JAY Spearing has completed a season-long loan move to Championship side Bolton Wanderers and has subsequently ended, albeit temporarily, a 16 year association with Liverpool Football Club; having joined at the age of seven.
Spearing has been in and around the first-team since 2008 and has gone on to make 55 appearances for the Reds. The tenacious central midfielder believes he still has a future at Anfield and believes his loan move to Bolton is a platform for him to show what he can do on a more regular basis.
Although criticised on several occasions last season, most notably in the FA Cup final, should Liverpool have let Spearing go on a loan deal? There are two potential reasons why a loan deal seems like a questionable decision. Firstly, with Lucas out for three months, do we have enough cover in the role that both Lucas and Spearing play? Although there are a number of centre midfielders ahead of Spearing in the Liverpool pecking order, not many of them will be happy to go out onto the field of play against the likes of Stoke and do the dirty work. I am not sure the likes of Sahin, Shelvey and Henderson would agree to the demands of a ‘pitbull’ role as they all like to include flair to their style of play.
Secondly, with Liverpool desperate for funds to sign potential targets, was a loan deal with no fee involved a wise decision? There was talk that up to five clubs were interested in Spearing and I am unsure that at least one of them wouldn’t have bid for a permanent transfer for the Wallasey-born midfielder. At one point, a value of £3million was being bandied about and all Liverpool fans would be in agreement that £3million would be a shrewd bit of business for Spearing.
Despite Spearing’s comments that he wants to establish himself as a Liverpool regular in the future, it is safe to say the 23-year old will struggle to ever demand a first team place. Nobody will ever question his attitude and commitment to Liverpool Football club but his career has been blighted with inconsistency.
Did Liverpool have no other bids for Spearing? Or do you think Rodgers agrees with Spearing and believes he has a future at the club? Give us your thoughts.
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I wasn’t his biggest fan and to be honest he won’t be missed, he just didn’t cut the mustard.
But I would say every time he played for us on the pitch he gave 110%, good luck to him.
P.S. we should have tried to sign Parker on loan for the season before the deadline after Lucas injury. AVB doesn’t see him in his plans.
A mstake not to fail to replace him
WHAT!!! Sahin and Allen!!??
One could argue that he and Adam were replaced by Allen and Sahin, with Henderson and Shelvey as cover. The giant mistake of the transfer window for Liverpool was letting Carroll, Kyut, Bellamy and Maxi go, while only replacing them with untested youngsters and Fabio Borini (hardly a household name himself). The departure of Carroll is especially galling, with the blame falling squarely on Rodgers’ shoulders after his very public declarations on the need for Carroll to accept a move out of Liverpool. While FSG must share the blame for failing to bring in a high-quality striker in his stead, one can’t help but feel that Rodgers pushed Carroll out of the door before lining up an acceptable replacement.
This is one deal LFC did not get wrong…had the heart but looked like a deer stuck watching headlights every time he recived the ball. Atleast Bolton will improve him technically.