Taking advantage of teams in a financial crisis is always a good way to get talented players for cheap, and it seems Sporting CP have been targeted by Liverpool about a number of players, including Spanish winger Diego Capel.
The 25-year old, brought up through the Barcelona and Sevilla youth systems, hasn’t become the players he was once predicted to be, instead having a so-so time in the South of Spain before leaving to Portugal and playing with Sporting for the last two seasons, scoring nine goals and delivering 14 assists.
Liverpool have already approached Sporting in an attempt to purchase Tiago Ilori which has been rejected, and so has their offer for Diego Capel, worth €3.5 million according to A Bola, despite the player having a release clause worth €30 million.
Sporting can’t afford to be picky – they’ve already sold Ricky van Wolfswinkel to Norwich while Oguchi Onyewu is on his way back to the MLS. While the team is fighting to stay relevant in the Portuguese league, the fight for financial survival is probably a little bit more important, and selling certain players, even for a lot less than what they’re worth, might be the only way to survive.
Capel is another example of the kind of players Rodgers is looking for, which is technically gifted players who can play on the wing. Unlike other names he’s been after, Capel is strictly a left winger, without the tendencies to push into the middle. He’s known for his dribbling and his crossing, although with so many players who use a similar position, at least at a starting point, not to mention having Philippe Coutinho on the team, the question of what’s real and what’s not has to be asked.
If he does arrive at Anfield, Capel doesn’t look like the kind of player that will take Liverpool to the next level if he’s given a significant role. As a bench player brought on to give a different look and an option of changing formation? For that, Capel will certainly do.