I like to put myself in the shoes of the potential target to ascertain whether or not I would be tempted by the move. Of course, as a Villa fan I never would, but I’m not naive enough to believe that there is any player loyalty in today’s game.
I want to make it clear that this is not an anti-Liverpool post, but the highly publicised interest of Liverpool in ‘turncoat’ Downing has raised a number of questions, namely surrounding the longevity and sustainability of their current path and the dividends that it may or may not achieve. I have nothing against Liverpool at all, or their fans (please take that into consideration before slating me in the comments), but there are genuine questions about the club that is sniffing around Downing.
Since the start of the transfer window, Liverpool seems to have been interested in a lot of players and none of them are what you would call cheap (Henderson, Lennon, Young, Downing). What’s more intriguing (and many would struggle to argue with this point) is that they seem to be paying way, way over the odds for their players.
Andy Carroll is a superb player, but with just half a season of Premier League football under his belt he was far from proven when they paid an incredible £35million for his services. The same can now be argued with Jordan Henderson. They are both good players, but wildly overpriced, and Liverpool’s seeming eagerness to pay such exorbitant transfer fees is concerning. Not for me- as a Villa fan I am happy for Liverpool to break the bank, but if I were a Liverpool fan I would be questioning Dalglish.
I know he is in a honeymoon period, and he has been given backing to bolster the team, but he is like the proverbial kid in a sweet shop. Imagine Augustus Gloop, grabbing at anything and everything regardless of price or consequence.
With the new revenue rulings coming in, surely it will be increasingly difficult for Liverpool to sustain such transfer activity. It is important to note that next season Liverpool have no European football at all, and with the likes of City and Spurs it will never again be guaranteed. There seems to be an enormous expectation for Liverpool to over-achieve next season, but surely last season’s mediocrity was not due to a lack of decent players.
King Kenny may well raid, and empty, the Liverpool piggy bank. I just wonder if Stewart Downing has thought about what Liverpool can really offer him- nothing more than Villa on last season’s outcome, which is why I am puzzled by the attraction if the speculation turns out to be true.
I suppose worst case scenario is that he breaks his ankle and hopes that Villa buy him back again.