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The signing of Rickie Lambert has naturally caused some questions about the Liverpool attacking contingent outside of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. Places in the starting eleven for the Premier League's leading goalscorers certainly won't be disrupted by the signing of Lambert, who will likely feature off the bench and in spot starts, but the status of Iago Aspas and Fabio Borini is far less certain.
Most assume that the former will be sold after an anonymous first season at the club, but the latter's in purgatory--some see a spot for him given his adaptability and workrate, others would be happy to cash in and look elsewhere. Without any insight into Liverpool's intentions it's hard to tell where the striker's future lies, and the situation has become even more complex with reports of renewed Sunderland interest in a permanent deal for the Italian.
A £10m sale would still represent a loss for Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool, who spent £12m to bring him aboard two summers ago, but it would also seem a decent--and fair--price. For my part I'd like to see him given another opportunity at Liverpool, especially with Lambert coming in. Playing time might be at a premium, but there's enough talent and experience around to help a relatively young player grow. His time at Sunderland showed he can get the goals, and with the firepower in Liverpool's squad, you'd think he would only blossom further if given the chance.
Whatever ends up happening, hopefully Fabio Borini ends up in a situation that allows him to plant some roots and get his career going in a destination that will be home for awhile. Since 2009 he's featured for five different clubs at the senior level, an amazing number considering he's still just 23 years of age. It's not necessarily one that you'd like to see grow too much over the course of the next few years, however, and ideally he'll be somewhere long enough to order a new book of checks with a current address.
