http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/202909-reds-complete-loan-deal-for-caulker Reds complete loan deal for Caulker James Carroll@James_Carroll84 Liverpool Football Club have completed the signing of Steven Caulker on loan from Queens Park Rangers until the end of the season. The relevant paperwork has been completed in time to allow the centre-back to be eligible for selection for Wednesday evening’s Barclays Premier League fixture with Arsenal at Anfield. Caulker, who has Premier League experience as well as being capped by England, showed a willingness to commit to the Reds at short notice. The 24-year-old’s arrival eases the injury situation the club are currently facing in defence, which includes both short and long-term absentees. Stay tuned to Liverpoolfc.com and LFCTV for the first footage and photographs of Caulker at Melwood, as well as an exclusive interview, later today
This makes perfect sense to me. Rodgers was after him a few Years back. Toure is a walking injury at this stage. Skrtel and Sakho are injury prone. There is no question we need a new top class CB, generally this window is a crap time to buy. So got this fellow in for 5 Months for relatively buttons and buy in the summer. lf he does well great, if not he can play v Exeter, Europa etc. l'd like us to loan in a striker too.
He played 3 games for Southampton in the Europa league, and 2 in the League cup so he's cup tied for both those.
He is not cup tied in the Europa League as Southampton are no longer involved. Different rules, different competitions.
Really? Thats a weird one - although why I find myself surprised with anything to do with European competitions I dont know. Isnt there another rule that you can play Europa and then move to a CL team, but not vice versa or something like that. To continue my apprenticeship under conspiracy theorist master Garrett I submit that they (UEFA and FIFA bigwigs) all sit down at the start of the season and after they finish passing brown envelopes around set to making up rules that will confuse the hell out of everyone.
No such rule exists. When we signed both Maxi and Suarez, neither player was eligible to be added to Liverpool Europa League squad because both their teams dropped down in to the Europa League after finishing 3rd in their qualifying groups. Subject to I think a maximum of three changes in the squad post group stages. If Caulker was signed in the Summer window he would have been elligible. Southampton had dropped out of the competition at that stage.
That must be where I was getting that imaginary rule from, knew we had players who dropped from CL and couldnt play in Europa and thought it was a rule because if memory serves (and lets face it, it usually doesnt) didn't one of ours go (Torres maybe?) and play CL after playing Europa? Anyway, cheers for the clarification, thats my new thing to learn about football this year. Last year was the not being offside from a kickout. 40 years of watching football and I'm still learning.