Liverpool Announce Daniel Agger as Vice-Captain

Talk of a Barcelona bid for Daniel Agger made a rough week a little bit more nausea-inducing; we didn't have any concrete reason to believe that the Danish central defender would be headed elsewhere, but Barcelona's status combined with an oft-retweeted quote about the player's admiration for the Catalan giants left a knot is the stomach of most (except our Elizabeth, of course). Today that disquiet is assuaged, with the club confirming that he'll be the new vice-captain, taking over Jamie Carragher's role and earning the spot ahead of the equally deserving and impressive Lucas.

There's little more that needs saying, either about Agger's qualifications as the new vice-captain or what this means for his future at the club. He's an important part of Liverpool, and the club, the city, and its supporters are clearly an integral part of his professional and personal life. Brendan Rodgers  highlighted as much in making the official announcement just a few minutes ago:

"He's a top-class player and he prepares really well throughout the week. Football is his life and Liverpool is his life. From my first conversation with him, he made it very clear that he wants to be here. I've also known during my time here that other clubs have wanted to take him, but he's been very true to his word. His loyalty and his passion for Liverpool is second to none. And if you add that on to his footballing qualities, then I think it's a good choice for everybody.

"He was very proud when he found out the news. I had spoken to him at the beginning of pre-season to tell him that he was one of the ones I was going to be looking at closely, and throughout pre-season he has been a real role model within the group. He has trained magnificently and he was delighted when I pulled him over and said that he'd be the one that I would be looking at to step in to Carra's shoes. He was very pleased and very proud as you can imagine. He's an international captain and he's been here for a long time - the supporters and the players really recognise that with him. I'm sure we'll see an extra percentage rise in his game and in his performance, because he's a very proud man. I've loved working with him and now this gives him an extra responsibility."

Congratulations to Agger and Liverpool, and hopefully his spell as vice-captain is a successful one.

Introducing #LFC’s new vice-captain… @DanielAgger - http://t.co/ABzgOiASLT pic.twitter.com/ZiQ9ItBcNa

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 9, 2013

**Post has been updated with additional quotes from Brendan Rodgers, and will likely be further edited if and when Agger comments.**