Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has now held talks with all three of the players who were believed to be considering their futures at the club.
Captain Steven Gerrard has already stated that he wants to stay at Liverpool next season, which wasn’t a major surprise.
Now Spanish star Fernando Torres has also apparently committed his future to the club.
Unhappy
Argentinian midfielder Javier Mascherano however has told Hodgson that he wants to leave the Reds. Hodgson told Sky Sports: “Yes he wants to leave the club. He’s made that perfectly clear,”
“I think he wanted to leave a year ago. He wants to leave now as well. But he is contracted to Liverpool Football Club so whether he leaves or not will be our decision”
It’s believed that speculation over a move to Barcelona last summer unsettled the Argentinian. Barca’s interest didn’t materialise and he remained at a club where didn’t want to be. There is now speculation that the Spanish giants could re-ignite their interest in Mascherano this summer.
Barcelona may not have the funds to sign Mascherano with recent reports suggesting the Blaugrana suffered massive losses last year.
European champions Inter are favourites to capture the midfielder. Mascherano has a very close relationship with ex-Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, who is now in charge of the Nerazzurri. Inter look set to sell striker Mario Balotelli to Manchester City in the next week so they will have money to spend.
Question Marks
A number of Liverpool fans have questioned Javier Mascherano’s temperament. Mascherano has been dismissed in some major games. In fact he has been dismissed twice against bitter-rivals Manchester United in the last three seasons.
The big occasion sometimes gets the better of the Argentinian star and that’s why some Liverpool fans and ex-players have criticised the 26 year-old.
Staying
According to reports though Spanish star Fernando Torres has decided to stay with the Reds. That’s fantastic news for Liverpool and their fans. Hodgson commented on Torres leaving by saying: “I know nothing about that as far as I know. He’s looking forward to coming back here; he’s back on Monday,”
“He’s enjoying a holiday and a well deserved break, I don’t think he’s had one for three years. “He’s spending a lot of time with his family. As far as I know he’s keeping a very low profile and not really speaking to anybody. But he has told us that he’s looking forward to Monday and getting back to work.
“He’s looking forward to playing for Liverpool next season. That’s what I know and I would suggest that any other reports are erroneous.”
Popularity
I’m sure the Liverpool fans will be delighted with the news that Torres is staying. If they were given a choice between Mascherano and Torres staying most fans would chose the Spaniard. Torres is far more important to the Liverpool side.
Torres, when fit, is one of the top strikers in the world. He is a match winner capable of producing the unexpected and scoring crucial goals. I would say that Mascherano is just a midfield spoiler. He breaks up opposition attacks but won’t win you a match. He has also shown that he has no loyalty toward Liverpool at all.
Spending Money
Liverpool will probably sell Mascherano and recoup between £25-30million for the want away star. That will give Hodgson some much needed spending power. He will need to strengthen his squad, as last season Liverpool were woeful and some of last season’s squad players have left the club.
With Hodgson’s reputation for a bargain buy he is bound to spend that money wisely. Whether Liverpool finishes in the top four next season or not could depend on which players are brought in. The sale of Mascherano could be the best thing to happen to Liverpool in a long time.
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