After a four year spell at the Santiago Bernabeu, Xabi Alonso is all set to return to his former club Liverpool, if sources are to be believed. According to the Daily Mail , Brendan Rodgers is on a consultation with the club owners to bid for the 31 year old Spaniard.
Considering the fact that Alonso served so well in the past for the Reds, will his return mark any significance for the team?
No doubt Alonso is an accomplished passer, a set piece threat for any team and takes the burden of controlling a huge part of mid-field. He was also an essential part of the dominating Spain team in recent years.
But no matter who you are; you can’t ignore the fact of getting old. As a 31-year old, it is quite bizarre for him to gel into a team of fresh, young and energetic legs. Liverpool is slowly re-building their team with a host of young talent and with Brendan Rodgers having certain aims for the future, it is a bit awkward for the team to create a space for him, as he won’t be able to serve longer.
The Merseyside club is not so financially potent like the other biggie counterparts of the league. While they are getting young and talented players in a lesser bid, spending £10 million for Alonso is not comprehensible keeping the fact that he will hardly get any resale value after 3-4 years as he will be in his mid-30 then. So, it’ll be intelligent if the club spends that much amount for a young lad.
Brendan Rodgers, who arrived at Anfield last year has the potential and ability to serve for a long time with the Merseyside club here, and to keep coherence with that, he choose to re-build the team with young and promising players. He already started the process last year, and probably it will get pace this year too. So, with such a vision in mind, it is quite unjustified to bid for a player who once served passionately, but is now an old card to gamble with. Alonso may trigger the process fast, but his decision to leave the field will be faster.
So, the Red’s manager should think twice, before he bids for the Real Madrid star, considering the pros and cons of the player.