Is Joe Allen really worth 15m? I never really followed him last season but appears to be rated quite highly amogst fans
What is the general opinion here?
Well he's young, so I expect him to have a decent re-sale price down the line....if Moutinho is worth 30m (and he's not), then Allen's easily worth 15m.
I've only seen a few games of Swansea's so I can't say much about his worth, but from what I've seen/heard he seems neat, tidy, more of a "stitcher" than anything else who also puts in a great defensive contribution (avg 3.1 tackles, 2.1 interceptions, 61 passes per game).
You could argue that's a bit like Modric lite, but keep in mind that Modric makes 2.7 key passes per game (out of 70 total) compared to Allen's 1.3.
When I've seen Allen I thought that his passing was quite accurate (90% completion, ala Jenas), but still a bit fuzzy - ie., it's not always
precisely weighted in the direction you want the game to flow, so it doesn't carry forward the counterattacking momentum that we've had thanks to Modric's technique and ability with both the short and long ball. That sort of passing won't
lose the ball, but the receiver has to take a fraction longer to shape his body around it. So something there is still lost.
A bit nitpicky, but the counterattack is so crucial to our success that we need a genius of rare technique and vision. PLUS pressing and off-the-ball movement and all that good stuff. Damn you Modders for deserting the ship
I think Allen would be a great buy for Liverpool though, even at 15m. Very good presser, pass-and-mover, comfortable with Rodger's system...something they've needed for a while. We will need one after Modric goes, I just think Allen is too much of a step down in creativity.
