In May, Liverpool legend John Aldridge claimed that Rickie Lambert 'will be leaving Liverpool this summer', and with over a month of thew transfer window remaining, Aldo maintains his view that the 'excellent' striker will be not be an LFC player at the end of the transfer window.
In his column for Sunday World this week, Aldridge claimed:
"Rickie Lambert will be heading out of the club shortly and I feel a bit sorry for him because he was never given a proper chance.
"He would have every right to wonder why Liverpool signed him in the first place"
Predictable Scouse solidarity aside, Aldo is almost certainly right.
With Benteke, Ings, Firmino (combined cost: £67m**) and Origi (signed last summer) now at the club - plus Daniel Sturridge waiting in the wings - the writing is on the wall for Lambert.
He won't be short of offers from interested clubs, though and Leicester City are the latest Premier League team to join the race for Lambert. According to the Daily Mail:
"Leicester City have expressed interest in signing Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert. The 33-year-old is due to speak to West Bromwich Albion this week while Norwich are also keen on the England international".
Liverpool was a 'dream' transfer for Lambert, but the best thing for him to do is leave.
Pulling a Borini and forcing the club to keep him will only sour that dream even further, and lead to even less game-time than last season.
I've made my views on Lambert clear many times, but I reiterate: Brendan Rodgers is mostly to blame for the striker's failure at Anfield, and the stats arguably show that:
* Season pre-LFC: 25 goals/assists in 39 apps
* Goal/assist every 1.5 games (35 starts)
* Last season at LFC: 3 goals/2 assists in 36 apps
* Goal/assist every 7.2 games (12 starts)
* 80% reduction in creative output
* Southampton total: 115 goals/68 assists (183) in 229 apps
* Goal/assist every 1.2 games
Let's not forget that Lambert was an England international at the time he signed for Liverpool, but after a year under Rodgers' fabled tutelage, Lambert's career is in tatters, and he'll probably never play for England again.
As Aldo states, Lambert has every right to wonder why Liverpool signed him in the first place, and it won't surprise me in the slightest to see Lambert score against the Reds next season.
Ultimately, given his prodigious goals/assists ratio for Southampton (and uncharacteristic fall from grace at Anfield), it's a little unfair for Lambert to be labelled a 'flop' by fans and the media.
However, that's precisely how he'll go down in Reds' history, which is the final insult for a man who's lifelong dream has turned into a nightmare.
* Firmino: £29m | Ings: £6m (probable compensation fee) | Benteke: £32.5m (release clause)
Author: Jaimie K
In his column for Sunday World this week, Aldridge claimed:
"Rickie Lambert will be heading out of the club shortly and I feel a bit sorry for him because he was never given a proper chance.
"He would have every right to wonder why Liverpool signed him in the first place"
Predictable Scouse solidarity aside, Aldo is almost certainly right.
With Benteke, Ings, Firmino (combined cost: £67m**) and Origi (signed last summer) now at the club - plus Daniel Sturridge waiting in the wings - the writing is on the wall for Lambert.
He won't be short of offers from interested clubs, though and Leicester City are the latest Premier League team to join the race for Lambert. According to the Daily Mail:
"Leicester City have expressed interest in signing Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert. The 33-year-old is due to speak to West Bromwich Albion this week while Norwich are also keen on the England international".
Liverpool was a 'dream' transfer for Lambert, but the best thing for him to do is leave.
Pulling a Borini and forcing the club to keep him will only sour that dream even further, and lead to even less game-time than last season.
I've made my views on Lambert clear many times, but I reiterate: Brendan Rodgers is mostly to blame for the striker's failure at Anfield, and the stats arguably show that:
* Season pre-LFC: 25 goals/assists in 39 apps
* Goal/assist every 1.5 games (35 starts)
* Last season at LFC: 3 goals/2 assists in 36 apps
* Goal/assist every 7.2 games (12 starts)
* 80% reduction in creative output
* Southampton total: 115 goals/68 assists (183) in 229 apps
* Goal/assist every 1.2 games
Let's not forget that Lambert was an England international at the time he signed for Liverpool, but after a year under Rodgers' fabled tutelage, Lambert's career is in tatters, and he'll probably never play for England again.
As Aldo states, Lambert has every right to wonder why Liverpool signed him in the first place, and it won't surprise me in the slightest to see Lambert score against the Reds next season.
Ultimately, given his prodigious goals/assists ratio for Southampton (and uncharacteristic fall from grace at Anfield), it's a little unfair for Lambert to be labelled a 'flop' by fans and the media.
However, that's precisely how he'll go down in Reds' history, which is the final insult for a man who's lifelong dream has turned into a nightmare.
* Firmino: £29m | Ings: £6m (probable compensation fee) | Benteke: £32.5m (release clause)
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Author: Jaimie K
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