The latest news reports make for depressing reading for Liverpool fans as they have had to endure countless lies from their owners, several players have been linked with the exit door and Rafael Benitez has now departed the club after a six year reign, which has further thrown its future into doubt.
Is Benitez the first of many exits from the club this summer? One of the most significant figures who have been linked with a move away from Anfield is their captain Steven Gerrard, who according to the Telegraph has become this summer’s number one transfer target for Florentino Perez, the Real Madrid president.
Gerrard claims that he will not make a decision on his future until after the World Cup in South Africa 2010. It’s no doubt that the Red’s skipper is Liverpool through and through, but should he leave the club for the good of his career?
The England midfielder showed his loyalty to Liverpool after he snubbed a few advances from Jose Mourinho whilst the Portuguese manager was at Chelsea, but back then Gerrard was in his mid-twenties and had his best years ahead of him. Now as a 30-year-old it is highly unlikely that he will win the league with the Anfield outfit considering the poor state they are in and a cloud of uncertainty surrounding the club.
Tom Hicks and George Gillett, the much maligned Liverpool owners, have overseen something of a decline of the club as they have gone from title contenders to finishing 7th in the past two seasons. The debt at the club is also a problem, the fans are not happy and have been protesting outside Anfield following Benitez’s departure, but in truth it is the American owners they are more upset about rather than seeing the back of the Spanish manager.
For Gerrard personally the 2009-10 campaign has not been a happy one. In the previous season he was the best player in the league (despite Ryan Giggs winning the PFA award on a sympathy vote). During the 2008-09 season Stevie G racked up 24 goals in 44 appearances as both he and the team gave their all in a bid to win the title, but he only managed a dozen goals this past season despite making more appearances.
I don’t deny his love for the club but could anybody really blame Gerrard for becoming disillusioned with life at Anfield and want to move away?
It would seem that he is determined to concentrate on his World Cup campaign with England for the moment.
With Tottenham gaining the pull of the Champions League and Manchester City’s money it may be difficult for the Merseyside club to compete in the transfer market and they run the risk of falling behind them once again next season.
As for Gerrard, he deserves better. The talismanic midfielder is a world class player and deserves to win one of the biggest leagues in European football, so having a crack at the La Liga title with a proven winner and master tactician like Mourinho (who has previously won back-to-back titles in both the Premier League and Series A) must be a tempting prospect for him should the opportunity arise.
Many Liverpool fans will hope he will stay at the club and understandably so, but a move to Real Madrid is not that controversial and I’m sure they will always appreciate him as he has given the best part of his career to the Anfield outfit. There were times last season when Gerrard looked unhappy and frustrated with life at the club, but I don’t believe he has given up faith on them yet. However, the club may face a battle if they want to stop him following in the footsteps of former team mate Xabi Alonso to Los Blancos.
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