Sell or no sell

Being the football lover that I am, I started off the day as I do everyday; checking the gossip columns on both BBC Sport and Sky Sports News. In doing so, I was quite intrigued to find on BBC Sport a rumour that quoted this:

'Rodgers plans to sell 30-year-old goalkeeper Pepe Reina, centre-back Martin Skrtel, 28, left-back Jose Enrique, 27, winger Stewart Downing, 28, and midfielder Jordan Henderson, 22, in the summer.'

Being connected with Liverpool as my second favourite team, it got me wondering: would I sell the players listed above, or keep them?

There is no doubt that there will be comings and goings in the summer, especially so if Liverpool want to fulfil their aspirations of returning to their status as an established Premier League club. There have been those that have underperformed, excelled, or are simply not good enough, and there is reason to suggest that all those named above could be sold and replaced by better players.



Henderson iss't just a Liverpool hopeful, but an England
hoperful too



But I disagree with at least 3; Rodgers should definitely not be selling Jordan Henderson. I know 'Hendo' took a lot of time to adapt to playing in a red shirt, and he consequently earned a lot of critics in the process, but he is really starting to find his feet in a Liverpool shirt. Bar Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez, in the last 2 months no one has performed better then Jordan Henderson. He's started to grow in a red shirt, and his energy and technical ability in the middle of midfield is invaluable to the teams success. Come on, you must be quite good to be England Under 21's Captain!

Verdict - No sell

Another that has performed well over the last couple of months has been Spanish left back Jose Enrique, who like Henderson, has had to overcome a tricky spell at the club but is now flourishing. I've been impressed with Enrique from day one. His pace and strength combined make him a formidable left back who is hard to beat. My only worry regarding the Spaniard is his tendency to give the ball away, which could possibly lead to catastrophic consequences in a game. However, despite this flaw in his game, the Spaniard has proven himself both in a defensive and an attacking sense, and I believe he has been Liverpool's best left back since the departure of John Arne Risse back in 2007.

Verdict - No sell



The big Slovakian is still worth having, even if it means
being 3rd choice centre back



The form of Martin Skrtel may have dropped, and consequently he's had to be content with a place on the bench in recent months, but the Slovakian is still a great defender and did make a solid partnership with Agger when picked. Although Carragher has got the march on him at the moment, the legendary defender is due to retire at the end of the season meaning a gap in central defence. Cue the return of Martin Skrtel. A definite top 6 defender, he may have lapses of concentration and not suit the passing philosophy being implemented by Rodgers, but even if a replacement is brought in, he is still worth keeping due to his defensive qualities. He was voted Liverpool's best player 2 seasons ago, you can't lose quality in that short space of time! (Unless your name is Fernando Torres)

Verdict - No sell

The case of Pepe Reina is much more complicated. There is no doubting he is a quality keeper, he's Spain's third choice! But he really has suffered a lack of form and this season, and at the age of 30, his market value is starting to decrease rapidly. So with the Spaniard seeming to become more and more erratic by the day, is it worth keeping him and banking on him returning to his best? Or is it better to cash in on him? A recent return to good form may have saved him, but more questions must be answered, can he maintain it? It's up to Rodgers.

Verdict - Undecided

Downign has endured a torrid time since arriving at Anfield
in 2011, and surely it is time for the wing man to go

The one certainty on the list that HAS to be sold is of course, Stewart Downing. Why we paid £20 million for an average player is beyond belief. Although admittedly he does possess quality in his left boot, which we have begun to show in recent weeks, sadly I just don't think he's done it enough to warrant a starting place. The worst thing about him, is that he very rarely beats his man. He tries, but when he does try he lacks so much confidence that the ball gets taken away from him in an instance. Ok he's scored a couple this year, an improvement to last, but sadly, he’s not good enough. To all those that disagree with me, do you have aspirations to be a Champions League club again? With Downing as a starter, we will never make it. Fact.

Verdict - SELL!

There is my opinion in regards to selling/keeping the above named players. If you want to share your opinion, either comment, or follow me on twitter. (@JamesStroud1995) Thank you for reading.