Of Liverpool’s summer signings, the transfer which excited me the most was the acquisition of Stewart Downing. The former Aston Villa man has been a breath of fresh air down the left side for Liverpool so far and I actually expect him to play even more of a vital role for the Reds in future as he begins to gel with his new teammates. It has been well documented that Liverpool have been crying out for a top class winger to provide width for years, and when it was confirmed that we were going after Downing, I was over the moon.
Downing himself admitted that he regretted not being able to sign for Liverpool a couple of seasons ago when Rafa Benitez held an interest in him but I don’t see it that way. At the time, Liverpool were going for glory in both the Premier League and the Champions League and ended up signing Albert Riera instead. Say what you want about the Spaniard but during his first season for us he played a huge role as part of arguably the strongest Liverpool squad I have seen in the last decade. Riera has now moved on of course, and Downing has been signed at a time when Liverpool fans will appreciate him more.
I don’t believe Downing was quite ready for a transfer to Liverpool back in 2008 as he still had a lot to improve on, but the timing of his capture this summer couldn’t have been better. Back a couple of seasons ago, Downing wasn’t the player Liverpool needed to challenge for the title, but fast forward to this season and he is exactly what the reds need to meet the minimum requirement of getting back into the top four.
