EPL News 24/7Alberto Aquilani and Liverpool have a funny relationship, and one by all accounts which is set to end in the next couple of days once the player completes his permanent transfer to Milan.
Allowing him to leave could be a mistake.
This is cultured midfielder with a CV listing three of the premier clubs in Italy, yet he’s deemed not good enough to improve a midfield containing Charlie Adam, Jay Spearing and Jordan Henderson. And that’s a conclusion which has been reached after just twenty-two first team appearances.
The dice, it seems, were loaded against Aquilani from the moment he arrived in England. He was purchased in the aftermath of Xabi Alonso’s departure, and as such was tagged as being a player in the same mould. That hurt him, because he was never capable of fulfilling the same purpose – he’s a different type of midfielder to Alonso.
Maybe the Liverpool fans have never gotten over that negative first impression, because Aquilani’s name seems to provoke nothing but indifference amongst them. Even in the middle of last season, with the side desperately thin in midfield, there weren’t many bemoaning the Italian’s absence. He’s an afterthought, and that’s bizarre.
Stranger still, has been the lack of any real attempt at reconciliation between the player and the club – Kenny Dalglish had no interest in keeping him at Anfield, and Brendan Rodgers seems set to follow suit.
Rodgers should be embracing Aquilani. The Italian is born to play under the Northern Irishman’s pass-heavy ideology. Theoretical as it may be, a midfield trio of Lucas Leiva, Aquilani, and Steven Gerrard is surely preferable to anything Dalglish fielded in that area of the pitch. Give the Brazilian the defensive duties, allow the Englishman to roam, and make the Italian into the conduit between the two. That has a lovely, balanced feel to it.
If both club and player were honest with each other, they would probably acknowledge that not enough effort has been made to try to make Aquilani’s time in England successful. His contract runs until 2014, so why not use this season to extricate some value out of Aquilani? He’ll turn 28 in July, he should be entering his prime – so unless Rodgers has something truly special lined-up in the transfer window, Liverpool could do a lot worse than to drop him into their side next season.
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Aquilani will suit Brenda style i pray brenda have him stay an loan out some sign the like of westbrom osaze odewenge if i spell it right, wount cost us much now that no big club is chasing him
It’s not really going to be a decision for the club to make. If Aquilani doesn’t have the right intention to stay and make a career in England then there is simply no point in keeping him. You absolutely have to have players who are 100% on board and determined to give everything. They don’t have to show a desperate love for the club or the city but you do have to be willing to slog your guts out and trust your manager and your team mates. I get the strong impression that Aquilani doesn’t really want to be in England. He consistently has angled his way back to Italy and I don’t think there has ever been a doubt that he wants to play there. Maybe it’s a cultural thing … I’m sure local fans wouldn’t deny that Liverpool is not like Rome or Milan.
If he has expressed a willingness to see out his contract at Liverpool and make a serious commitment to the club then I’m all for letting him stay. Rodgers is no fool and he can see the quality that Aquilani has. But look at it this way: two successive managers have allowed him to go on loan to Italian clubs with an option to buy. Does that sound like a player who has said he wants to be here?
I think Aquilani would walk into our midfield. The guy is class and looked excellent and one of our best players in our pre season and still was sent out on loan…? The only question is whether he wants to play in England? I hope he does!
loved aquilani cant believe they didnt give him a chance.. they made him lose his rep,
if i was manager id have him anyday
Thanks for replying, but you’ve done nothing to change my opinion. To disrupt the stability and continuity at a club that never has any (and when we finally did with Redknapp, we actually make some progress) because he had a bad three months due to unique circumstances like the England job palaver and the effect of the court case, is utter utter madness. You don’t fire your best manager in a generation for a wayward three months set against a superb four years. Now they have to start all over again with a manager, a new backroom team and probably a new core of first team players. And what manager we can realistically get will be a step up, even if they are admittedly a little less self serving in the media? Dour Moyes? Untested Martinez? And god help us if talk of a director of football again is true. Levy is making the same old, frankly arrogant mistakes. You write a lot of sense on the site and come in for unfounded criticism, but if you can not see the madness in Levys behaviour, I’m afraid this is one reader who will have lost faith in you.
Firstly I am a Liverpool fan who firmly believes Aquilani should be playing for – I felt the loss of both him and Meireles at the start of the season were an ominous start to Dalgish’s second go around (and I even think they were way worse decisions than the remainder of his transfer dealings).
Secondly, the biggest looser in any move involving Aquilai would be Liverpool football club. There is no way an Italian team will offer any serious cash for him, and indeed most other players at the moment. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, since Rafa left, the Managers have not attempted to keep Aquilani and give him a genuine chance to play (despite decent performances in pre-season). Without question, the Brazilian, Aquilani, and Gerrard would have been my choice in midfield. It is extremely difficult to imagine who amongst the rest of the midfielders we have starts ahead of him. As for whether he is industrious enough, I do not see why he couldnt be as good as Modric has been for Spurs in a similar role. Besides, it is unnecessary to have all 3 midfielders performing defensive duties in a team. I could easily see him as a supply line to Suarez, Kalou and Dempsey upfront (If only, of course to that last bit).
Carl – re. Redknapp.
His sacking is completely his own doing. He chose to air his grievances about his contractual situation in public after the worst half-season performance of his time at the club. What did he expect – no Chairman is going to award an extension in that situation.
Martin O’Neil resigned from Villa, rather than have Randy Lerner sack him – and that was over Lerner’s future vision for the club. It’s different, and you can’t really compare the two.
With Liverpool… with or without Benitez at the club, they were on that trajectory. The issues over the ownership and the weaknesses in certain areas of the squad were probably bigger factors than Hodgson/Dalglish etc.
Maybe you’ll answer the Redkapp post questions next. You write some good stuff but seem to be on a crusade to disagree with whatever the mainstream media opine.
Don’t think we should assume LFC are stopping him staying, I get the feeling he doesn’t want to be here. Doesn’t matter the reason, the fact is clear to me, why has he spent the last 2 years out on loan in Italy, seems he couldn’t manage the change to England and the EPL, this would also confirm the reason we can’t get a fair transfer fee for him… the Italian clubs know he is unsettled and wants a return to Italy….
You probably shouldn’t ‘Ashy’, the whole thing is bollocks because of a momentary lapse in concentration.
Yup, good spot Pigman – been a long day…
I agree with your comments about Aquilani and I believe that Rodgers would indeed like him to play for us next season, but only if Aquilani is motivated to do so.
Problem is that for whatever reason, likes Italy better (who wouldn’t), poor treatment from English press, poor treatment from certain LFC managers, poor treatment from some fans, or whatever other reason, I don’t believe that he wants to play for Liverpool.
Also, you do yourself no credit by saying that Lucas is Argentinian (he’s Brazilian!
uh…think Lucas is a brazilian (not ‘an argentine’); also the issue is the bloated contract for a midfield who would rather eat his right foot than close down and hassle opponents. THAT aspect doesn’t fit so well with Rodgers’ model…
100% agree
I understand the people saying Aquilani doesn’t want to be in Liverpool or didn’t settle in Liverpool, I really do. But the fact is, he hasn’t exactly settled in Juventus or Milan during the last two years has he?
Sooner or later, he needs to make a decision to make something of his footballing career. And a Liverpool club managed by Brendan Rodgers might just be the thing that will help him get there.
Lots of players move away from their home at stages in their career. They go to Qatar, Russia and all sorts of places to take that next step. Heck, Robbie Fowler came here to Australia for two years… And it was to Townsville and Perth, not Sydney or Melbourne!
Wayne Rooney wanted to leave United not that long ago and he didn’t end up having a bad season did he? Sir Rudolph put the foot down and everyone was a winner. Well nearly. Lol
Aquilani was making quality assists left, right and centre just before he left. He also has played a fair amount of games in the last two seasons, so injury might be behind him. I got no idea where the idea of him being lightweight came from, but he didn’t do too bad when he actually was given a chance in the Premier League.
Make him come back please Brendan and lets at least see how it goes.
The ‘Argentine’?
How can you take that seriously when you can’t even get lucas’s nationality right….