Rafael Benitez can’t have seen this one coming, surely? After months spent watching the world debate the futures of Javier Mascherano, Ryan Babel and Fernando Torres, he can now expect a raft of questions about one of the pillars of his Liverpool side, Jamie Carragher.
The mere thought of the Reds parting company with such a symbolic figure seems inherently absurd, but the summer promises to be an interesting one at Anfield, whether they finish in the Premier League's top four or not.
Carragher’s comments dominated the weekend’s papers, with the 32-year-old confirming that he would entertain the idea of leaving Liverpool, should the club fail to offer him the first-team football he requires.
"The club will give me a new contract if they want to," he said, "If not it doesn’t matter, I’ll still play my best and if I have to move I’ll move, no problem. It wouldn’t bother me.”
This was not your typical, money-based plea for a new contract. Indeed, nor is it the first time the Bootle-born defender has hinted at a future away from Anfield. His autobiography contained a more candid assessment.
“I hate missing games, no matter what the occasion,” he wrote back in 2008, “I have no respect for those who have built a reputation at a big club by settling for being a bit-part player.
“If I’m not a regular in the side – and I hope that is many years away – I will move on. There are those who advise you to quit at the top, but I disagree. I’d love to finish my career at Anfield, but if the time comes to consider another Premier League club, or a competitive Championship one, then I will do it.”
The message then was the same as it is now; if Carragher is not to be a regular at Liverpool, he will not think twice about seeking first team football elsewhere. It is refreshingly honest, in an age where many players would gladly accept a reduction in hours for an increase in wage. But Carragher’s defiant stance means Benitez must assess his options carefully before making his next move.
Carragher’s contract at Anfield – worth around £80,000 per week – will have a year left to run in the summer. And having witnessed Michael Owen – home-grown and with a worldwide reputation – depart the club for a paltry fee in 2005, Liverpool will be well aware of the perils of dealing with players approaching the end of their contracts.
And having witnessed the efforts made to tie the likes of Torres, Pepe Reina, Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard to lucrative long-term deals, Carragher is entitled to wonder why the powers-that-be at Anfield have not been as eager to beat a way to his door.
The Reds, unlike Arsenal or Manchester United for example, do not operate a strict policy when dealing with new deals for players over the age of 30, so any decision on the defender’s future should be made on its merits.
A similar decision was made with Sami Hyypia, who left the club to join Bayer Leverkusen after rejecting a contract extension last summer. Now Benitez must decide whether, at 32, Carragher is still an automatic choice at Anfield.
And, as with all decisions to be made at Liverpool this summer, financial factors are bound to come into play.
For example, how much would it cost Benitez to replace a player of Carragher’s stature and experience? Despite some high profile mistakes this season – including a nightmare at West Ham and a dismissal at Fulham – his form has recovered sufficiently to make him a key player in the Reds’ recent defensive revival – which has seen them concede just three goals in ten league games . And this even allowing for an unscheduled stint at full-back in the absence of Glen Johnson.
Simon Kjaer, the towering Palermo centre-back, has this week been keen to fuel speculation that he is set for a summer switch to Merseyside, but is likely to cost in excess of £10 million, and attract the attention of plenty of other, more fiscally able clubs. The Dane might be keen on linking up with international colleague Daniel Agger, but money still talks, and Liverpool’s bank balance is speaking more softly than most at the moment.
Both Agger and Martin Skrtel have shown signs of promise as a partnership recently – despite similarly slow starts – but with just Greek veteran Sotirios Kyrgiakos as senior cover, Carragher remains a vital part of Benitez's squad, both in terms of numbers and quality.
Additionally, Carragher offers the kind of leadership and organisational qualities courted by just about every other club. Pace may never have been a strong suit for the Bootle boy, but communication, positional intelligence and timing in the tackle certainly are, as Carragher himself noted "whenever there is a big game, I'm there."
How Manchester City, for example, would love a defender of his ilk as they challenge the Reds for a top-four berth, (ironically, they had one in Richard Dunne, before they allowed him to leave and become part of the meanest back-line in the Premier League at Aston Villa).
Carragher has proven over the last three months, both at right-back – a position he is known to despise – and in his favoured central role, that he still has plenty to offer Liverpool. Benitez must now convince Carragher that Liverpool has enough to offer him.
And if he doesn’t, then one suspect it will be Liverpool’s, not Carragher’s, loss.
The mere thought of the Reds parting company with such a symbolic figure seems inherently absurd, but the summer promises to be an interesting one at Anfield, whether they finish in the Premier League's top four or not.
Carragher’s comments dominated the weekend’s papers, with the 32-year-old confirming that he would entertain the idea of leaving Liverpool, should the club fail to offer him the first-team football he requires.
"The club will give me a new contract if they want to," he said, "If not it doesn’t matter, I’ll still play my best and if I have to move I’ll move, no problem. It wouldn’t bother me.”
This was not your typical, money-based plea for a new contract. Indeed, nor is it the first time the Bootle-born defender has hinted at a future away from Anfield. His autobiography contained a more candid assessment.
“I hate missing games, no matter what the occasion,” he wrote back in 2008, “I have no respect for those who have built a reputation at a big club by settling for being a bit-part player.
“If I’m not a regular in the side – and I hope that is many years away – I will move on. There are those who advise you to quit at the top, but I disagree. I’d love to finish my career at Anfield, but if the time comes to consider another Premier League club, or a competitive Championship one, then I will do it.”
The message then was the same as it is now; if Carragher is not to be a regular at Liverpool, he will not think twice about seeking first team football elsewhere. It is refreshingly honest, in an age where many players would gladly accept a reduction in hours for an increase in wage. But Carragher’s defiant stance means Benitez must assess his options carefully before making his next move.
Carragher’s contract at Anfield – worth around £80,000 per week – will have a year left to run in the summer. And having witnessed Michael Owen – home-grown and with a worldwide reputation – depart the club for a paltry fee in 2005, Liverpool will be well aware of the perils of dealing with players approaching the end of their contracts.
And having witnessed the efforts made to tie the likes of Torres, Pepe Reina, Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard to lucrative long-term deals, Carragher is entitled to wonder why the powers-that-be at Anfield have not been as eager to beat a way to his door.
The Reds, unlike Arsenal or Manchester United for example, do not operate a strict policy when dealing with new deals for players over the age of 30, so any decision on the defender’s future should be made on its merits.
A similar decision was made with Sami Hyypia, who left the club to join Bayer Leverkusen after rejecting a contract extension last summer. Now Benitez must decide whether, at 32, Carragher is still an automatic choice at Anfield.
And, as with all decisions to be made at Liverpool this summer, financial factors are bound to come into play.
For example, how much would it cost Benitez to replace a player of Carragher’s stature and experience? Despite some high profile mistakes this season – including a nightmare at West Ham and a dismissal at Fulham – his form has recovered sufficiently to make him a key player in the Reds’ recent defensive revival – which has seen them concede just three goals in ten league games . And this even allowing for an unscheduled stint at full-back in the absence of Glen Johnson.
Simon Kjaer, the towering Palermo centre-back, has this week been keen to fuel speculation that he is set for a summer switch to Merseyside, but is likely to cost in excess of £10 million, and attract the attention of plenty of other, more fiscally able clubs. The Dane might be keen on linking up with international colleague Daniel Agger, but money still talks, and Liverpool’s bank balance is speaking more softly than most at the moment.
Both Agger and Martin Skrtel have shown signs of promise as a partnership recently – despite similarly slow starts – but with just Greek veteran Sotirios Kyrgiakos as senior cover, Carragher remains a vital part of Benitez's squad, both in terms of numbers and quality.
Additionally, Carragher offers the kind of leadership and organisational qualities courted by just about every other club. Pace may never have been a strong suit for the Bootle boy, but communication, positional intelligence and timing in the tackle certainly are, as Carragher himself noted "whenever there is a big game, I'm there."
How Manchester City, for example, would love a defender of his ilk as they challenge the Reds for a top-four berth, (ironically, they had one in Richard Dunne, before they allowed him to leave and become part of the meanest back-line in the Premier League at Aston Villa).
Carragher has proven over the last three months, both at right-back – a position he is known to despise – and in his favoured central role, that he still has plenty to offer Liverpool. Benitez must now convince Carragher that Liverpool has enough to offer him.
And if he doesn’t, then one suspect it will be Liverpool’s, not Carragher’s, loss.
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