Liverpool sign kolo toure/skrtel to leave
Tue May 28, 2013 5:49 pm
Liverpool have agreed to sign kolo toure from the 1st June .
Skrtel considers leaving now he would be worth a sneaky bid
Liverpool have confirmed the free signing of Ivorian defender Kolo Toure from Manchester City.
The club confirmed the deal on their website and Toure will become a Liverpool player on July 1 having grown frustrated by his lack of opportunities at the Etihad Stadium.
With Jamie Carragher now retired and doubts persisting over the long-term futures of both Martin Skrtel and Sebastian Coates, manager Brendan Rodgers has been keen to tie up a deal for an experienced player for the heart of his defence.
Toure's contract with City expires next month and he has stated his desire to stay in England.
Though the former Arsenal man is not in the age profile of players Liverpool sign under their American owners Fenway Sports Group – he is 32 – there is an understanding that experience needs to be added to the dressing room following Carragher’s decision to hang up his boots.
Liverpool's need for fresh faces at the back is further accentuated by Skrtel's uncertain future at the club.
Speaking this week the Slovakian, who signed from Zenit St Petersburg in 2008, has revealed he is ready to consider offers to leave.
'I have not had any specific offers,' he said. 'But if some should come and they interest me, I would probably ponder it seriously. [But] I do not want to be that specific.
'The club has the biggest say in this in any case, because they have the right for it with me being contracted.
'Besides, I am not saying that I want to leave at any cost. I feel sorry for what happened in this season. But I have been here for five-and-a-half years and I have built a position here.'
Skrtel considers leaving now he would be worth a sneaky bid
Liverpool have confirmed the free signing of Ivorian defender Kolo Toure from Manchester City.
The club confirmed the deal on their website and Toure will become a Liverpool player on July 1 having grown frustrated by his lack of opportunities at the Etihad Stadium.
With Jamie Carragher now retired and doubts persisting over the long-term futures of both Martin Skrtel and Sebastian Coates, manager Brendan Rodgers has been keen to tie up a deal for an experienced player for the heart of his defence.
Toure's contract with City expires next month and he has stated his desire to stay in England.
Though the former Arsenal man is not in the age profile of players Liverpool sign under their American owners Fenway Sports Group – he is 32 – there is an understanding that experience needs to be added to the dressing room following Carragher’s decision to hang up his boots.
Liverpool's need for fresh faces at the back is further accentuated by Skrtel's uncertain future at the club.
Speaking this week the Slovakian, who signed from Zenit St Petersburg in 2008, has revealed he is ready to consider offers to leave.
'I have not had any specific offers,' he said. 'But if some should come and they interest me, I would probably ponder it seriously. [But] I do not want to be that specific.
'The club has the biggest say in this in any case, because they have the right for it with me being contracted.
'Besides, I am not saying that I want to leave at any cost. I feel sorry for what happened in this season. But I have been here for five-and-a-half years and I have built a position here.'