Shocking report out of Anfield where Liverpool are lining up a move for Manchester City defender Kolo Toure.
Toure’s contract expires this summer and the Ivorian has fallen out of favor with the Citizens after playing in 15 league matches this season as captain Vincent Kompany and newboy Matija Nastasic were the center-back duo of choice.
Since arriving at the Etihad from Arsenal in the summer of 2009 the defender has seen his role reduced from 31 league matches in 2009-10, to 22 contests the following year, to 14 league matches in the title-winning season of 2011-12.
So why are Liverpool interested the 32 year old?
Toure provides great value.
While he’s no longer one of the best defenders in the league, Torre will arrive at Anfield on a free transfer as he’s out of contract this summer. That means the Moneyball-loving, Financial Fair Play-weary, Fenway Sports Group sees this deal as a no-brainer. All they have to pay is salary. Toure currently makes £90,000 a week at City so expect Liverpool to offer him a one to two year deal somewhere in the neighborhood of £40,000-£60,000 a week.
Toure provides experience and leadership.
Toure will come into Anfield and take over the role of the departing Jamie Carragher. Like the Liverpool legend, Toure has enjoyed a long career in the Premiership, tallying eight years for Arsenal and four years for City. During that tenure he’s proven himself to be a leader, captaining both the Gunners and the Citizens, as well as Cote d’Ivoire.
The importance of leadership is something that Liverpool has always valued but has become especially important this season with the contributions of Carragher. With Martin Skrtel fading and Sebastian Coates failing to develop, the 35 year old Carragher stepped up in a massive way, anchoring the back four with Daniel Agger. Now, that duty will fall to Toure.
Toure can still get the job done.
Has he slowed a step? Yes. But Toure makes up for it with brilliant positioning, sharp anticipation and above-average ball skills. Plus, while 32 years old is no spring chicken, Toure could foreseeably play two or three more season at the top level.
So while there’s little doubt Brendan Rodgers will continue to scour the transfer market for defensive options, Kolo Toure could be a cheeky buy for Liverpool.