Rumor Mongering: This Sissoko is Worse than Our Last Sissoko

Well, Reds, our former defensive midfielder is not actually in retirement: nye, he's plying his wares for Shanghai Shenhua, and will soon be Hulk's new teammate. While neither here nor there, I will confess that being horribly bored and alternately horrified by the thought of Moussa Sissoko donning the Liverpool jersey was the animating factor for reminding everyone of our long-legged destroyer [watch that, if you don't remember or are new; lad could defend].

Putting aside my love for shaved-head-destroyers-of-African-heritage and fully admitting a few years ago I would have ridden that train, Sissoko seems a step back for Liverpool at this time, mostly because of his inconsistent production and vocal want-away-ness.

To be fair, Sissoko is pacey, oft-dynamic, and skill-filled player, but his inability to put it together over the course of season belies his considerable talent. And while he certainly has his moments,at best, Sissoko has never demonstrated an ability to put it all together on the reg.

It is not often this author is willing to trade in the cliches of what constitutes a "Liverpool Player" (TM). But Sissoko - at least to date - is affirmatively not one in the mind of this writer. Then again, he's had to put up with the worst of the worst, plus Ashley, plus Pardew over the past few years, and as someone who has quit a soul-sucking job before, one can empathize with wanting to do anything but go to work, let alone don a uniform and pretend to give a shit about ra-ra-ing in the name of one's employer, particularly if it's this guy.

For the right price, Sissoko brings all sorts of intriguing things to our side. For all sorts of reasons, I have a hard time believing those things will materialize for the match-of-the-day-player (don't buy that).

Still, something about Kopp means that while he holds the rudder, we are always willing to believe in a reclamation project, and as noted, Sissoko offers something intriguing, plying our imaginations with more than a few fantastic displays of athleticism and skill.

Probably still not happening, but who knows in these trying times.