Watch Liverpool beat Valerenga Highlights

Liverpool extended their pre-season winning streak to six matches on Wednesday evening with an enjoyable 4-1 victory over Norwegian outfit Valerenga at the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo.

In front of the club's principal owner, John Henry, the Reds maintained their impressive form through goals from Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas, Martin Kelly and Raheem Sterling; their clean sheet record was ended by Giancarlo Gonzalez, though.

The pre-match team news had confirmed nine changes to the Liverpool team which celebrated Steven Gerrard's testimonial by beating Olympiacos on Saturday - Joe Allen and Aspas the two men to retain their starting berth.

An incisive burst by Stewart Downing served notice of Liverpool's threat to the hosts as early as the third minute. The winger knocked the ball around his marker and showed lightning pace to collect the ball on the other side, before drilling a centre which Jordon Ibe was unfortunate not to connect with.

First-half captain Jordan Henderson whipped a free-kick high and wide in the eighth minute and Allen trained his sights with a wayward effort shortly after. Continuing the theme, Ibe skipped beyond two challenges to work space - a rash shot followed, though.

Aspas then had two inviting opportunities to break the deadlock on the quarter-hour. Downing claimed possession and drove forward in a two-on-one scenario, releasing the Spaniard to blast goalwards. Saved.

The summer signing swung a boot seconds later at the left edge of the box but his strike drifted the wrong side of the far post after taking a deflection. The subsequent corner looped off Andre Wisdom and briefly scared home goalkeeper Gudmund Taksdal Kongshavn, and Ibe directed an attempt off target as the Reds established control.

Full report: Official Liverpool FC

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Pre-season friendly: Melbourne Victory 0-2 Liverpool

Steven Gerrard's first-half strike and a late Iago Aspas goal sealed an encouraging 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory in the second game of the Reds' three-match summer tour at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The skipper's composed finish and Aspas' tap-in epitomised the entire team's impressive performance as they eased their way to yet another victory to maintain their 100 per cent record in pre-season so far.

Wholesale changes were made in the second half and the starting side's replacements looked just as assured in front of the 95,000 sell-out crowd as Brendan Rodgers' squad continued their preparations for the 2013-14 campaign.

An opening quarter of an hour that was starved of goalmouth action forced both sides to bid to break the deadlock in more ambitious circumstances.
Raheem Sterling caught a sight of goal but unfortunately sliced his 25-yard effort wide before Andrew Nabbout tested Brad Jones from similar range. A firm effort from the front-man forced the Australian custodian to palm away the danger.

Gerrard cut across Sterling's pass with a fierce strike that Nathan Coe leapt across to save before the Victory goalkeeper was rendered helpless by the Reds captain shortly after the half-hour mark.

Joe Allen surged through midfield and showed patience before sliding a pinpoint pass through to the onrushing Gerrard, allowing the skipper to calmly tuck the ball into the corner.

Full report: Official Liverpool FC

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Pre-season friendly: Preston North End 0-4 Liverpool

Debutant Iago Aspas' second-half curling strike aided Liverpool to a comfortable 4-0 win over Preston North End in their Shankly Shield match at the Deepdale Stadium.

Jordon Ibe also scored his first senior Reds goal in what was a resounding win in Brendan Rodgers' side's first pre-season game ahead of the 2013-14 campaign.

New signings Luis Alberto, Simon Mignolet and Kolo Toure also featured as further composed finishes from Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling helped ease the visitors to victory.

Amidst the intense heat within the ground, Daniel Agger was the first to test Lilywhites custodian Declan Rudd with a typically well-struck long-range drive.

The Dane - who was installed as captain for the day - drilled a stinging 30-yard shot that Rudd could only parry, before Preston quickly reacted to clear the danger.

Liverpool's constant pressing paid dividends in the 13th minute when Coutinho forced former Reds midfielder John Welsh into giving away a penalty.

The North End captain hesitated in possession deep into the home side's half before the determined Brazilian stole the ball away from him. In a desperate bid to regain possession, Welsh hauled the 21-year-old to the ground - leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot.

After dusting himself off, Coutinho stepped up to casually tap the spot-kick into the corner - sending Rudd the wrong way in the process.

A period lacking goalmouth action ensued before Liverpool began re-applying pressure on Preston's backline.

Full report: Official Liverpool FC

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Liverpool’s fourth signing imminent

Liverpool are on a spending spree. First, the Reds signed Kolo Toure on a free transfer. Luis Alberto checking in from Sevilla and Iago Aspas completed his move to Anfield yesterday.

Liverpool are ready to rekindle their long-standing interest in Eljero Elia.

According to TalkSport, Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers has set his attention to Elia, currently at Werder Bremen.

Liverpool's interest in the Dutchman dates back to his time at Hamburg but they missed out on him when he signed for Juventus.

Elia moved to Bremen in 2012 for £5million and Rodgers has tracked his progress - with a potential move now in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have yet to agree a deal with Sunderland to sign goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, according to the player's agent.

The two clubs had reportedly agreed a fee in excess of £11million for the Belgium international, who has won 13 caps for his country.

But the 25-year-old's representative, Guy Vandermissen, says he has still not been informed from either club that a deal has been done.

Elsewhere, Liverpool have reportedly agreed to meet the €10m (£8.5million) release clause written into Barcelona attacker Cristian Tello's contract but now must look to persuade the young Spaniard to move to Anfield according to Sport.es.

Barcelona may well be ready to sell a number of their squad players as Tito Vilanova eyes up the purchase of a central defender this summer, having already forked out £48m to sign Brazilian starlet Neymar.

However 21-year-old Tello is apparently leaning towards sticking with Barcelona for at least another season to see if he can force his way into a more prominent role in Vilanova's first team set-up.

The adaptable forward, who can play up front in an central striking role or out wide on either wing, was handed just 12 La Liga starts last term and only two starts in the Champions League but did manage to net eight goals in all competitions.

The arrival of Neymar is sure to leave Tello playing an even more limited role in Tito Vilanova's first team set-up with the locally born Barcelona player already having to challenge the likes of David Villa, Alexis Sanchez, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro for a spot supporting Lionel Messi in the Catalan giant's attack.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club or Red's Fury™ blog.

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Liverpool set to complete £7.7M deal for Celta Vigo striker

According to The Guardian, Liverpool are close to completing their second signing of the summer after Iago Aspas arrived on Merseyside to finalise his £7.7m move from Celta Vigo. The 25-year-old forward travelled to Liverpool on Monday, having cancelled a holiday to the Caribbean once he became aware of interest from Anfield, and will undergo a medical on Tuesday before sealing the transfer from his boyhood club.

Aspas, 25, was tracked by Rodgers throughout last season and he initially intended his purchase to complement rather than replace Suárez.

With Suárez’s future looking increasingly to be away from Anfield and Daniel Sturridge fighting to be fit for the start of the season, Rodgers will have to find further striking recruits in the next few months.

Suárez’s public flirtation with Madrid has continued as he has spoken of the attraction of playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Aspas can operate across the front line and scored 12 goals in Celta's return to the top flight last season following five years in the second division. He had offers from Valencia, Portuguese and Italian teams plus Swansea City, whose failure to conclude the deal has added to Michael Laudrup's frustrations at the Liberty Stadium, but cleared the way for a move to Liverpool after settling a contractual issue with Celta Vigo.

Source: The Guardian

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club or Red's Fury™ blog.

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Liverpool target already knows he will be Reds

‘Liverpool is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I could have moved to other teams and countries, but I quickly decided that I wanted to be in England.’

Iago Aspas had plenty of offers when he decided it was time to leave Celta Vigo but there was only one place he was going.

According to the paper the move for the fast and direct left-footer isn't finalised yet, but poised to be sealed for £7.7 million. A local idol, the Vigo-born Aspas was Celta's top scorer with 12 goals in La Liga this season, his first in the top flight.

Aspas is set to earn around £45,000-a-week at Liverpool, and moves on a four-year-contract, having scored a 12 goals in 34 matches last season.

However, Premier League rivals Spurs are one of a handful of clubs thought to have tried to hijack the transfer late on, but Aspas says there was never any doubt about his next destination.

‘I did not hesitate when I heard that Liverpool wanted me,’ said Aspas in Marca.

‘I’m quietly confident, but very excited about this new challenge. This is clearly a huge step forward for me.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club or Red's Fury™ blog.

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Rumour Mill: Reds set sight on £8.5M striker

Liverpool are planning a move for Celta Vigo forward Iago Aspas, according to the Mirror. The Spanish club are perilously close to relegation from the top flight and need two wins from the final two games of the season, in addition to having other results go their way, to escape the drop.

Aspas' release clause is believed to stand at €10m but that will drop by almost a third if relegation is confirmed. Reds' boss Brendan Rodgers believes a cut-price fee for the 25-year-old could be a steal and he may have a point. Aspas has 11 goals and six assists from 32 league starts, which means he has had a hand, directly, in half of his side's goals this campaign.

A salary of £45,000 per week has reportedly been agreed but Rodgers' former club, Swansea City, have also shown interest and could look to make a second bargain signing from La Liga in as many years, after signing Rayo Vallecano forward Michu last summer.

Meanwhile, Rodgers has already confirmed the Anfield club will add, despite a meager summer budget, at least two attacking players to the first team. The Northern Irishman has Uruguayan Luis Suarez, England international Daniel Sturridge and young Brazilian Philippe Coutinho as his first choice attacking line but wants cover and reinforcements.

Liverpool fans are used to having a player in Luis Suarez that so ferociously divides opinion. They’ve taken to the Uruguayan as one of their own, irrelevant of the opinions Suarez’s detractors hold.

It will make fascinating viewing then, if another contentious character in Iago Aspas turns out for them.

Aspas too, is of that 'love to have him on your team, hate to play against him' mould. He also happens to be a very, very good footballer.

The 25-year-old plays each game like it’s his last, getting in the faces of opponents and going to the ends of the earth for his team. He’s energy, enthusiasm, and endeavour. But he’s also skill and sublime.

He was born in Moana, a town of just 20,000 in Galician. At school he was a terror too, constantly distracted in lessons with only focus on football.

Asked what his favourite moment as a Celta fan was he didn’t mention a goal, or assist, he recalled when Wagner infamously booted Diego Tristan in the air during a Galician derby.

It was in 2010/2011 that he first rose to prominence, scoring 23 goals in 35 games as Celta pushed towards a return to Spain’s top flight.

He played as a lone striker in the Segunda that season, working in tandem with the various support acts he was handed. His coach at the time was a certain ex-Liverpool man in Paco Herrera, part of that glorious Champions League victory steered by Rafa Benitez.

Herrera had to handle Aspas with care, for he was always on the brink of breaking.

That season he played for every single fan that entered the stadium; would chase lost causes, formed the first part of defence from his attacking role, put in tackles and of course, scored goals.

He’s a passionate character too, constantly muttering to himself when moving around the field and when against an opponent engaging in some exchanged words. It motivated him, psyched himself up. It rarely did not produce an end product.

Aspas' transition from Segunda to Primera was seemingly effortless for the player. He managed three goals in his opening seven games, and as it stands has 11 in 32 matches.

There's a common misconception that Aspas is just a tenacious striker, but there's much more to him than that. He’s a creator too, marking down six assists and generally being the centre of everything good his team produces.

Aspas can drop off into midfield and start attacks, move into the channels and take players on with pace – particularly on the right hand side, where he likes to drift in from with a drop of the shoulder. He can also play on the shoulder like a number 9, offering a team verticality in their play.

His movement is one of the most impressive aspects of his game, harnessing a sweet change of direction and burst of pace. Although he doesn’t have great strength or power, he puts his body between the ball and an opponent intelligently while using skill or that pace to jet away.

His stature and skill set makes him a slippery character, difficult to contain. Out-and-out striker, inverted winger, second striker – Aspas would do any of these roles justice. He is though most at home in that second striker berth.

Aspas is seen as a Jekyll and Hyde character, so much so his ex-coach Herrera referred to him as part Messi and part monster. The latter part came to fruition in two incidents this season; one when he had to be substituted by Herrera to avoid being sent off then another when he head-butted an opponent and was banned for four games. All the while, Celta fans still sung the name of their hero who they felt represented them.

The truth is Aspas had many faces and many talents, and if he can channel that passion he has in the right direction he’ll accomplish great things.

Source: Mirror

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club or Red's Fury™ blog.

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