It was inevitable really. No sooner had Fernando Torres left the club to join Chelsea in the January transfer window, we only had to wait a few days before the daily rags looked for their next groundbreaking story involving Liverpool Football Club.
It is fair to say Liverpool were the club everyone around the world was talking about in January 2011 as Kenny Dalglish replaced Roy Hodgson as manager and multi-million pound deals involving Ryan Babel, Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres were carried out in what should have been the quiet transfer window as two left and two duly came in. And this trend looks set to continue from now until the end of summer as Liverpool will be linked with anyone and everyone as their rebuilding-the-squad-for-next-season exercise looks set to continue.
So onto the latest instalment of the Liverpool saga - which would probably rival Brookside if it was still on the telly.
Jose 'Pepe' Reina had signed a new 6-year-contract only last summer which ties him to the club until 2016. However, with Fernando Torres’ surprise departure showing that contracts are worth nothing more than the paper they written on, Pepe Reina has been thrust into the limelight – this time as Edwin van der Sar’s replacement at Old Trafford when the longstanding Dutchman hangs up his gloves come the end of the season.
Pepe Reina carried out an interview on Spanish radio station, Onda Cero, sitting alongside new Chelsea signing and former team-mate Fernando Torres whilst on international duty for Spain last week. Asked what he thought about his current position at Liverpool and Manchester United’s predicament come the end of the season, Reina responded:-
“I think it’s hard for me to come back to Spain to play. I think my place is in England – and right now that is with Liverpool. It’s hard to see me returning to Spain. Barcelona and Madrid are the two teams you would aspire to play with in Spain and that’s impossible. Van der Sar is hanging up his gloves and people say that Arsenal are looking. I can’t do or say anything; I renewed my contract with Liverpool last year. But what a player wants, logically, is to challenge for titles. I would like to think that the departure of players does not mean that we are slipping. I think Liverpool will always be a big club but we have to be realistic and the reality is that right now we are not at the level of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea or Arsenal. That’s the truth."
From the statements above, the press had a field day and just fell short of posting a photo of Pepe Reina in a Arsenal or Manchester United goalkeeper’s jersey on their back pages.
The media attention is not completely new to Liverpool and Pepe Reina though. He has been linked with Arsenal and Manchester United in the past only to rubbish the claims by carrying out interviews where he said he was committed to Liverpool Football Club and he could not stop the press from writing and publishing articles. But with Fernando Torres declaring his love for the club only to leave for Chelsea, doubts are now lingering amongst the fans as to whether Reina will jump ship and join his fellow Spanish compatriots by leaving Liverpool in the summer transfer window.
Over the last couple of years, the players had become disillusioned under the previous American owners as funds from player purchases went into paying off a debt rather than reinvesting in the team. The players were left wondering what the squad would look like at the end of it all. However, with Fenway Sports Group under the leadership of John W Henry and Tom Werner taking control over the club in October 2010, things looked on the up and in January they showed their hand by investing the whole £50m accrued from the Fernando Torres sale on two new players (something the previous owners were unable to do). Unfortunately, the new ownership of the club was not enough for Fernando Torres as he jumped ship but the question now is will it be enough for Pepe Reina as he comes under the spotlight as possibly being the next player to exit Liverpool?
When Rafa Benitez took over the managerial reigns of Liverpool in 2004, he bought in a contingent of Spanish players over his six year tenure. The names and faces were fairly unknown to the Anfield faithful when they arrived but over the years they became household names and in some cases, ended up becoming world class players. The likes of Alvaro Arbeloa, Luis Garcia, Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres were signed up as potentially good players. All left the club as better players which was a testament to Benitez. Pepe Reina arrived from Villarreal as a strong goalkeeper and out of all the Spanish arrivals, has been arguably the best signing as he has become the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. To lose him now, would be a huge blow for Liverpool Football Club and perhaps more for the fans who have taken to him more than any other player bought in by Benitez.
If Pepe Reina does leave at the end of the season, it will undoubtedly be to a team challenging for the Champions League. He has already discounted Barcelona and Real Madrid and Serie A does not appeal. As a result, the only other option lies at either Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United. Joining Chelsea and Torres seems the least likely as they currently have Petr Cech and have never shown any interest in Reina; so that leaves Arsenal and Manchester United. If you were to ask a Liverpool fan who, out of the two clubs would they prefer Pepe Reina to join, the answer would undoubtedly have to be Arsenal. And the benefit of joining Arsenal would suit the club twofold; Arsenal would solve their problematic position and the arrival would help retain the services of Barcelona-loving Cesc Fabregas who has a good relationship with Reina.
So if the unthinkable does happen and Pepe Reina leaves Liverpool come the summer, what happens to the goalkeeping position at Anfield and who will fill it? Well, it is fair to say that Brad Jones, Peter Gulacsi and Martin Hansen are not goalkeepers Liverpool fans would be happy with having as their Number 1. With the Premier League being devoid of world class goalkeepers perhaps, with the exception of Petr Cech at Chelsea, Liverpool would have to look to the continent for their next Number 1.
The obvious choices would be Hugo Lloris of Olympique Lyonnais, Manuel Neuer of Schalke, Rene Adler of Bayer Leverkusen and David de Gea of Atletico Madrid with, perhaps, an outside shout for Sergio Asenjo of Malaga. All are very good goalkeepers in their own right but none are charismatic or have the influence of Pepe Reina about them. All could, quite possibly, step into Reina’s gloves in a goalkeeping sense but I doubt any would have the same likeability factor of Reina who the Liverpool fans have taken to their heart as a bonafide Scouse.
Personally, I think Pepe Reina will be in a Liverpool shirt come next season as the new owners have shown that they are willing to spend money to improve the squad and have the same goal as the management and fans in trying to get Liverpool challenging for the Premier League title and back into the Champions League. But will that be enough for Pepe Reina to hang around? Time will tell.
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