The Roy Hodgson era kicked off at Liverpool last month with the free transfer of Milan Jovanovic from Standard Liege on a three year deal. Having agreed a pre-contract to join Liverpool back in January, the 29 year old Serbian finally put pen to paper on July 8, despite alleged interest from ex-Reds boss Rafa Benitez’s new club, Inter Milan.
The new boy was clearly delighted with the Merseyside move, announcing:
“This is one of the best clubs in the world and they have great ambitions for the future which gives me great possibilities for my career. When Liverpool FC wanted to sign me there was only one club I was going to sign for.”
Liverpool may well have financial issues, but there is little of the typical “free transfer” stigma surrounding Jovanovic; as well as several Premier League clubs, the likes of AC Milan, Valencia and Real Madrid had all reportedly been interested in obtaining his services, suggesting Liverpool have bagged themselves something of a coup.
Having also previously been linked with Everton around 18 months ago, Jovanovic will have endeared himself no end with the Anfield faithful when stating at the time:
“Everton aren’t a big club. That club I have turned down already.”
The Statistics
Opinion…
Andy
“Milan Jovanovic costs just £8.5m. Oh, wait… he’s a striker? Hmmm, colour me quite a bit less interested.
I have high hopes for Hodgson at Liverpool to be honest, but their opening fixtures certainly leave more than a lot to be desired once more.
Add in the fact we frankly don’t know who the new manager considers to be his best XI and he joins the long list of “ones to watch” for me – a list he’ll probably, and unfortunately, never do enough to leave to be honest.”
Jovanovic’s first-team career began in his native country, where he turned out for FC Vojvodina, scoring 10 goals in 43 league games. He then moved onto Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk, but his time there was disappointing; 6 appearances and 1 goal over a single season.
Another move- this time to Lokomotiv Moscow- saw the player pick up a League Winners medal, but once again, he was a peripheral figure. Three appearances over two seasons for the Russian outfit proved the move to be nothing short of disastrous, but a subsequent transfer to Standard Liege was to be the making of Jovanovic.
His time in Belgium allowed the Serb time to find form, and resultantly saw a return of 52 goals and 24 assists in just 114 games. Such displays not only helped the club to their first league title in 25 years, but also caught the eye of Serbia’s national manager, as Jovanovic was called up to the national side. His record in international football stands at 10 goals in 29 appearances.
The Prospects
Having spent so much time as a squad player earlier in his early twenties, it’s certain that Jovanovic hasn’t come to Liverpool in the prime of his career to be nothing more than a bit-part player. In particular, he’ll have a better chance of regular starts under a manager such as Roy Hodgson, who has nothing like the penchant for tinkering acquired by his predecessor.
Much will depend on Hodgson’s formation, though given his past teams have tended to play 4-4-2, it seems likely Liverpool will follow suit. Jovanovic, a left-footer, is an adaptable player, with the turn of speed and technique to play as an attacking midfielder or winger as well as in a forward role. Clearly, his appeal to Fantasy managers will increase if Hodgson chooses him as a second striker, but it‘s perhaps significant that Jovanovic played as a left-winger on his debut against Kaiserslautern.
The player seems ambivalent to his starting position, admitting:
“It doesn’t matter which position I play. That is a question for the coach. Of course, I have my own opinion but it won’t be a problem if I have to play on the left wing again. Maybe with a bit of time and when I know all the small things about playing in that position, then it will help me. When I get more practice and I am fitter, I am confident that I can help that team. I have never doubted my ability.”
Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has priced Jovanovic at 8.5m, though -given this is the player’s first season in the Premier League- it would be perhaps wiser to give him a wide berth at present and look at cheaper alternatives with proven track records until Hodgson’s re-shaping of the Liverpool first XI becomes more apparent.