Pepe Reina's Anfield exit will undoubtedly disappoint some Liverpool fans, but for me, his departure is the most predictable and inevitable transfer of the summer. The Spaniard started to lay the groundwork for his escape over two years ago, and every time I highlighted the obvious clues (and I did so often), fans simply refused to accept it. Reina's exit did not turn out the way he planned, but he has no one to blame but himself for LFC's handling of the situation. Alas, there seems to be a disparity in this case between the club's handling of Reina, and its continuing blanket-support for Luis Suarez.
In a recent open letter to fans, Reina expressed his 'regret' and surprise at being farmed out to Napoli, yet he seemed blissfully unaware of his grossly oversized sense of entitlement, a trait that is endemic amongst modern footballers. Without a hint of irony, Reina explained:
"If an offer came in from Barcelona I would have liked them [LFC] to consider it. But I had also spoken to the club about the possibility of extending my contract if the offer was not made.
"I told the manager that I wanted to play for Liverpool and that Barcelona would only become an option for me if the opportunity arrived, as it would be a chance for me to go back home.
"When it [the offer] didn’t come I was happy to fight for my place so I was surprised that Liverpool decided it was in the club’s interests to send me to Napoli instead".
Okay, so let's get this straight: Reina was committed to Liverpool and wanted to play for the Reds, but only until Barcelona showed an interest, at which point he'd drop LFC like a hot rock. Additionally, he'd happily extend his contract at Anfield but only if an offer from the Catalans didn't materialise.
Who says loyalty in football is dead? Perish the thought!
The fact that £15m-rated Reina is 'surprised' at LFC's decision to send him on loan tells us everything we need to know about the mentality of the modern footballer.
Why would the club want to keep paying someone who perpetually has one eye on greener pastures? After all, Reina basically told the club: "I'm willing to stay, but only until a better offer comes along". Pretty insulting if you ask me (and Suarez basically said the same thing).
Reina also claims that he 'deserved better' from LFC over the manner of his departure, but the truth is, LFC - and the club's fans - deserved better from him.
Conditional loyalty should never be tolerated at Anfield, and in my view, the club - in a rare show of strength - did absolutely the right thing in extricating Reina from the wage bill.
However, by the same token, Liverpool seemingly fail to take the same approach with Luis Suarez, where conditional loyalty seems to be acceptable, and even condoned by the club.
This seems slightly hypocritical to me.
What is the difference between Suarez touting himself out to Real Madrid, and Reina flirting with Barca? The Uruguayan is clearly not committed to LFC; his zeal to leave dwarf's Reina's, yet his conditional loyalty seems to be excused, by both the fans and the club.
Ultimately, it's all ending on a bit of a sour note for Reina, but hopefully he will leave LFC with the best wishes of the fanbase. When considered in the context of his entire Reds career, this particular detour into selfishness is only a comparatively minor issue; and shouldn't detract from the many years of great service provided to the club.
Best of luck, Pepe!
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
In a recent open letter to fans, Reina expressed his 'regret' and surprise at being farmed out to Napoli, yet he seemed blissfully unaware of his grossly oversized sense of entitlement, a trait that is endemic amongst modern footballers. Without a hint of irony, Reina explained:
"If an offer came in from Barcelona I would have liked them [LFC] to consider it. But I had also spoken to the club about the possibility of extending my contract if the offer was not made.
"I told the manager that I wanted to play for Liverpool and that Barcelona would only become an option for me if the opportunity arrived, as it would be a chance for me to go back home.
"When it [the offer] didn’t come I was happy to fight for my place so I was surprised that Liverpool decided it was in the club’s interests to send me to Napoli instead".
Okay, so let's get this straight: Reina was committed to Liverpool and wanted to play for the Reds, but only until Barcelona showed an interest, at which point he'd drop LFC like a hot rock. Additionally, he'd happily extend his contract at Anfield but only if an offer from the Catalans didn't materialise.
Who says loyalty in football is dead? Perish the thought!
The fact that £15m-rated Reina is 'surprised' at LFC's decision to send him on loan tells us everything we need to know about the mentality of the modern footballer.
Why would the club want to keep paying someone who perpetually has one eye on greener pastures? After all, Reina basically told the club: "I'm willing to stay, but only until a better offer comes along". Pretty insulting if you ask me (and Suarez basically said the same thing).
Reina also claims that he 'deserved better' from LFC over the manner of his departure, but the truth is, LFC - and the club's fans - deserved better from him.
Conditional loyalty should never be tolerated at Anfield, and in my view, the club - in a rare show of strength - did absolutely the right thing in extricating Reina from the wage bill.
However, by the same token, Liverpool seemingly fail to take the same approach with Luis Suarez, where conditional loyalty seems to be acceptable, and even condoned by the club.
This seems slightly hypocritical to me.
What is the difference between Suarez touting himself out to Real Madrid, and Reina flirting with Barca? The Uruguayan is clearly not committed to LFC; his zeal to leave dwarf's Reina's, yet his conditional loyalty seems to be excused, by both the fans and the club.
Ultimately, it's all ending on a bit of a sour note for Reina, but hopefully he will leave LFC with the best wishes of the fanbase. When considered in the context of his entire Reds career, this particular detour into selfishness is only a comparatively minor issue; and shouldn't detract from the many years of great service provided to the club.
Best of luck, Pepe!
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
