The fact that Clichy’s contract expires next summer means that Liverpool may be able to secure his services for as little as £5m.The athletic Frenchman, known for his stamina and willingness to drive forward, exemplifies the type of left-back Liverpool have lacked in recent times.
Despite his frequent forays into opposition territory, some have questioned his effectiveness in the final third. Clichy has managed just 10 assists over the course of the last five seasons. By comparison, his Arsenal predecessor Cole has racked up the same number of assists over the last two seasons, whilst Everton full-back Leighton Baines has amassed 22 assists over the last two seasons.
Question marks have also arisen over Clichy’s fitness. He missed sizeable chunks of 2006/07, 2008/09 and 2009/10 with various injuries.
Clichy, who was named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2008, has been accused of complacency and dipping standards over the last two seasons. A move to Anfield could solve a longstanding problem at Liverpool and revitalise the career of one of the Premier League’s finest full-backs.
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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A move would probably be best for him and for Arsenal, because he stagnated there a long time ago – he’s no better now than when he broke through to take over from Ashley Cole!
For a full back with pace who plays in a team that dominates possession so much and plays pretty narrow up top, he should be delivering a lot more quality from out wide, but rarely can get the ball past the first man. I’m not sure whether it’s just complacency, or an actual lack of quality with him…