If what we read in the media is true, Rafa has pulled off a nice bit of business this last week. Out goes our Malian midfielder, Momo Sissoko, to rejoin old boss Claudio Ranieri at Juventus for a reported 11m gbp and in comes young Slovenian (sorry, Slovakian)
defender, Martin Škrtel for between 6-7m gbp (depending on who you read).
I love this deal. One, we have an embarrassment of riches in the central midfield berth and, quite frankly, Sissoko is the one most in need of a change. His form has dipped since his eye injury and a move abroad to a less physical league where his own...unique style of play will be better received.
Quoting from the Anfield Road article:
Momo said: "A lot of journalists have called me, saying had I signed for Juventus. It isn’t done yet, but my agent is in advanced discussions with them. I hope that they can reach an agreement, but I am very pleased, I want to join a club like this. Today, I want a new challenge. The last few months with Liverpool have not gone as I wanted, but that’s one of the risks of football and I now want to move onto a new stage and show what I can do on the pitch."
Pretty much says it all. Momo has been a great servant to the club but since his arrival we've secured the (temporary) services of Javier Mascherano for the destructive midfielder position and the arrival of Brazilian wunderkind Lucas has given us some added creativity. That's football, and that's life at a big club.
Not only are we doubling our money on the young, talented but inconsistent midfielder, we also get a seasoned international player in a position where we are painfully short of depth. Well, 15 caps is hardly a veteran but it's nothing to be sneezed at. Clubs who definitely have not been sneezing at the promising young defender include Rafa's old club, Valencia, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and Newcastle. If the deal goes through, Škrtel could be in the Liverpool squad for Middlesbrough on Saturday - which I'll be watching on Setanta Sports from 9:30am.
So, a big profit on an unwanted player who has yet to fulfill his potential and a promising new player in a position where we desperately need cover. Great business Rafa, Rick Parry et al.