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For those inclined to treat the whispers of the transfer window as being as sustaining as food or air, the revelation Liverpool have a long list of players who might leave has provided great nourishment. Never mind that might is not will and that many, perhaps even most, of the named players have been on their way out for some time.
One name said to potentially be on the chopping block, and one that seems far more likely to spend next season in red barring an offer that at the very least recoups the club's initial investment or if the player himself agitates for a move away, is Fabio Borini. For his part, though, Brendan Rodgers doesn't seem eager to be rid of him.
"I know him better than anyone," said Rodgers, who was in charge of Chelsea's youth team while Borini was there and later brought him to Swansea on loan. "He needed to go out and get games and we saw his pace and power tonight. He will come back next season and add to the quality that we already have."
Borini may not unseat Luis Suarez or Daniel Sturridge, but then there's no attacker Liverpool could reasonably bring in who would. As proven by his time at Sunderland, though, and reaffirmed by his showing in last night's post-season friendly, he's more than a viable candidate to both back them up and to add depth on the wing.
He knows Rodgers, his smart runs and work rate make him a perfect fit for the system, and with four competitions there will be games for him to prove his worth. He's the easy, capable option that means there are one or two less players the club will need to go out and spend money on and they can focus on bigger needs.
And it sounds as though he's in Rodgers' plans. So. Case closed. Except of course that during transfer season, no case is ever allowed to be truly closed while there's still the chance to milk excitement and controversy from it.
