English Angle: Enter Glen Johnson - Now Liverpool Now Have The Best Right-Back In The Country   

There are good and bad ways to spend £17m, and this time, Rafa Benitez has got it right, believes Goal.com's Sulmaan Ahmad...        

22 Jun 2009 14:16:39
                                                               
               
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EPL:Jermain Defoe and Glen Johnson, Everton - Portsmouth (PA)
                                       
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• Man City
• Portsmouth

                                                
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• Glen Johnson

                                                   
There have been critics, who shall remain fabulous and anonymous, ofRafa Benitez's transfer policy in recent seasons, but when he gets itright, few can pick them better.

Avast majority of neutrals consider Javier Mascherano to be among theleading defensive midfielders in the world, and you would struggle tofind a better all-round No. 9 than Fernando Torres.

Robbie Keanemay have ended up being a monumental way to waste £8 million (moneyspent factoring in the resale), and going as high as £17m for GarethBarry seemed wholly unnecessary for a team that already had one of thebest central midfield partnerships in the world, but Rafa now, by somemethod of madness, appears to have found his way again.

No onewith £17m in their pocket would usually think that the best place tospend it would be on a right-back, never mind a right-back playing forPortsmouth, rejected by Chelsea and written off as nothing more than afailed prospect, but this time next summer, they might just bere-evaluating their principles.

For those who don't know, GlenJohnson appeared on Liverpool's website in what was a comical give-awayof his having agreed to join the Reds. It would take a revolt ofRobinho proportions or a teething problem in the mould of Aly Cissokhoto put a stop to this deal now.

Portsmouth already accepted abid from them, as well as one from Manchester City and another fromChelsea, but the full-back could not have made a better choice from thethree.

Chelsea's mere interest, as the club that rejected himjust two seasons ago, is more than curious. They only just filled theirright-back slot for good last summer with the quality acquisition ofJose Bosingwa, and unless new Blues coach Carlo Ancelotti had plannedto ship off the Portuguese elsewhere, quite how Glen Johnson figuredinto the equation at Stamford Bridge is unclear.

City offer oneobvious incentive with not a lot else on top, when you consider theyare competing with two of the highest ranked clubs in UEFA. Again,amongst the likes of the promising Micah Richards and new signing PabloZabaleta, there was no necessity for Johnson at Eastlands and nor wouldthere have been any guarantee of success.

Still just 24, thedefender has shot straight into his prime, further fine-tuning hisinitial promise going forward with more discipline in defence.Liverpool, while not ill-equipped with Alvaro Arbeloa at theirdisposal, were missing that little extra something, but not anymore.

MichaelCarrick established two seasons ago the going rate for an Englandinternational signing for one Premier League club from another, andexcessive though it is, Johnson is as good a guarantee as any to be, inrelative terms, more than value for money.

For all Dirk Kuyt'svirtues for Liverpool operating from right-wing, his talent isgoal-poaching, and he can't help but look a little lost out wide whenhe has the ball and is under a degree of obligation to do somethingwith it. Johnson, fresh from providing no fewer than four assists inhis last England appearance and being arguably Portsmouth's mostcreative player all season from right-back, will go some way towardssolving that problem.

The Reds have a spine to match any otherin world football, but where they lack is not only in alternatives, butalso quality flair players to fill the wide slots in Rafa's rigid4-2-3-1 formation. Signing Johnson, assuming they can keep Arbeloa fromfleeing back to Madrid, will give them both the strength and depth theyrequire to match anyone.

It can only help the team to have morequality English talent to add to the mainstaying duo - club captainSteven Gerrard and his deputy, Jamie Carragher - who have been leftholding the fort in the Reds' current best XI. Gareth Barry fellthrough - and probably for the best - but Gerrard in particular wouldno doubt be delighted to welcome another international team-mate to thefold and help shake Liverpool's tag of being something of a SpanishArmada.

In truth, Man United may have done well to snap up athird product of West Ham's youth system for their starting line-up,but look like settling with the rotation system between the injury-hitWes Brown, the eternal stand-in John O'Shea and Rafael da Silva - justanother flying Brazilian full-back.

Here, Liverpool have madethe move and spent the money where United did not, and they will be theones to benefit immeasurably next season - a full-back may only be afull-back, but the best ones always find a way to make a difference.Johnson now has the perfect platform to cement himself as the best inthe Premier League and of course, the best England has to offer.

话说，格伦约翰逊这1700万胖子到底是好是坏呢:D

车子搅局没成功

官方的？

亏了
不值这价 红军又吃鳖

不值啊。。。1200W的事本来。。。

阿贝罗阿回你皇？

心理安慰下，其实只付了10M膀子。。。

贝帅的眼光不如他自己的魄力

这厮打边峰还不如马塞洛

老贝快点把扑斯毛斯的CEO挖来吧

真成了?
唉, 又买来一个惨将

笑了，你军由贝秃子在，联赛冠军永远没戏

约翰逊都能卖1700w，比我厂新入的阿贾克斯“童工”贵了不少啊

挺值的啊。。。。。

多塞纳好像不走了 ？