After one of the most long-winded sagas of transfer deadline day, and despite the attempts of Ian Ayre, who was out in the Ukraine negotiating on behalf of Liverpool, the Reds have failed to sign Dnipro winger Yevhen Konoplyanka. The news will come as a devastating blow for Liverpool fans, who also had to endure failed bids for both Micah Richards and Chico Flores on transfer deadline day, and Sky Sports News are reporting that it was down to the influence of multiple agents who held the deal up. Konoplyanka had been expected to sign for Liverpool earlier in the day with Ayre flying out three days ago to complete the transfer, but the deal stuttered this afternoon before it was suggested that the Reds had turned their attention to Spurs midfielder Nacer Chadli. Then the deal seemed to progress, with reports that the player had undergone a medical, and various reports that he had in fact also agreed personal terms, but then the final hold-up, which took the discussions beyond the 11 o clock deadline came down to fees, with the parties failing to draw up suitable terms to the satisfaction of all. So Liverpool are left counting the cost of a missed opportunity, with the possibility of a summer revival of the deal, provided Dnipro and Ian Ayre can hammer out suitable terms then. Given the fact that Sky Sports are reporting that both Spurs and Liverpool have now failed to meet the expectations of either the player or his current owners, that might not be as simple a matter as it seems.
