A scar erased.
On a manic deadline day that saw phones and fax machines going into overdrive, Liverpool emerged triumphant. A new dawn is ushered in at Anfield. Ultimately, the owners passed their first critical test with flying colours.
It must be said. Fernando who? Despite the back-stab from the Kop idol turned hated figure, everyone has been mightily pleased with this January’s transfer dealings. Traditionally, this window works as a notoriously difficult market, yet we received terrific support from the upper echelons of the Anfield hierarchy.
Without Fernando Torres, a sense of normalcy and calm has been restored at Anfield.
Much of deadline day has been shrouded with helicopter uncertainty as fans tried to fit the pieces in the puzzle. Yet as the clock ticked, the inevitable ticked. He leaves, and we will forget. We’ll move on, and whatever resentments we harbour will soon fade.
Roman Abramovich was desperate for a marquee signing to rejuvenate the plastic waving fans. He got it. But was he just scratching the surface instead?
At £50M, Liverpool was right to let him go. He was disillusioned, but critically, the sum that Chelsea offered was more than what he was actually worth. He will turn 27 in one month’s time, and his value will deteriorate together with his aging speed.
The Club moves on without him. Other players will fill his shoes. We had pleasant moments together, but we will forget. The 2-0 win against Stoke, in which our debutant Luis Suarez netted, will accelerate this process.
Luis Suarez? Did I just hear wrongly? Just 7 days ago both clubs were teetering on the edge of a breakdown in talks. Now he pulls on that famous Red shirt, that famous no. 7, passed down to him by the King, and current manager Kenny Dalglish.
This represents a defining moment in Liverpool’s history. When the King who once adorned the famous jersey hands it down to his successor, he must have placed utmost faith in Suarez. Dalglish and Comolli got their man after a month’s long of intensive negotiation. They knew he was right for this club.
His record for Ajax speaks for itself. With 111 goals in 159 games, he is one of their most profilic marksman in Ajax’s history, with an astonishing goal to game ratio of 0.698. As John Henry commented, every pound spent on transfers must be spent ‘wisely’. Liverpool’s must for Suarez means they had to meet Ajax’s hardball valuation.
And then there is Andrew Carroll. Liverpool’s £35M record signing. Being a realist, I think the sum paid for him is a massive gamble. Liverpool started bidding at £25M, then £30M, then £35M. Does this smack of desperation? Definitely.
However – FSG is an organisation who will only pay for quality players. Despite us receiving a massive cash boost of £50M from the sale of Torres, FSG will not sanction a knee-jerk transfer, especially with such an inflated fee. My personal belief is that Carroll has been scouted extensively by the likes of Dalglish and Comolli to ensure that he fits the style of football that Liverpool want to embrace.
And if that means paying well over the odds to form a potent partnership with Suarez which would reap benefits for years to come, then so be it. After all, the money wasn’t going into the bank bin.
As Dalglish aptly puts it – the partnership of Carroll, Suarez, Gerrard and Meireles will be ‘frightening’. This word is enough for me. Enough for me to be filled with hope that we’re headed in the right direction.
The next move, surely, must be to remove Dalglish of his caretaker wool and instill him as permament manager of Liverpool FC.
After all, in this 3 weeks, he has returned us our Liverpool. And for that, we’re eternally grateful.
Twitter @redsonfire