Will a potential ‘Rafa-raid’ prove effective?

WITH the news that Rafa Benitez has packed his bags and said adios to his Hoylake home to try his luck in Serie A at high flyers, Napoli, the media are on high alert as to whether or not he will raid his former Merseyside employers for trusted lieutenants with the lure of a new challenge and incentive of Champions League football being the main tools of the Spaniard’s proposed charm offensive.

According to Italian publication Il Mattino the players in question are Lucas Leiva, Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger. All three were Rafa buys and are experiencing varying stages of their Anfield careers.

As Rafa settles into his new journey in his highly successful career, coffers are expected to be full with the proposed departure of much coveted Uruguayan forward Edison Cavani and the windfall which comes with dining at Europe’s top table. As a fastidious planner, Benitez will relish having a much tighter grip on proceedings with the despised job title pre-curser “interim” dropped from his Linkedin page.

If a raid is attempted and both clubs and players agree to the terms it will be the first time since his exit from the club in 2009 that he has successfully plundered Liverpool’s assets. All his successful sides had someone pulling the strings in the middle, whether it was Pablo Aimar, Xabi Alonso or Juan Mata. Marek Hamsik fits the bill there so that may not be the path in which the Napoli supremo will go. Our Brazilian prompter may be what he sees as the answer, tucked in behind Hamsik, keeping it tidy and enforcing influence on the play.

The midfielder’s old boss may feel like testing the water by seeing if Leiva reciprocates his old loyalty to him after he kept him in the team during a sustained period of teething problems in the early years of his time here. The respect is clearly mutual:

“He brought me to Liverpool and helped me develop as a player. When I first came to the club the expectation was really high. That’s why Rafa is one of the most important people for me. He gave me games and that’s the only way you improve.”

As our middle man has since won over the critics and has now become a firm fans favourite and one of the first names on the team sheet for a series of managers, it is highly unlikely that Rodgers will be willing to sell, especially as (at the time of writing) Luis Suarez is still pining for a move and if his wishes are realised, we should have £30 million-plus to spend on re-building – not to mention others who will be sold if the offers are there.
[ad_pod id=”unruly-video” align=”center”]
Leiva has never been less than glowing in his remarks about his relationship with the club and the levels of serotonin produced in him by being here so smart money would be on this not happening.

Don’t overestimate Benitez’s relationship with his former charges. By all accounts it has been a case of respect rather than affection. It would have been perplexing to such an analytical mind witnessing reactions such as Marco Matarazzi’s when Jose Mourinho left Inter.

Agger and Skrtel were brought to the club by the Spaniard and saw the highs and lows of his reign and influence so it is debatable as to whether he would be the top reason to move to the Neapolitan’s. A chance to line up hearing the Champions League theme and a solid offer on the table would certainly be enough to get their agents on the phone, particularly the Slovakian who went from club Player of the Year to defensive odd man out under Rodgers.

He admits that it’s his most disappointing season in his time here. His agent Karol Csonto is to have showdown talks with the club next week:

“There has been no contact between the two clubs. Martin has a contract with Liverpool and it is important to honour that,” he told Italian station Radio Crc.

“Obviously Napoli know Martin well, but there cannot be any contact between us and then if they do not first reach an agreement with Liverpool, his friendship with compatriot Marek Hamsik may also influence his decision.”

Dan Agger has always been vocal about his love for the club and willingness to stay, even getting an LFC tattoo to prove his loyalty. The 28 year old has considered early retirement due to a catalogue of injuries which have marred his career:

“I do not have a long time left,” Agger told Danish newspaper Aftonbladet.

“I have considered ending my career sometimes. Right now it is fine, But I have had some serious injuries and at times I have considered retirement.”

39 appearances last season and an integral part of the Liverpool back line last year makes this revelation sound surprising and if he feels that he has not got much time, he is bound to have mixed feelings about where he will spend them. With Rafa making his overtures known with the Dane’s name on his list of targets for the directors to chase, Rodgers may have some fires to put out.

Whatever happens to the trio a major reshuffling in the defensive positions is essential with Schalke’s surly young talent centre-back Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Ajax’s Toby Alderweireld is also believed to be on Rodgers’ watch list, leaving us with a new look defence and expensive trips to the club shop as fans flock to support their new heroes.
[ad_pod id=’pubsquared’ align=’right’]
Live4Liverpool is recruiting columnists. For further info contact the site editor at live4liverpool@snack-media.com

Follow us on Twitter here: @live4Liverpool and ‘Like’ us on Facebook