Ince – Dempsey all over again?

As widely reported Blackpool boss Michael Appleton has confirmed no new bids are as yet forthcoming from Liverpool for Tom Ince. The stumbling block, once again, appears to be an agreed valuation for the highly promising youngster.

Liverpool may be risking another public relations embarrassment over a player who was let go by the club only to go on to shine at Championship Blackpool. Having signalled his willingness to return Ince will immediately alert premierships rivals to his availability.

There is an argument that paying the reported £6 million asking price may be bad business as the player may become available out of contract at the end of the season. However this view relies on no other club being shrewd enough to snap him up.

Ince has shown undeniable quality as Blackpool and is almost the perfect match for FSG’s stated aim of securing young, technically gifted players suited to an attacking style of play.

For the fans however having signalled our intent to re-sign the player it would come as something of an embarrassment if we are seen to again shy away from a higher fee. Negotiation is to be expected, nobody accepts the first offer unless what they’re selling is a lemon!

This weakness in our strategy was shown to disastrous effect with the Clint Dempsey saga. Here was a player who wanted to be an Anfield, a player with all the attributes we were seeking and more importantly a player on whom we had focused to the exclusion of other available targets. Yet at the final hurdle the deal disintegrated due to an unwillingness to negotiate over the fee.

What many will fear is that the club misses this opportunity and we go on to see Ince shining at one of our major rivals. While value for money and wise spending are virtues brought to Anfield by FSG, and are to be applauded, missing targets due to a lack of flexibility in negotiations may be costly in the long term.

This window is FSG’s opportunity to lay down a marker and demonstrate the wisdom of their approach, what better player to make that statement than Tom Ince?