EMRE Can has a lot going for him, we can agree on that, writes DANNY GALLAGHER.
He lives out his football dream on a daily basis, is built like an Olympic swimmer and is still, somehow, just 24. He’ll probably call it all a day at some point to go off and become the face of Giorgio Armani. I’m not jealous, honest.
But it’s decision time, stick or shift. The season is reaching its climax and a potential new dawn beckons.
Can’s winding down of a contract has irked many fans, and understandably so. Frustration is being aimed at the player, his agent, the club, all three. It’s quite the mess, with Fenway Sports Group likely walking around like a bear with a sore head at the prospect of seeing a top talent walk out the door without even a stray pound rolling back through in return.
Buying the big German was like getting a Rolls Royce that few people knew about, on the cheap.
Getting on the Auto Trader to see it sat there, few offers and little interest. “Oi love,” you say to your other half, astonished. “There’s a bloody Rolls here for sale for next to nothing, hardly any miles on the clock… Should I stick a bid in?”
A few weeks mulling over this seemingly unmissable deal and you have your verdict… “Nah, bollocks to it, must have its engine missing.”
Except Liverpool slipped that bid in and by Christ did he turn out to have an engine alright. Go on, tell me Can hasn’t collectively been boss during his time on Merseyside.
As soon as he turned up you could tell there was an edge. A verve. A desire to become a better and more accomplished player with multi facets to his game.
“In the Premier League there are a lot of big beasts. I am also one of them so I’m going to give my best,” Can told the club website upon his arrival. Fair play, lad.
It’s hard to say he hasn’t delivered in the short time he’s been at Anfield. Progression has been continuous, but there’s one big issue with Can.
There he is, your Rolls Royce midfielder. Bossing the game, smashing opponents around, driving forward, picking out defence-splitting passes, or scoring worldies — just ask Watford.
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— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) 4 May 2017
But then, come the next matchday, you open the door and walk down the drive expecting your Rolls Royce, and there it is…. A fucking Skoda.
Don’t double take. This is your cut-price Rolls Royce before you, except today it’s masquerading as a Skoda.
It will still do a job. Get you from A to B, be a steady(ish) runner. But that’s your lot.
It will flatter to deceive, fail to actually impress, go under the radar. A bit shit. A bit… Skoda.
Can’s issue is consistency, everyone knows it.
It’s a convenient trend to be fair, being one of Liverpool’s biggest problems as well. From bossing the soon-to-be champions of the Premier League to then losing to bottom of the league.
Can will boss one game and disappear in the other. As will Liverpool.
But he picks up and wins you back over, just as you’re warming to the idea that his Anfield exit won’t matter all that much. His imposing play and opening goal against West Ham on Saturday kicked everything off, and The Reds soon followed suit.
Yet the silence around his contract situation is deafening.
So many questions are being left unanswered. This all got going around 12 months ago, when a sitting down at the table between club, player and agent reportedly backfired over the refusal to add a buy-out clause into any new deal.
Under Fenway, this is how things are done. No contract has a buyout, they play hardball and determine their price. Does this stop players moving on?
Ask Philippe Coutinho, currently finishing off moving his stuff into a flash new pad in Catalonia while picking out wallpaper colours. The answer is no.
Which makes it all the more odd. Can’s in this team and, providing he stays fit and retains form, he’s staying in it. The fact he’s been handed the captain’s armband in recent weeks isn’t just some token gesture from Klopp, it’s a sign he backs this lad as a true leader in the middle of his dynamic midfield.
What do we take from this then… Does Can not back himself?
He hardly seems like the sort shy of confidence. If his career really is set to take the trajectory he, and many others, expect it to, then why not wait for a European giant to come in and put £70-80million on the table?
Back yourself, accept the deal with no buyout. Be the “Premier League beast” you talked up on arrival. Show teams you’re worth a shit tonne of money and they’ll pay whatever it takes.
Sure, Liverpool will hold all the cards with the leverage of a fresh contract in its infancy, but if a good deal comes in then thank you and farewell, a deal will be struck.
Or is it a more cautious approach of knowing Naby Keita is coming straight into this midfield three? Jordan Henderson perhaps getting back to his best and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain continuing his quietly impressive rise?
The way things are in this Liverpool setup, Can is only one prolonged run of inconsistency from playing himself out of the starting 11. Maybe that’s on his mind, too.
Get stuck next season as a bit-part player and a £20m bid from the continent isn’t going to cut the mustard, even if said team do come armed with the argument that “he’s only a squad player”.
He doesn’t want to be locked in as some “potential” player who isn’t getting game time, but who Liverpool also refuse to sell cheaply. Some conundrum all round.
But why Juventus? We can all accept this is where Can is likely headed. This is where the logic fails.
Talk of a bumper pay deal as a result of his cost-free price tag is rife, and fair enough on that front. But Juve aren’t the destination.
You, like me, probably aren’t having it that Can grew up dreaming of starring in Serie A.
Especially present day Serie A — running out at a half-full San Siro to batter an AC Milan team containing Fabio Borini and Nikola Kalinic. Nah, you’re alright, cheers.
Does a few seasons at Serie A pace take a central midfielder to those almost unreachable upper echelons? Again, the jury’s out on this one, fella.
Paul Pogba was tipped for a return of biblical proportions upon his comeback to a league of higher status and intensity. Still waiting on that one, aren’t we?
There’s also the question of does he even get into this Juve team? At the moment, probably not.
We’ve all read the script, and it’s no doubt the same one drip fed to Can in recent months. “You’re coming here to succeed Sami Khedira.”
All fine and well, but Khedira is 30 and showing no signs of slowing up. With Blaise Matuidi and Miralem Pjanic around him, along with Douglas Costa and Juan Cuadrado flashing down the wings, it’s a solid unit.
A solid unit which will take a good few seasons to break into and dominate, then what? Juve isn’t the destination to stick out your career at, despite annually standing a solid chance of going far in the Champions League.
Can must be banking on getting into this team quickly and perhaps being ready for his big, big move in a few years’ time.
As much as Juve are the top dogs in a steadily dying Italian league, and impressively maintaining European merit season upon season, they’re still prey.
Fancy three or four seasons in Turin, Emre? Prepare to play under a few gaffers. Like Antonio Conte before him, Massimo Allegri will be next.
One boss may favour you, one may not. Khedira may hammer away till he’s 34. The Germany national team may not take too kindly to a lack of game time. Plenty of variables, all speculation of course.
It’s a huge leap of faith. Some careers are forged on them, others lost by them.
It’s a case of giving up a Liverpool side who are making bold strides to getting back to where they should be. A side which regularly has his name on the team sheet, a German boss who backs him and a fanbase that adores him. Some leap indeed.
The Rolls Royce may still need plenty of work, but there are few better mechanics around than Jürgen Klopp.
Over to you, Emre. Make the call.
Ps. Apologies if you drive a Skoda.
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He’s been under Klopp for well over two years, he still switches off in games, he still fail at the basics often enough that it is noteworthy and he’s never felt like he’s truly been one of us. If you told me he had lived in a hotel all this time, I wouldn’t be surprised.
I’ve only got two regrets about his departure – first that we aren’t picking up a nice cheque and second that we will have to endure endless clips and comments every time he does something in Italy. “Look at this brilliant goal, how did we let him go for nothing?” ignoring that dozen misses he made and all his defensive failings. It’s Suso all over again.
And Skodas are good now, honest.
“one of us”?
Who ever gave you that vibe from all the players. One of our most beloved players already showed that he was never really connected with this club.
Coutinho gave five years at the club. One of the best players in the world and he had won precisely zero trophies with us. His boyhood club came calling and we would be getting a huuuuge stack of cash. There’s a time to move on from places, even places you love.
4 years out of those 5 playing in mediocrity. Klopp made him a 142 million target for Barcelona.
He was lucky to get a call from Liverpool in the first place with his derailed career at Inter.
Yeah, zero trophies. That’s right. He could have helped massively though by putting his pen in the back of the net in the LeagueCup final or bothering to show up at all in Basel.
Some “best player in the world” we had there!
Apology accepted :)
I get all the talk about his potential and being a Rolls Royce in the making that some fans lead you to believe.
But the question is how long will it take until he becomes the Rolls Royce without any deficiencies.
The game against the Hammers summed up his overall play. Personally, I dont rate him that highly and dot midn him leaving in the summer. He is not good enough for me in midfield to get us closer to the League title.
It’s all about what we bring in to replace him.
As the Bayern manager Heynckes said about potentially looking at signing Emre, “it’s not all about physicality these days, you need a good football brain as well”. Basically he’d rather have brains over brawn.
Says it all really.
he wants the big pay day,once he signs for juve,put him out the squad,let see if he gets in the german team,byeeeeeeeeeeeee
Not sure why people are getting so excited over this. Becoming a free agent is really common in american sports and doesn’t always mean the person signs for another team. It’s simply a way for the player to get the best contract, particularly if the player backs their performance and health. He and his agent will likely start a bidding war, if Bayern step in and Juve are in for him then he and his agent can ask LFC to match it. This is why a player like Lebron James will only sign short term contracts. He backs him to perform and increase his value. There are talks that lebron may sign one year contracts with an option for the only the second year. While Can isn’t Lebron he can do the same with but ask teams to bid for a long term contract with increased terms. Fans may not like it but for a player and agent its the best for them. I’m always surprised that i don’t see more players run their contracts out.
I disagree with all the people who say he’s crap. He’s clearly not. He’s not perfect, in fact he’s got lots of flaws… but he does produce.
He’s got more goals/assists than the rest of our midfield. And for that matter than most of the midfielders in the Prem who are lauded without really producing anything like as much as Emre.
My view is that in Italy he’ll get more recognition… I could easily imagine him reaching Pogba levels over there (look how little finesse Pogba came back with as a great example of how physical gifts alone can drag a player through Serie A)
I think replacing him will be hard. Not impossible, but to write him off as this non-contributing handicap that some ppl see him as is a bit mad.
Being a bit arbitrary in your argument there, mate.
One the hand good footballer with huge potential. On the other hand, his predominantly physical qualities can make him a better footballer in Serie A.
In the Premier League you need minimum just as much brain as you need brawn.
His level is not going to take us to a title challenge. Especially with him being in midfield. Top 4 yes, League titel, no.
I bet when Keita arrives and potentially Jorginho, you wont even spend a single thought on Emre in 6 months.
Wasnt convinced by the gist of the article and then stopped reading at the point Klopp’s handing over of the armband was presented as a pivotal sign. Really? Might want to ask Mings about that.
this captain thing is bollocks. No lad is going to plan his next 5 years around it. Its not even a sweetener.
End of the day, Can signed a deal with us which expires in 2018. Its his right to do what he wants once that date is reached, just as Liverpool could refuse to give him a new deal even if he had no club to go to.
If he wants to move on then fair fucks to him and good luck.
Dont understand the refusal to add a buyout clause. Surely it would have been better to have had an extended contract and be selling him this summer rather than leaving for free. I’m no accountant but think i can work that out. Can anyone explain why they refuse to add buyouts into contracts? Is it even true?
If it wasn’t policy, Coutinho would have had one and would have for maybe £90m (which would have been the world record fee at the time).
we got Milner and Matip on frees. We lose Can.
Swings and roundabouts.
they wont add buy-outs as every fucker will want one and clubs lose the right to say No. And adding a buy-out figure, if set by the club, means paying higher wages to compensate for a possible restriction of movement.
and buy-out clauses reduce an uptick to the club in market forces – set a clause at 50m last summer, well that’s now 75m in the free market.
spot on. Another perspective, if the club went to Salah and offer him a bumper contract with a release clause, setting the release fee at 500mil, he wouldnt accept that.
It’s better without these clauses. If players really want to leave, then these days they will find ways.
Contract or expiry, release clause or no release cl.
I read a comment on the Guardian match report using the West Ham match as an example of why Wijnaldum is a better midfield option than Can in this Reds team.
My assessment of his game on Saturday is that he ran the game from midfield for 60 minutes, racking up a goal and an assist in the process. He got complacent on one play, costing us a goal, then wobbled for the next few minutes. However, he steadied himself, saw the game out, then gave a very honest, mature post-match interview accepting full responsibility for his mistake and heaping praise on his teammates.
With Wijnaldum in the team in his place, we don’t cop that goal against, but probably only eke out a nervous 1-nil win. I think I prefer the 4-1 that Can helps provide, thanks.
After that post-match interview, I am starting to feel that, if we secure Top 4 and do further damage in the Champions League (semifinals or final), there’s a strong chance that he stays. Juventus may be getting the same sense judging by the reports this morning that they’re throwing an ultimatum at his camp to sign this week, or else.
Dont understand that logic.
How in the world do you suggest with Gini in there we would have only nicked it 1-0?
There are plenty of games with Gini in midifield where we wiped the floor with opponents.
The logic is that Gini is the safer option. He wouldn’t have given the ball away for their goal, but he also wouldn’t have scored the goal that Can did, or create the goal that he did, or give us the attacking thrust that Can did. With him in the side, we probably go into the half on Saturday nil-nil (naturally, as Can wouldn’t have been there to score the first goal). We are probably still good enough to win that game, but we’re unlikely to have won it 4-1, as we did.
Can has a much higher ceiling, as much in any individual game as he does, in general. However, he is also a riskier player to put in, at times.
“He wouldn’t have given the ball away for their goal”.
There have been plenty of occassions where Gini lost the ball in midfield.
” or give us the attacking thrust that Can did”
dont know what games you watch, but for example the latest memory, at Porto where he is courageously went into the opponent’s box and tried to make things happen, ball landed at Sadio’s feet and we go 1-0 up.
Emre has three goals. Nothing to get excited about. Gini has 1 goal.
There is not much difference here. But it is not all black and white like you paint it with the Gini-Emre comparison, mate.
that’s a very Liverpool comment and conversation – focus a discussion on why player who was ill is better suited than the lad who played a part in a 4-1 win.
Good article. Liverpool are getting better with every game and are a better and bigger club than Juventus. This move will be a backwards step for Can