It is easy to hide behind the current manager having not signed him or blaming Rafa for another waste of club funds, but the bottom line we have to look at, is not the if, but’s or maybe’s but the way forward for player and club (club more preferable).
Now everyone has their view on the player, which they are entitled to, but can somebody who is holding down a place in the Italian squad really be that bad? Should we be looking to utilise him as, if nothing more, a squad player for the season? You cannot foresee an injury to one of your pivotal players but the statistics prove, if you have more quality of strength in depth then you will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season. As a crazy deal with Juventus came and went without them taking the option of purchasing (these clubs never do it just seems to be a bit of lip service to cement the loan deal!)every single so called journalist is trying to link him with any Serie A team. Why should Liverpool bank roll another team’s season by loaning him out again as is mentioned in today’s press with Fiorentina being the preferred destination? Why do other clubs think that we are here operating a non-profit organisation that was just set up to help others. No other team would release an international midfielder, whether not settling or not, for such a pittance that is being branded about in so called ‘sport sections’ of the press.
The biggest problem with Aquilani? Well apart from Rafa signing a player who was never going to grace the turf of Anfield for a good 3-4 months after signing due to injury, is him being immediately labelled as direct replacement for Xabi Alonso. They are completely different players and this comparison should have been something extinguished in the press from the word go by Rafa. But it wasn’t and as a result Charlie Adam seems to have inherited this tag!
Fingers crossed it doesn’t hang like a noose around his neck for his Anfield career. But what about Aquilani now? Well his agent is making him no friends as he seems to talk to the press about as much as we at home talk to our next door neighbours! This wouldn’t be so bad if every word wasn’t about his client’s wishes to never set foot on British shores again (reading between the lines). I know these agents do this to get their client the best financial package with a club thus lining their pockets with their pound of flesh also, but Alberto Aquilani is a Liverpool player until either the club decides this is not their wish or his contract expires. A certain Javier Mascherano’s agent was a big advocate of this tactic also. If we believe what we read it’s a done deal he is off for talks in Fiorentina tomorrow. But even if this is the case, we need to make these loan deals work for Liverpool more and not the other way around. What is the point of loaning out a 27 year old international midfielder unless the club intending on loaning the player, pays a fee for the loan, pays 100% of the player’s wages and that loan deal is watertight that they cannot do anything but buy him at the end of it. Otherwise you are lending a player to someone who is going to devalue during the duration of such loan and if lending team do not (like Juventus) buy the player, then your asset has devalued at no financial recompense to the club.
Now there will be arguments that potentially clubs looking to loan him don’t have the finances to meet his current wages. If that is the case, you’re out of your depth with this player and having them on loan for a season isn’t going to make him fall in love with your club to the extent that he decides to play for free the season after. Reality check time! We’ve been down this road and had our fingers burnt not so long ago. Juventus a club who couldn’t afford the agreed £12m for Aquillani then tried to haggle us down to £5m before renouncing on the deal completely and telling the press they are going to put a £40m bid in for Aguero, am I missing something? The sooner footballers are held to their contracts by clubs and prevented from forcing a transfer by whatever means, the club’s are always going to be held to ransom by players. This should not be the case. You sign a legally binding contract, you adhere to that contract. It works in every other area of business, why not football? If we learnt nothing else from a certain exposé recently..............football is a business!
The bottom line, if they are young and need first team experience, loan them out if not let them earn their wage at our club! So for all you West Ham’s fancying a free Joe Cole for a year or Fiorentina’s looking for a free Alberto Aquilani............jog on unless it is financially beneficial to Liverpool FC..........YNWA!