One of the best ways to tell if a player is going to be signed is seeing him sit in his next club’s stadium watching a match. By that logic, Liverpool are quite prepared to splash the cash on Yann M’Vila from Rubin Kazan, who isn’t such a in-demand committee as he was a year ago, when Arsenal were interested in signing him.
The French defensive midfielder has been with the Russian team since last season, although it has hurt him when it comes to the national team, not playing a single time for France in 2013. It doesn’t just have to do with his change of address, but mostly with his injuries and off-the-field behavior, letting the nightlife attraction get in the way of training and generally being a professional.
Kazan signed him for £9.6 million from Rennes, but it hasn’t helped them so far this season, ranked 10th in the Russian Premier League after 17 matches, in what looks like will be a mid-table season for a team used to higher places in recent years.
M’Vila wasn’t too far from being signed by Arsenal a year ago, but Arsene Wenger eventually decided against paying £16 million for the talented holding midfielder, who has been a starting player in Ligue 1 since his 19th birthday, playing 126 times for the club, earning him a call up to the Euro 2012 French squad.
Liverpool? M’Vila is valued at £13 million, but there’s a good chance that Kazan might be willing to sell him for less if they do see their season is going nowhere, possibly even for the price they signed him in. For Liverpool, who need to improve the quality of their midfield and possibly finally find a way to get rid of Lucas and his vitality in the starting lineup, M’Vila is an excellent prospect, but a very tricky one due to his past behavior.
Being spotted with Liverpool fans in the stands during the 3-3 draw with Everton might raise some questions and hopes about his next team, but it’s still very far from a done deal that’s worth announcing.