Trabzonspor Coming Back for Kolo Toure
After rejecting a bid from Turkish club Trabzonspor for veteran defender Kolo Toure, Liverpool can expect the Black Sea side to lodge another bid this summer according to reports coming from broadcaster Lig Tv.
With the demands of Champions League football on the horizon for the Reds, question marks remain over their unstable backline with stalwart Daniel Agger and youngster Sebastian Coates expected to leave the club by the time the transfer window closes. The re-emergence of Martin Skrtel, the exciting talent of Mamadou Sakho and the acquisition of former Southampton man Dejan Lovren has more or less set the central defensive pecking order at Anfield for the coming season, which begs the question of exactly where Toure fits in.
“Kolo has been an incredible player. We brought him in because he is a winner, an authentic winner,” said Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers after new broke that the club had rejected a bid for the 33-year old defender. “He’s someone who doesn’t play every single week but when he does play, he plays very well. Every day of his life in training, he gives his all.”
Whether that will be enough to keep him in England remains to be seen. With only a year left on his current deal and an extension not expected to be extended at the end of it, the Reds could get look to get something for him if the price is right. Despite an influx of players this summer, Trabzonspor boss Vahid Halilhodzic has apparently told the club board he needs to strengthen at the back as well and another move for Toure could yet be on the cards.
selling him will be safe for him
Sell him please…l ll keep coates
We gothim for free, we have a chance to get some money now. Besides why keep him when we have youngsters like Coates and Tiago Lloris ? I will rather keep the latter
He’d be likely to get more playing time somewhere else. Barring an injury to either Sakho, Skrtel or Lovren, I can’t see him getting much time on the pitch this season.
I think Coates will probably leave and Ilori will go out on loan; that being said, I’d rather hang on to Coates as our fourth center-half and sell Kolo. Nothing against him, but I’d rather see us blood a youngster in what would be his spot in the squad.
Coates has looked decent during pre-season. He’s not the paciest defender we have, but his positional awareness is top notch.