Results tagged “Xabi Alonso” from Liverpool FC News, Discussion & Debate | Liverpool Banter

Real Madrid target Xabi Alonso made a brief appearance as a strong Liverpool team suffered a heavy defeat in Spain.

Midfielder Alonso came off the bench with six minutes remaining as Espanyol officially opened their new stadium, and reports in Spain indicate it may be his final appearance for Liverpool.

Luis Garcia - a namesake of the former Liverpool player - put Mauricio Pochettino's side ahead after 19 minutes and former Chelsea reserve Ben Sahar scored a second-half double to give Espanyol an impressive win.

RAFA BENITEZ enjoyed a victory of sorts this week. His move to crank up the pressure on Xabi Alonso by insisting his fate was in his own hands and giving him a deadline to sort out his future finally broke the deadlock in the summer-long transfer saga.

NEWS that Xabi Alonso has handed in a written transfer request is a major disappointment to Liverpool fans but little surprise.
It had become increasingly clear throughout the summer's saga that the 27-year-old had his heart set on a move to Real Madrid.
He had consistently refused to reveal his intentions but his silence spoke volumes about where he saw his future.

Alvaro Arbeloa transfer a done deal

ALVARO ARBELOA will complete his move to Real Madrid today and Andrea Dossena is on the verge of a return to Italy.

The Spanish right-back will make the switch to the Bernabeu after Liverpool agreed a fee of around £3.5million.

Arbeloa, who began his career at Real, flew to Spain following the Reds' Far East tour to undergo a medical and will sign a four-year contract.

RAFAEL BENITEZ will hold talks with Xabi Alonso tomorrow aimed at finally resolving the ongoing saga of his prospective transfer to Real Madrid.

Alonso was photographed at Madrid airport earlier this week, prompting speculation he was in Spain for talks with Real.

But the midfielder is instead on a short vacation in his home town of San Sebastian to be reunited with his family after returning from the tour to the Far East.

It seems very clear now that Xabi Alonso wants to leave LFC and go and join the New Galacticos at Real Madrid. Real's representatives keep on talking about this price and that price yet Alonso is still a contracted Liverpool player?

It seems contracts these days are just ways to ensure that the players get the opportunity to renegotiate their wages up another few thousand quid at regular intervals.

In the case of Alonso, with one eye on the currency fluctuations between the Euro and the Pound and the other on UK tax rates, it seems home is where the more lucrative heart is.

And so we reach the end-game to yet another of the summer's tedious transfer tales.

Xabi Alonso has intimated to Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez that he wishes to play for Real Madrid and the Basque's exit from Anfield seems to be only a matter of time.

Yet Liverpool's handling of this tricky situation could well turn out to be one of the defining factors in their ability to make that final step in the long, tortuous road to their 19th league championship.

XABI ALONSO has told Rafa Benitez he wants to quit Anfield and sign for Real Madrid - but Liverpool will not grant his wish unless the Spanish giants come up with a fee in the region of £35m.

Alonso has stopped short of putting in an official written transfer request but he has made it clear to Benitez that his future lies in La Liga rather than the Premier League.

The 27-year-old is due to join up with his Liverpool team mates on Sunday after being given extended leave following his involvement in the Confederations Cup in South Africa but Alonso and his agent Inaki Ibanez are hopeful that a deal can be thrashed out with Real before then.

Real Madrid shift attention from Xabi Alonso

Spanish juggernaut makes bid for Italian defensive midfielder, after Rafa Benitez holds firm over not for sale midfield playmaker.

PEPE REINA is confident Liverpool will keep hold of both Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano despite summer speculation linking both with moves to Spain.

Current players from both Real Madrid, who are courting Alonso, and Mascherano pursuers Barcelona have been stoking the fires for the past few weeks as regards to their proposed transfers to La Liga.

REAL MADRID are delaying a bid for Liverpool's Xabi Alonso until a sell-on clause with his former club Real Sociedad expires later this month.

When the 27-year-old midfielder made the switch to Anfield in a £10.5million deal five years ago, Sociedad negotiated a 20% cut of any future transfer fee.

However, that agreement is believed to run out on July 18 and Madrid insist that could help them agree a deal with the Reds.

This year it was stunning in it's simplicity where last year it simply sapped the soul.

The Gareth Barry transfer saga is well and truly over and he's off to Manchester City.

On the face of it, while there may be some disappointment that the Aston Villa man is not heading to Anfield after all, the fact that this is one of the first transfers to be completed in the close-season should be cause for celebration if only by virtue of the fact we will not have to hear about it every hour of every day of the summer as was the case twelve months ago, a scenario that surely wore down the enthusiasm of even the most ardent summer-transfer-rumour junkie.

REAL MADRID are ready to use highly-rated striker Alvaro Negredo as bait in their attempt to lure Liverpool into parting with Xabi Alonso.

LIVERPOOL are bracing themselves for a imminent official bid from Real Madrid for Xabi Alonso with Florentino Perez today expected to take up presidency at the Spanish giants.

Perez is set to begin his second stint as president two weeks ahead of planned elections after none of the other prospective candidates was able to provide the cash guarantee required.

Alonso has long been a transfer target of Perez as he aims to rebuild Real Madrid around players from Spain's triumphant Euro 2008 side.

WHEN you look at what is needed at Anfield this summer in the transfer market then the emphasis must definitely be on quality rather than quantity.

IT was an emotional end to the season on Sunday as everyone at Anfield said their goodbyes to Sami Hyypia.

The defender deserves all the tributes that have come his way because he's been a fantastic servant for the club.

Sami will go down as probably the greatest signing of Gerard Houllier's reign as manager.

LIVERPOOL'S title challenge has suffered a blow with the news Steven Gerrard faces an extended spell on the sidelines.

Gerrard will be out for between "seven and 10 days" after scans revealed the skipper has aggravated a small strain in his adductor muscle.

The problem had meant the 28-year-old was an unused substitute last Saturday in the win over Blackburn Rovers and failed to make even the bench for the Champions League clash at Chelsea in midweek.

XABI ALONSO believes Liverpool's dramatic European elimination is proof they will fight Manchester United all the way for the Premier League crown.

Rafael Benitez's side came agonisingly close to producing one the greatest comebacks in Champions League history in their quarter-final tie at Chelsea on Tuesday.

Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, Liverpool twice came within a goal of reaching the semi-finals before having to settle for an astonishing 4-4 draw.

THERE were times last summer when Xabi Alonso thought he had pulled on a Liverpool shirt for the final time.

As Rafa Benitez chased the £18million capture of Gareth Barry, the Spanish playmaker's days at Anfield appeared numbered.

Juventus and Arsenal were linked with the midfielder but the refusal of owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to sanction a deal for Barry meant Alonso stayed put.

XABI ALONSO has denied having been approached by Real Madrid's presidential candidate Florentino Perez over a summer move to the Bernabeu.

Reports in Spain have claimed the Liverpool midfielder is one of several players Perez is promising will be captured as part of his campaign to be re-elected at the club.

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo and Lyon striker Karim Benzema are also of Perez's shopping list.