Former England international Owen Hargreaves believes Bayer Leverkusen star Hakan Calhanoglu would be a “perfect” signing for Liverpool, expressing his admiration for the Turkish playmaker while appearing on BT Sports (h/t Daily Star‘s Jamie Anderson).

Calhanoglu, who was born and raised in Germany but opted to represent Turkey at the international level, is widely regarded as one of the best young attacking midfielders in the world, and Hargreaves is a big fan, saying:

Calhanoglu is the star he is the feature of this team. If you think about Liverpool or Tottenham he would be perfect in those teams. I love Calhanoglu, I think he’s gonna be a superstar, honestly he’s one of the best strikers of the ball you’ll see.

The 21-year-old emerging star showed exactly what the fuss is all about during Leverkusen’s 3-0 win over Italian side Lazio Roma in the Champions League play-offs, as shared by OptaPaolo:

A free-kick specialist, Calhanoglu is at his best when he gets to play in a central role behind the striker, although he has moved out wide in the past. It’s easy to draw comparisons with Mesut Ozil, although Calhanoglu is very much his own man.

As reported by WhoScored.com, he scored eight goals and provided six assists last season in the Bundesliga, with a number of those assists coming from set pieces. The year before, he managed 11 goals, showing his incredible scoring potential.

Calhanoglu is a phenomenal prospect and a player who is quickly rising in the eyes of scouts and fans alike, but he’s unlikely to be available this late in the transfer window. Judging by the comments he made after it became clear Heung-Min Song could be on his way to Tottenham Hotspur, he seems more than committed to Leverkusen, via Goal’s Liam Twomey:

I think he is badly advised. I have written to him, called him, but he has not answered his phone. I am very sad, the whole team is a bit disappointed.

When you’re 23 years old, of course you have respect for your father. But you have to sometimes make your own decisions. We were there for him always – that’s why we are sad. Everyone has tried to reach him.

He’ll play Champions League football with the Germans in 2015-16, something the Reds can’t offer, and given his importance to the squad, Leverkusen won’t even think of selling unless Calhanoglu openly asks for it.

Liverpool already field one of the world’s top attacking midfielders in Philippe Coutinho, but the Brazilian has plenty of experience playing out wide. There’s every reason to believe the two could coexist and rotate on the pitch, even if it would take some width out of manager Brendan Rodgers’ side.

But summer arrival Roberto Firmino also prefers to play the No. 10 role, and he’s likely to move into the starting XI once he’s fully fit and adapted to the Premier League. Calhanoglu could hypothetically move out wide, but that would take away some of his best qualities, like his ability to play a pass into the box when the Reds are pressing.

It’s difficult to see how Rodgers would fit those pieces together, and while there’s no denying Calhanoglu would improve the squad should he move to Anfield, a transfer looks unlikely at this point.

 

Spurs Want Fabio Borini?

According to Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Liverpool Echo‘s Kristian Walsh), Tottenham Hotspur are eyeying Fabio Borini as a last-minute option to chase should moves for their other attacking targets fall through.

Walsh provided the latest on the speculation:

In what would surely be the most Spurs transfer ever, the London club have been linked with a move for the out-of-favour striker – in the Italian media, of course – in case their move for West Brom man Saido Berahino falls through.

Website Tuttomercatoweb says the 24-year-old has attracted interest from a host of Serie A clubs, with Fiorentina, Lazio, Inter Milan and Bologna all mentioned.

But Spurs may be about to step in, they say. Fantastico.

The Reds have been trying to offload the out-of-favour Italian throughout the summer, and with less than a week left in the summer transfer window, Borini is still at the club. As explained by Walsh, a host of Italian clubs have been linked with a move, but so far, nothing has materialised.

It’s fair to wonder why. He’s been training separately throughout summer, per the Guardian‘s Andy Hunter, and he’s unlikely to earn even a second of playing time this season in the event that he stays.

If the likes of Bologna and Lazio, who will be without striker Miroslav Klose for the foreseeable future―via AFP for FIFA.com―are all eyeing the forward, how is he still at Anfield? The Reds’ demands can’t be that high―Borini barely played last season and did nothing to warrant a significant investment.

Regardless of what Rodgers was hoping to fetch in return for the Italian, the club’s asking price must have dropped drastically by now. A move to north London seems a little far-fetched, but at this point in time, you have to assume the club would agree to just about any deal.

 

Follow @ReverschPass

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1MXXpkB
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J