Luis Garcia off to Atletico Madrid - Agent

the_unknown SG

icliverpool

LIVERPOOL midfielder Luis Garcia is set to complete a permanent move to Atletico Madrid in the next 24 hours, according to the player's agent.

The Spanish international has been linked with a return to his former club Atletico.

"We are working on Luis Garcia's permanent transfer to Atletico de Madrid," Garcia's agent Manuel Garcia Quillon said. "If all goes well, the deal should be completed either Monday or Tuesday."

Garcia arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2004 from Barcelona and played a pivotal role in the Reds winning the Champions League in his first season.

The 29-year-old suffered a serious knee injury this year in January which curtailed his season.

Garcia Quillon refused to comment on whether Garcia's transfer would be included in a deal which would see Atletico striker Fernando Torres join Liverpool.

Confused

tys SG

Updated: July 2, 2007
Luis Garcia set for Atletico move

Liverpool forward Luis Garcia is set to complete a permanent move to Atletico Madrid in the next 24 hours, according to the player's agent.

The Spanish international has been linked with a return to his former club, who are believed to be close to agreeing a separate £27million deal for striker Fernando Torres to move the other way.

'We are working on Luis Garcia's permanent transfer to Atletico de Madrid,' Garcia's agent Manuel Garcia Quillon told PA Sport.

'If all goes well, the deal should be completed either today or tomorrow.'

Garcia arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2004 from Barcelona and played a pivotal role in the Reds winning the Champions League that season.

The 29-year-old suffered a serious knee injury this year in January which curtailed his season.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=442795&cc=4716

Medicated Oil SG

I still cannot understand Ah Ben for offloading a creative striker.

Not sure whether the price for this torres guy is worth it.

Only time will tell.

798 SG

pool lose a valuable player.

garcia is a midfielder who can score goals. Neutral

Patrik SG

Crying or Very sad
Haiz
I dunno what to say.

anhydrouscoppersulphate SG

Crying or Very sad y u not kewell Laughing

Poolman SG

who wants a lousy player ?

Poolman SG

Well ..... it's a massive gamble for Rafa .

Massive in a sense , Garcia is proven to be an important goal scorer , always tends to score important goals when we needed it most , but now ..... Who can guarantee me Torres can adept to the English games in his first season ?

And we are talking about scoring important goals ?

The feeling really sucks man ..... Rafa can be quite brutal , a player in the mode of Garcia , always claimed to be his favourite son in Liverpool , can be sold to Athletico just like that !!!

Anyway .... Let's hope those new boys from Bulgaria , Brazil , can be handful for us at the absence of Garcia . Sad

Poolman SG

The 29-year-old suffered a serious knee injury this year in January which curtailed his season.

Rafa always built a team for the future , at 29 , to be sold at 4 million pounds , is still bracket in the "good value" deal .... so .....

Poolman SG

This pics like Garcia saying : " Kan ni na , why me ? "

kpo SG

please don't take my luis away ...

maybe ah ben got someone lined up ... otherwise we got no more creative player ...

the_unknown SG

apparently the deal is sealed...

MADRID, July 3 (Reuters) - Atletico Madrid have reached agreements to sign their former winger Luis Garcia from Liverpool and Brazilian midfielder Cleber Santana from Santos, the Primera Liga side announced on Tuesday.

Atletico said that both players had agreed to sign three-year deals with the club who finished in seventh place in the table last season to qualify for the Intertoto Cup.

They did not reveal the cost of either transfer but Spanish media said the club would pay around 4million for the 29-year-old Garcia.

The former Liverpool winger will be presented to the media later on Tuesday but Atletico did not specify when the 26-year-old Cleber Santana would arrive in Madrid.

While Garcia is returning to the Calderon from Anfield, Atletico's leading striker Fernando Torres is expected to move in the opposite direction.

The Spain international is reported to have travelled to Liverpool to undergo a medical prior to a 36-million-euro move to the Merseysiders.

Garcia played for Atletico in the 2002-03 season, scoring nine goals in 30 league games before moving to Barcelona.

He spent just a season with the Catalans before Liverpool bought him out of his contract for nine million euros in August 2004.

The versatile winger made an impressive start to his career at Anfield finishing his first season as joint top scorer with 13 goals and scoring some key goals in Liverpool's victorious Champions League campaign.

He scored another 11 goals in his second campaign on Merseyside but missed the last half of this season after tearing the cruciate ligament in his right knee in a 6-3 League Cup defeat against Arsenal in January.

Garcia, who has won 18 caps for Spain, scored 30 goals in 121 first team games for Liverpool.

Atletico have signed six players since the end of the season including Uruguay striker Diego Forlan from Villarreal and midfielder Raul Garcia from Osasuna.

edit: DEAL CONFIRM. Just went to atletico website and saw garcia in their 07/08 squad. I really hope rafa will add a creative player this summer.
On a side note, atletico website is filled with flash, looks nice but the loading time abit long... Laughing

the_unknown SG

REDS CONFIRM GARCIA EXIT

Liverpool Football Club has today confirmed the sale of Luis Garcia to Atletico Madrid.
The 29-year-old Spaniard leaves Anfield after three seasons in which he made 121 appearances and scored 30 goals.

Garcia was paraded to the Spanish press this afternoon before starting his second spell at the Vicente Calderón Stadium.

Patrik SG

Crying or Very sad

Patrik SG

I will always love you.
I will always support you Luis Sanz Garcia.
You will always be in my heart,right beside Patrik Berger(Another LIverpool outcast)
I will always remember you.
I will always remember the goals you scored for Liverpool.
Crying or Very sad

Poolman SG

I think Benitez will get some real sticks for selling Luis Garcia .....

Most fans would think he's an important player in our set-up .

Our season's most surprised happening alongside losing to AC Milan in the Final .

Apparently i don't see our American Bosses would want to add another 30 million pounds player in the squad after Torres .

So hope we don't feel too much pinch losing Luis Garcia .

gigabyte14 SG

rafa have plan 1 la

no problem 1

he's good in strategies, remember?

kpo SG

ah ben probably have someone lined up already ... at least i hope he has ... maybe yossi? ah ben would have seen how we struggled without a player like little garcia ...

all the best luis ... score a hattrick against real madrid! Smile

the_unknown SG

LFC

RAFA: ALL THE BEST LUIS

Rafa Benitez has paid tribute to Luis Garcia for his contribution to Liverpool Football Club over the past three years.
Garcia signed for Atletico Madrid earlier this week, leaving Reds fans with a string of glorious memories.

He scored several crucial goals during the 2005 Champions League campaign, most notably the winner against Chelsea in the semis.

Benitez said: "I want to say 'all the best' because he was a fantastic player, a fantastic person and a fantastic professional.

"He has been a very good player for us. He has talent and the skills to change a game. When you are at home the opponents play deep and there is not much space, but he can change this.

"We missed him in the last six months. In some games I thought: maybe if we had Luis today it would be different."

On why the time had come for Garcia to move on, Benitez added: "He was happy here but Atletico is a good club for him.

"It was the right time, because after three years maybe the situation was different. He wanted to play every game and that's not easy when we have other players coming here. This was a very good solution for him and also for us."

somehow, i sensed that rafa has someone to replace him

anhydrouscoppersulphate SG

Benitez Explains Why He Let Garcia Leave

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has exp-lained that he allowed Luis Garcia to join Atletico Madrid because he could not promise the Spanish midfielder a regular place in Reds' starting eleven.

"It was the right time, because after three years maybe the situation was different.

"He wanted to play every game and that's not easy when we have other players coming here.

"This was a very good solution for him and also for us."

Benitez Benitez was full of praise for Garcia's contribution during his three years at Anfield. saying: "I want to say 'all the best' because he was a fantastic player, a fantastic person and a fantastic professional.

"He has been a very good player for us. He has talent and the skills to change a game.

"When you are at home, the opponents play deep and there is not much space, but he can change this.

"In some games, I thought maybe if we had Luis today it would be different."