Fine. But he should leave on the club’s terms, not his.
I’d like him to stay and I think he should. But I’d prefer to talk about the players who want to be at Liverpool rather than the ones who are jumping ship.
First there’s Gerrard. He has run the show at Liverpool for ten years. Whenever we have gone through slumps in form he has took games by the scruff of the neck and changed things with his feet on the pitch, not by walking away.
Then there’s Carragher. For years he was treated as a utility player whilst others were preferred ahead of him. Did he complain? No. He played right back, left back, centre back; he probably would have taken on the role of goalkeeper had he been asked to.
And both players have had their loyalty rewarded with numerous medals including the Champion’s League.
But it’s not just players who have come through the ranks at the club who have shown loyalty. There are players who have joined more recently who have been just as loyal.
Reina, for example, hasn’t used our poor performances to sulk. When Stevie and Jamie eventually step down, he is the natural person to take over as captain. His leadership qualities have been demonstrated countless times. He has inspired team huddles, encouraged players to have confidence and generally played with the passion that any Liverpool player should.
And even Lucas. Although he’s not everyone’s cup of tea he has gradually improved and turned in many solid displays, particularly over the last year. Again, the lad has never complained about his position in the team, neither when he was starting games on the bench, nor when he was slated and his performances were being compared unfavourably with those of the excellent Alonso. He just kept working away, glad of the chance to be a part of the club, and slowly he’s started to win the fans over.
Even now, with only an outside chance of qualifying for next year’s Champion’s League, players are showing that they would love the opportunity to play for Liverpool.
Both Suarez and Adam pleaded with their clubs to let them join us.
This was particularly positive in the case of Suarez as he was already challenging for a league title with Ajax yet he was still excited by the prospect of playing for us.
No player should ever become bigger than Liverpool Football Club, no matter how good they are. Because for every player who runs around the pitch with a scowl on his face, for every player who isn’t happy and for every player who hands in a transfer request, there are many more who would give anything to be at our club.