Rumours have emerged this week that Bundesliga side Wolfsburg will table a £5m bid for Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel in the summer. Despite the emergence of these reports, the Slovakian centre-back has refuted suggestions that he is seeking an Anfield exit:
“I have learned about the interest of Wolfsburg only from the internet and don’t even know how true this news is. One thing is for sure, though – I have a valid contract with Liverpool, I am happy there and if they are happy with me, too, I am not going anywhere.”
Whilst Skrtel’s commitment to the Liverpool cause is commendable, question marks have undoubtedly arisen over his form and ability over the last two seasons. The Slovakian international appeared in half of Liverpool’s Premier League outings during 2009/10, and he has appeared in every single Premier League game for the Reds this term. The side’s performances over this period have been inconsistent, sometimes downright appalling, and a backline once renowned for its organisation and rigidity has markedly deteriorated.
A recent resurgence under the stewardship of Kenny Dalglish, which has included four clean sheets in five league games, has seen Skrtel demonstrate glimpses of his early Anfield form. However, with Liverpool’s new owners Fenway Sports Group notorious for their ruthlessness in the pursuit of success, doubts persist over Skrtel’s long-term Anfield future. Should Liverpool look to cash in on Martin Skrtel this summer?
After arriving from Zenit St. Petersburg in January 2008, Martin Skrtel quickly settled at the club, and established himself as a vital component of Rafa Benitez’s starting line-up. The tall centre-back played a key part in the side’s title challenge of 2008/09, and impressed with his strength, determination and no-nonsense approach. However, a head injury sustained against Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day of 2009/10 seemed to act as a catalyst for a decline in the Slovak’s performances.
The defender, who is 6ft 4, is often unusually timid in the air for a man of his size. Despite a fearsome physical appearance, Skrtel is frequently bullied by opposition forwards. His inability to successfully cope with new team-mate Andy Carroll during Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United earlier this season highlighted the defender’s physical inadequacies and decline. His positional sense has been questionable, and his hesitancy and unimaginative distribution have been evident on several occasions this season.
Although Skrtel is not the only Reds defender to have performed poorly during the last two seasons, it is his mistakes and performances which appear to have attracted the most attention and criticism from the club’s fans. Injuries to Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger facilitated Skrtel’s regular inclusion in Liverpool’s starting line-up, but it remains to be seen whether Kenny Dalglish will pick the player when everyone is fit.
Club stalwart Carragher still commands a starting berth in Liverpool’s defence, and Danish international Agger has continually been picked by Kenny when fit. Whilst Dalglish has deployed a three centre-back system in two of Liverpool’s last three games, it is unlikely that he will continue to use this formation in the long run. Carragher’s leadership qualities and Agger’s composure and ball-playing abilities almost certainly guarantee them a starting berth if and when Dalglish reverts to a two centre-back set-up.
In addition to this, Liverpool have a fine crop of young defenders ready to make the step up to first-team football over the next few years. The first-team emergence of 20-year-old Martin Kelly this season has threatened Glen Johnson’s hold over the right-back berth, but the England under-21 international is expected to switch to his preferred position of centre-back at some point over the next few seasons.
Summer recruit Danny Wilson, who has been used frequently in Liverpool’s Europa League campaign this season, will almost certainly be afforded more first-team opportunities in the Premier League next season. Spanish centre-back Daniel Ayala, who is currently on loan at Derby County, has been praised by Jamie Carragher, and England’s under-17 European Championship-winning captain Conor Coady has been tipped to make his first-team breakthrough soon.
27 later this year, Skrtel will soon be approaching his prime. Unfortunately it appears as though he hasn’t progressed and developed as well as anticipated at Anfield. Parting ways may prove to be the best move for Martin Skrtel and Liverpool this summer.
The article was written by Zarif Rasul for FootballFancast.com. Make sure to check out the latest news, blogs and podcasts at FFC – ed.
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INTRODUCING THE WINDOWS PHONE 7! . . .
He’s alright as a sub. But we need a first choice centre back alongside Agger because Carra won’t last much longer.
if skrtel is worse than agger you dont understand football
sorry gabriel “FROM SLOVAKIA” but if you think (seriously) that skrtel is a better player than agger…you have to know that probably you’re the only one to think that in all world, even martin himself knows that agger is better than him…
Seriously? Skrtel better than Agger? Next you’ll be telling me Kuyt is better than Gerrard.
cool down guys….Gabriel is joking!
surprisingly his critics are mainly centered on skirtel wen thee whole team played badly. he shud hv written such wn Torres was playing badly
I think Skrtel has a future at Liverpool, he has different qualities to a cultured defender like Agger but we need both kind of players to have the possibility of defensive combinations against all comers.
Skrtel has admittedly gone through a bad patch since Rafa left but I am confident he can regain his composure and return to being the feared, indomitable defender Benitez signed in January 2008. The fact that Skrtel has played in most of Liverpool’s competitive fixtures since coming back from injury and that he has clocked 81 appearances during his time with Liverpool says it all – he is a valuable member of the first team and with some improvement can be as effective as he has been in his first couple of seasons at the EPL.
Skrtel is supposed to be a ball winning centre half. His shooting is abismal and his ball distribution is not much better. Winning tackles, headers and organizing the back line is all he has left. None of which he has done very well this season as the article pointed out.
absolute rubbish.
The only time he has looked poor is when he has had the Greek alongside him, and that is because the two of them together have now pace.
Skrtel has a good few years left in him, Krygiakos has maybe 2. Get rid of Big Greek first.
Which is not to say we don’t need one more mature centre back to cope with the ravages of the season. Agger, Carragher, Skrtel, Wilson and Soto are a good bunch of defenders as we have seen again since Dalglish and Clarke took the reins at the club, however with Soto and Carragher over 30 and Agger injury-prone, we simply do not have sufficient strength in depth at the back. Kelly is a great player, but he has performed to such a high level as full-back that it would be a waste to have to use him at the centre other than under exceptional circumstances.
I think he’s being touted for £10m not £5m….he will not be leaving!!!!!
Not good enough for the first team. I’d like to see Ayala or Kjaer (if we buy him) take his place. Though Kelly is a natural CB, he has been imperious at RB this season. A bit more work on his offensive game and he’ll be the most balanced RB in the Premier League.
He is not a dominant cenreback in the air like Hyppia was. He should be sold but not for less than he was bought for.
If a deal could be struk with mertesacker heading our way, I would sell him straight away.
If one of the center back has to go, I would choose Skrtel..
LFC need new face at the back.Skrtel may be do a good job at LFC when we finish 2nd place last 2 season.
But now he seems not capable anymore..
We need new face and I prefer a young and tall one..Like Shawcross, Mamadou Sakho..
if skrtel is to be sold,we have 10 players who are worse than skrtel to be sold first like Ngog,Maxi,Jovanovic,Poulsen,Konchesky,Kyrgiakos,El Zhar,Degen,Insua,Aquilani..also if we sell Skrtel then we gotta need a new center back.i also rate Skrtel as inconsistent and he’s had an average season till now but if we sell him,we gotta buy a new one.
Hey Steve
You called those to be sold exactly right.Skirtel has improved and signed a new contract and he and Agger are the first choice pairing.
We need Skrtel…of course. The only reason somebody wrote this article is because other club wants him…it shows how good he is
We do need new and more constructive defence blood if we are to improve. He is not really the article for moving us forward in the EPL. He used to be a rock a couple of years back and a darling of the crowd but he does seem to have lost his bottle somewhat.
“Parting ways may prove to be the best move for Martin Skrtel and Liverpool this summer.” The writer of this article clearly has something against Martin Skrtel. He has not played to standards this season but so has everyone. The whole team has been poor for the first half of the season but you seem to be blaming Skrtel specifically for our disastrous start to the season. Skrtel is one of the strongest and most aggressive centre backs in the League right now. He’s definitely not as good as Agger in distributing the ball from the back but he’s physically stronger and more aggressive than Agger. His no-nonsense approach is exactly what is required for a defender and I believe with Kenny now in charge he will be much better. Carra won’t last much longer and Soto’s already past 30 and ideally for the next few seasons, Skrtel-Agger will form a new partnership at the back. When the time is up for Carra and Soto, one new defender must be brought in but we currently have some promising centre backs like Ayala and Wilson who I think should be given more chances in the first team next season.
Sorry but Skrtel is quality, as is Agger. At times he is troubled with pace but it only becomes a serious problem when the Greek plays next to him which is why it is so important to have Carragher back in the line up. Sorry but I think Kenny and Rafa knew what they were doing by starting Skrtel almost all league games over the last 2-3 years.
You are obviously crazy to think that Skrtel isn’t good enough ! He is the one that stopped Drogba (in his good times , when I thought he was unstoppable) . Agger is maybe one of my favourite guys ,but for our bad he suffers a lot from injuries ,so selling Skrtel will be suicide . I think the link between Agger and Skrtel will be the dreamy perspective for Liverpool and us (the fans) 🙂
pls SKRTEL is not going no way we have other players who have not been doing well since they arrived -ANFIELD-under ROY till now under MR,KENNY so tip SKRTEL as one of the best defenders we have now in the team,and pls inform WOLFSBOURG that they should go to -MAN CITY-and buy any defender there because they sold DZEDKO to man city and not -LFC-.
Funny how we want to get rid of our defenders after ONE GOAL conceded in SEVEN GAMES and except for the early part of this season our defence has been pretty solid over the last 4 years Reina the quickest to a HUNDRED CLEAN SHEETS!
Get rid?! Some people need to get real! Skrtel is quality & under the right coach & tactics he has proved it for the past 4 years. The Hodgson era was a blip & hardly anyone wearing a red shirt could hold there hand up & say they performed well so lets get behind each & every player wearing the shirt, the future is looking promising, 1 goal conceded in 7 … Skrtel deserves some credit too for that stat.
Oh & £5 Million is an absolute joke, hes worth £10 Million +