. He will know the quality we possess, the trophies we've won. Similarly he will know he has a shot because he's a good player and he will get games due to our limited options in midfield. He will give us quality, far more quality than Benayoun. He will give us versatility. Presence. He's the manager's signing, someone he can depend upon. That counts for a lot.
Modric would have been great (if not worth £40m). I will console myself with the fact we bought Mata and that will give us the subtlety we crave, albeit in a different position. Let's not be too greedy. Remember every squad needs its foot soldiers and not every signing can be glamourous. Mereiles will do for me, given what he's been brought in for.
I commend the manager and I welcome Mereiles to our club. And so should you.
EDIT: Thank you for reading.
