Last month, Agent Mithat Halis claimed that Besiktas are desperate to sign 'outstanding' Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, and new reports today suggest that the Turkish giants have now made their interest official.
According to the Daily Mail:
"Besiktas have tabled a £7m offer for Martin Skrtel [who] is expected to depart Anfield this summer as Jurgen Klopp overhauls his squad".
I remain a big fan of Skrtel^, but Liverpool's failure to qualify for European competition has arguably) sealed his fate.
Next season, the Reds face a reduced fixture schedule, and with only 40-45 games across the whole season (including domestic cups) the team simply cannot support four senior international centre-backs.
Stability is one of the keys to defensive solidity, and constantly rotating defenders is not conducive to achieving this. As such, Jurgen Klopp will need to determine his best defensive partnership and stick with it, especially in the league, and that means ongoing frustration for those not in the team.
Injuries will inevitably need to be covered, but I doubt Skrtel is interested in being a permanent back-up behind Sakho, Matip, and Lovren.
That said, the Euros can change everything. Sakho and Lovren will not feature at Euro 2016, which means Skrtel has the opportunity to show Klopp that he still has the ability to compete at the highest level.
If Skrtel plays well at the Euros, it may increase his chances of staying at the club...unless, of course, a transfer to Besiktas (or elsewhere) is sealed before the tournament begins.
^ Reportedly on £75k-a-week
Author: Jaimie K
According to the Daily Mail:
"Besiktas have tabled a £7m offer for Martin Skrtel [who] is expected to depart Anfield this summer as Jurgen Klopp overhauls his squad".
I remain a big fan of Skrtel^, but Liverpool's failure to qualify for European competition has arguably) sealed his fate.
Next season, the Reds face a reduced fixture schedule, and with only 40-45 games across the whole season (including domestic cups) the team simply cannot support four senior international centre-backs.
Stability is one of the keys to defensive solidity, and constantly rotating defenders is not conducive to achieving this. As such, Jurgen Klopp will need to determine his best defensive partnership and stick with it, especially in the league, and that means ongoing frustration for those not in the team.
Injuries will inevitably need to be covered, but I doubt Skrtel is interested in being a permanent back-up behind Sakho, Matip, and Lovren.
That said, the Euros can change everything. Sakho and Lovren will not feature at Euro 2016, which means Skrtel has the opportunity to show Klopp that he still has the ability to compete at the highest level.
If Skrtel plays well at the Euros, it may increase his chances of staying at the club...unless, of course, a transfer to Besiktas (or elsewhere) is sealed before the tournament begins.
^ Reportedly on £75k-a-week
Author: Jaimie K
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