It was time for him to go, but will he be missed?

It has become apparent, after an ‘amicable’ meeting, that  Javier Mascherano has expressed his desire to Roy Hodgson to leave Anfield and move on to another club. The signs are all there to suggest that he will be re-united, once a deal can be agreed, with ex-manager Rafa Benitez at Inter Milan. To say this isn’t what the majority of Liverpool fans had expected would be far from the truth. Constant quotes and comments from Mascherano’s agent, Walter Tamer, have consistently suggested that it is Javier Mascherano’s ‘dream’ to play for Inter Milan and perform once again under the guidance of Mr Benitez. Now that Mascherano has informed Hodgson of his desire to leave, a deal should not take long to be concluded. However, the crucial question is, how much will Javier Mascherano be missed at Liverpool?

There is no doubting the ability of Mascherano; the job that he does, in a central holding midfield role, is one of the best in world football. The Argentine constantly and consistently breaks up opposition attacks and uses possession well to initiate a Liverpool advance up the top end of the field. Javier Mascherano has been vital to the success of Liverpool in the past few years. The new formation brought in by former boss Rafa Benitez, 4-2-3-1, was built around the two holding players in midfield and their ability to stop the opposition from playing and Mascherano was always the number one holding midfield player at the club since his arrival in February 2007. One can only assume that Roy Hodgson has set a price for Mascherano in which Inter Milan and Rafa Benitez will have to adhere to in order to secure the services of the Argentine captain. Liverpool fans can then only hope that this transfer fee will allow Hodgson a significant amount of money to re-invest in a replacement for the outgoing Mascherano.

There has been a few names mentioned as potential replacements for Mascherano. One of these names was Esteban Cambiasso, who was mooted as part of a possible swap-deal for Mascherano. However, that was quickly quashed as it became clear that Cambiasso was not for sale. Another name from the Inter Milan team that has been mentioned in terms of a swap-deal is ex-Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari, however that rumour never took much shape as Muntari was always seen as a step down from Mascherano. Nevertheless, one name that has recently joined the rumour mill, and a player that is my personal favourite to replace Javier Mascherano, is West Ham midfielder Scott Parker. For me, Parker is a brilliant footballer with the intelligence that is needed at Liverpool. He may not have the same tackling abilities as Mascherano but he more than makes up for that with his ability to pass a ball and his far superior goal record. These attributes, coupled with his vast experience in Premiership football, gives him the edge, for me, over any other potential candidates. Another positive aspect of any possible deal for Scott Parker would be that the England International would cost significantly less than Mascherano and would therefore free up further money for other much-needed additions to the Liverpool squad, most notably at left-back.

Liverpool fans have enjoyed watching Javier Mascherano strut his stuff on the Anfield turf over the past 3 and a half years and Mascherano himself would find it hard to deny that his time at Liverpool has been the best of his career so far. There is no doubting that whoever is to replace Javier has huge boots to fill in that department of the pitch; however, when the time is right for a player to leave there is no point standing in his way. There is huge faith in Roy Hodgson in the transfer market after what he has achieved so far and personally, I have confidence in Hodgson that he will be able to deliver an adequate replacement for Mascherano and enable the club to use the departure of the Argentine as a catapult to better things rather than a major setback to the rebuilding of Liverpool Football Club.

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