So, it turns out the speculation was true. Liverpool have announced that Kolo Toure will join them from Man City on the 1st of July. The 32-year old comes into a squad that’s set to lose one defensive legend plus another one or two less so legendary centre backs. The Ivorian’s experience and mentality will no doubt bring something to the squad but what to make of his age and pay grade?
Fans alike must have flirted with the idea that Carragher would need replacing, that goes without saying. He leaves with him a void of passion, knowledge and determination. Is Kolo the answer? To some extent you see where Rodgers is coming from. Kolo has played at two Premier League clubs. Both of those have won the title. He knows how to win, he knows what it takes. He adds an element of solidity when required and isn’t the worst player on the ball. He’s also 3 years younger than Carra’. Box pretty much ticked.
Money; we all love it for ourselves but hate our club wasting it. Understandable. As well as the attributes above, Carragher leaves a dent in our finances, a plus by all accounts. FSG’s insistence, over recent terms, to flush away the big earners is again coming true, isn’t it? Well perhaps not. Who really knows what Toure will earn but I’m willing to presume it’s beneficial for him. His wages will undoubtedly be inferior to those of Jamie Carragher but I can’t help but feel he’ll be handsomely paid.
The sole reason this fills me with intrigue is the notion that highly paid players, especially those who’ve been newly acquired, aren’t usually for bench radiation duties. That worries me slightly. As good a player as Toure is, personally I think he’s an inadequate first choice, regular starter. The money (pure speculation of course) he’s likely to have attracted, may well suggest otherwise. As an additional point to that, he leaves Man City citing a lack of playing time as his excuse. I really do wonder what promises Brendan’s made. That all could of course be my inner, “glass half empty” nature coming out to play.
My “glass half full” intuition is alerting me to Kolo’s flexibility. He’s played in a back 4 for a lot of his career but has also been involved in Mancini’s experimenting, where he’s been utilised in a back 3. I’m a firm believer that Rodgers fancies a 3-5-2 formation, mainly as a way of being pragmatic – call it a plan B, if you prefer. I think we’d have seen him execute it more this season, had he been littered with the personnel he trusted with that system. To put it more bluntly; had he had more than 2 decent centre backs. Possessional intent increases with three at the back and that would allow us to take advantage of that against higher teams in the league, perhaps away from home, as well as when trying to close out victories.
On the whole, if the financials add up and Kolo’s used correctly (as an “if and when” player) then by all means, it’s a good signing. I can’t help but crave a certain Hellas born beast, though, from Gelsenkirchen.
