Brendan Rodgers snapped up Fabio Borini who he knew from his Stamford Bridge days. Is he about to bring another ex-Chelsea starlet to Liverpool?
The man in question is 20-year-old Gokhan Tore, who Chelsea sold for £1 million last summer.
Bundesliga club Hamburg were the ones to snap him up, but are currently experiencing financial difficulties and have transfer listed the winger as they hope to get a positive return on their investment.
His price would be £5 million, according to Turkish-Football.com, a snip compared to the expensive prices Liverpool shelled out last summer for players.
Last Friday Liverpool snapped up Fabio Borini, a striker Rodgers knew from his time as Chelsea’s youth and reserve team manager, and who he brought on loan at Swansea.
Rodgers was at Chelsea between 2004 and 2008, and his time did not cross over with Gokhan Tore’s spell in the youth team at Chelsea, 2009-2011, but his contacts at Stamford Bridge will mean he was and is fully aware of him.
Tore had a productive first season at Hamburg, making 16 starts and providing six assists, this for a team who finished six points above the relegation zone in just 15th.
He is a full Turkish international with 10 caps to his name already and is seen as one of the stars of the future. Liverpool would do well to snap him up, and even Chelsea may feel they let the winger go prematurely, given their need for right-sided attackers.
The standout statistic about Tore? He was the number one player for successful dribbles per game in Germany last season, completing an average of 5.3 – ahead of former Anfield winger Ryan Babel, Franck Ribery, Andre Schurrle and Marco Reus.
To put that in context, the number one dribbler in the Premier League last season was Junior Hoilett – whose average was less than half of Tore’s at 2.6.
Clearly the two leagues are different and Tore may not have the same success over here, but judged against his Bundesliga peers to come out as number one shows his talent.
Six assists in 16 games is a ratio that Stewart Downing would wish anything for, and at £5 million the player would be a clever addition to the Liverpool side, and aged just 20 too.
Young talented, full of tricks, and clever with the football, he fits the mold Brendan Rodgers wants of his players. Clubs in his native Turkey are very keen on securing his services, and Liverpool will have to act quickly if they don’t want to miss out.
Watch Tore in action…
Should Liverpool go for Tore?
images: © nicksarebi, © Nick Sarebi
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