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Why It Would Be A Huge Mistake To Cash In On Pepe

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SINCE his signing by Rafael Benitez in July 2005, you would be hard pushed to find a better no.1 in Europe, let alone the Premier League. Sure, during this time we’ve seen great ‘keepers come and go, from Van der Sar and Given, through to Cech and Krul but Reina can comfortably lay claim to being one of the best around, even after having probably his least good (because to call it his worst would be an insult) season with the Reds up to yet.

Which is why reports of his ‘imminent’ departure, are all the more disturbing.

Like many great players over the years, his reliability, solidity and just general consistency of top-drawer performances have become something we’ve taken for granted. What we used to take as great saves are now expected, which is why when he doesn’t pull of a breath-taking save fans have started to question him. It’s quite embarrassing really.

There were similar instances of this when Sami Hyypia scored a couple of OG’s in quick succession during his final years and fans wanted him dropped and sold, such was the high level of his performances prior to this, his drop in form can only have meant he was past it. There were similar theories thrown around about Pepe last season when, after having the odd stinker, he was believed to have become stale and reached a plateau. The majority of fans are prepared to allow the odd mistake from such a loyal and consistent player but, as always, there was a minority who believed it was time to replace him.

Sadly, if reports are true, that is something the new manager is looking into this summer, as he looks to rejuvenate his side with transfer funds. A player of Reina’s quality (not to mention age) would likely be worth upwards of 15 million and, to be honest, anything less would be a total insult. And while the man touted as his most probable replacement – Hugo Lloris – is a top ‘keeper himself, it is unlikely that he will bring all of the things Reina himself brought to the club: his leadership, shot-stopping, command of his area, distribution and, not least of all, his superb personality.

That’s not to say that Lloris wouldn’t bring anything new to the table himself, I mean for a start he’s only 25, so we would be investing in possibly the next 10 years of his career. But he is already a veteran ‘keeper, with almost 40 caps for France, and over 200 clubs games under his belt he wouldn’t exactly come cheap himself. And, as we discovered with Jerzy Dudek and Chris Kirkland, large outlays on goalkeepers do not always pay off. We got lucky with Reina in that we signed him for a relatively small fee and at that time, he was hardly a ‘name’.
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Good goalies are like gold-dust in the footballing world and when you find one like Reina you cling to them for all you’re worth. Just ask Alex Ferguson how hard he found it to replace Peter Schmeichel and how many £10’s of millions were totally squandered in that search. I mean sure, we might get lucky and Lloris may turn out to be even better but is it really worth taking that chance? Is it really worth letting one of our few main-stays leave, just to boost the transfer kitty?

At the age of 29, Jose Manual Reina is Spain’s third choice GK. He has at least 5 good years left in him at the top level and, if the likes of Van der Sar are anything to go by he could have another 5 or 6 on top of that. He’s been utterly loyal and consistent, when his team-mates have pouted and floundered, and has given way more back to the club that he’s taken, unlike some of Liverpool’s current and former ‘stars’.

A veteran of over 350 games for Liverpool, he has kept 1 short of 160 clean sheets and has saved us on many more occasions than any of us could even hope to remember. If he chooses to leave, then we shouldn’t stand in his way and should get every penny he’s worth if that day does come, but if he is happy then these rumours should be put to bed very quickly because players like Reina should be the foundations upon which we build for the next 5 or more years and we should do everything we can to make sure he remains at the club.
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I'm a 32 year old Liverpool fan, living in the heart of the City Centre. I've supported the club since the day I was born and have been writing articles for L4L for over 3 years, writing close over 350 articles in that time. My favorite player of the past generation is Sami Hyypia.

I am the current editor for L4L, with my day job being in R&D for the NHS.

7 comments

  • zahid says:

    Reina aint going anywhere, well heares hoping.

    He’s perfect for Brendan Rodgers style playing from the back, hes comfortable with the ball at his feet which the gaffer likes. Ok hes had 2 poor seasons to his normal standards but so has the whole team it’s not totally down to him. The GK is only as good as his defence in our case they havn’t been good enough. Many keepers in the PL have started to copy Pepe the way he starts counter attacks, the likes of Robinson, Cech, Hart ,szeny (however you spell his name lol Arsenal keeper) to name a few. Opposition players are ebing told to stand in Pepes way soon as he gets the ball to stop him from setting up these quick counters. Pepe’s an asset to our squad and would be to any team. He’s stuck with us when he could have gone like many others, Arsenal were one team to place a bid of £20 mill over a year ago but he remained.

    Hugo Lloris the keeper linked won’t suite BR style, he isn’t very comfortable on the ball, he’s more of an old fashioned keeper, don’t get me wrong he’s a good keeper but wouldn’t fit in our system, besides he’ll be goin to Milan, Spurs or PSG.

  • zahid says:

    By the way Pepe is Spains 2nd choice keeper not 3rd choice. Valdes is not better then Reina even tho he plays i a better side it doesn’t make him better. Valdes knows this that’s why he has been outspoken about it in the past saying he should be ahead of Pepe.

  • Deaththekid says:

    Reina is past his best. He does not have the heart to play for us anymore and his half-assed attempt to save opponents shots cost us many times last season. We need players fully committed and reina is not. He should be sold and replaced.

  • Red or Dead says:

    Rumour is he is moving to Florence. Guess we ll just have to see. I have personally hope he stays.

  • Matty says:

    I beleive he should stay until next season. If his form does not improve significantly………He should be moved on & we should pay ‘SIGNIFICANT’ funds to acquire Michel Vorm or another top class keeper. I’m a bit worried though that FSG are playing moneyball with Brendan Rogers & that could backfire………bigtime!!

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