SADLY, Pepe Reina will not be playing no further part in the future of Liverpool FC as he is no longer considered to be in Brendan Rodgers long term plans since Simon Mignolet’s arrival.
He is being shipped out on loan to Rafa Benítez’s Napoli to save on his £110,000 salary.
If it is for financial reasons how can the club justify Downing’s £80k week wages? Never mind the fact that Jamie Carragher sat on the bench while earning his bumper weekly wage until he played the latter part of the season. Discussions for another day
Of course Reina may have left the club to join Barcelona but could you have blamed him wanting him to go back to his hometown club only for the move not to materialize due to Victor Valdes staying for one more year?
Neil Harris of the Liverpool Echo summed it up it up perfectly; Why, for example, is Reina now considered inferior to a player with little more than two seasons of top-level experience under his belt?
For me why did Brendan say when he signed the Belgian international he would be healthy competition for Reina, then say days later Mignolet is my number one keeper. Just be honest for once please, Brendan.
Did Brendan forget that during Pepe’s time with the club he won the Golden Glove award in three consecutive seasons? Then in the nine remaining league fixtures of last season Reina kept 6 clean sheets? The 4-0 win at Wigan could have been a different story if Pepe had not made the three world class saves during the course of the game.
I know for a fact that Pepe would not have given up the fight to keep his number 1 status had he been allowed to add to his 395 appearances.
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One thing is certain: ‘Jose Manuel Reina is one of the best goalkeepers on the planet’. (The quote is taken from his profile on the Official Liverpool Football Club website) and a winner not only with LFC but also with Spain – two European Championships and a World Cup.
Pepe was the ultimate professional. He wore the Liverpool shirt with passion and pride and him and his family where proud to be in Liverpool and now have many friends in the city – me included.
How can we forget his magnificent penalty saves against West Ham which won the FA Cup in 2006 and against Chelsea in 2007 which helped the Reds reach the Champions League final in Athens. Even when he ran down to the Kop to celebrate when we beat Manchester United.
There have been many more that will live long in the memory in the history of this Football Club and also the fans that chanted his name and waved his flag aloft on the Kop.
Loaning Reina could end up being a big mistake and could define Brendan Rodgers’ own career with the club. It will be interesting to see if Mignolet can live up to the pressure to being LFC’s number one keeper as the expectations are higher than in the North East with Sunderland. Definitely Reina moving to pastures new leaves big gloves to fill and will be greatly missed by the fans.
Thanks Pepe for the memories it has been a pleasure Anfield will not be the same again. I know you will be a hit being reunited with former boss Rafa and show us fans what we will be missing. YNWA!
Adios Amigo!
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Some years back you guys were crying for him to be shiped out, now it has happened why the u-turn. Just support the team….YNWA!!
Liverpool signings. Aspas, mignolet , Alberto, toure…
Napoli, Reina, higuain , Albiol and now interested in skertel.
I’m I missing something here? Compaire the signings made by the opposite managers. Which ones would you chose?
Rogers can not attract top players. No top players respect a loud bullsh!tter who has never won anything
They’ve lost their best player though.. These signings are off the back of that! If you want us to buy players in the same way they have, we’d have to sell Suarez..
Good point….and I reckon we will be selling Suarez, he’s pretty much made sure of that.
I commented 3 months ago. Brendan needed to bring another striker and replace the Suarez contribution. I also said , if he tries to change, defence midfield and strike force, we are stuffed. All the Rogers appologists , how do u justify Borrini’s wages , Allen, and add to that mr downing? Mignolet must have a good deal also. We needed to strengthen gradually , not change everything and hope the team will gel. At this rate, with Suarez unhappy/suspended/ sold with no replacement , we should be lucky to finish above the bottom 3. Spot the difference beetwin a professional manager and an amateur in my above comment!
Ridiculous comment re. being lucky to finish above the bottom three….our record without Suarez and with Cout’ and DS was better…plus we have Aspas now and if LS goes we will buy again. Get a grip. Also how can people complain we need to strengthen gradually…and also complain that we are not getting top four quickly enough? This will be BR’s second season…. it will take at least another season I reckon, not this, to get top four…though I’d be delighted to be wrong and we hit top four early.
Our record without Suarez? Isolated segment of the PL season. Doesn’t merit too much analyses. Years ago people pulled up isolated results without Gerrard an so on…. Too much change too quickly will backfire . We start the season with a new defensive line up an a new keeper . Ask yourself, chow quickly are they going to gel?
Suarez, was the top priority to replace. I mentioned Napoli as an example. They sold Cavani early on and now replaced him…can focus on other matters.
You say we need to get back to the top 4. Good point, why are we selling players with experience of playing at the highest level and replacing them with grade 2 players?
Anyway, no point arguing , you are already admitting to giving BR another 2 seasons with no justification.
Erin you talk sense . This ‘greg’ fool has not got a clue
I can see lfc qualifyng 4 cl next season…as u can see we hv played three matches without conceding goals unlike last two season pre..season dt we lose almost d matches…lfc fans pls suport d effort of our great manager, hopefuly he ll turn fins around…liver mi religion
You can’t base anything off Pre-Season.. We’ve played incredibly weak sides.. It’s about fitness and shirt selling.
hay pipo live it all to him(BR) after all he is the manager . If his system works out for him, well and good but if it fails, I mean the club deteriorates further, he will be fired and we shall remain as fans.YNWA.
Reina, to be honest, wanted out as well, but he was just trying to use clubs like Barcelona as an excuse to leave and he was also being careful not to offend the fans by doing the Torres Judas thingy. So i guess you’re just writing out of frustration and anger and yes, we were all surprised too about his loan move to Napoli, but its stupid to now put all the blame on the manager.
We’ll see what happens this coming season and hopefully, you can eat your words 🙂
We can qualify for CL only if Suarez stays and we get either Christian Atsu or Erikssen or GBR buy both players, then we are sure that we will be in the TOP 4. We also need The Belgian defender as back up of Toure.
Hi Kate, enjoyed reading that. I do think though that the Pepe Reina that won the Golden Glove and was rightfully called one of the top GK in the world was unfortunately not seen at Anfield for the last 18-24 months. In that time Mignolet has performed very will.
Once Mignolet was signed there was no way Pepe was staying, whether it be finances forcing his move or his desire to move to Barca, we’ll never know the full truth.
I for one thank Pepe for all the good memories he has provided me with as a fan but accept that the team needed refreshing and we do not pay Champions League wages for players anymore.
i back BR for some reasons..and i believe that even suares leave, we still a better team this coming season.., up to bottom 3 as a luck result is not that something happen..unleast someone like u become a manager..
pepe has not been a great keeper for the last two seasons it was time for a change if you look at the two keepers last season mignolet was a far better keeper look at the facts not feelings pepe has been a great player for Liverpool and I will be sad to see him go but I feel we have at the minute a better player than the one leaving sad but true
Get excited the only way is UP ! No more wasted millions in average players . In two years liverpool will compete for league title . Good young players will mature into great ones and we can add one or two great players like Sturridge and coutinho.
Dream on you fool .
Hopefully a new manager will be in place by then to achieve those aims!
Reina is error bound mignolet will leave up to expectation!:-)
It’s game over for BR. Just one more irreversible step, that is selling Suarez will CONFIRM the sacking of his job before new year.
FSG won’t sack Rodgers this season.
Big mistake again from BR . He is not the guy to convince our top class players to stay. Mignolet is good but not near Pepes level. Another backward step im afraid
We’re not comparing Mignolet to the player Pepe was 4 years ago… He’s not been near his best for a long time. Live in denial if u like but that’s the reality.
Pepe of 4 years ago had different gk coaches!! The last 3 years 3 poor coaches turned up!
fact is that reina nolonger the reina we all new. look at the mistake he been making in the past two seasons.mignolet is but and he will prove u wrong
Mignolet is still untested in Liverpool FC . He has got big gloves to fill . No matter what BR said about the situation , Reina you are still my Liverpool hero. All the best to your new life at Napoli.
Reina will be missed. Sure, he put in some average-below average performances last year, but as noted, he showed GREAT form at the end of the season.
I believe Mignolet is the real deal, however. He is an excellent keeper in his own right, and has the chance to perform on the big stage, now, being in the spotlight.
One thing people NEED to understand, is that Brendan Rogers isn’t on the short leash many want him to be on. Ownership is following a different model, a very North American model of rebuilding, and growth, than is usually the case in football.
Much like in NA sports, when there is new ownership, they tend to put “their guy” in place when they take charge. Kenny was doomed from the start. Henry and Co. Installed their guy, in Brendan Rogers, and are forging ahead, rebuilding the entire club from the ground up. They had the excellent head start, provided by Rafa, when he brought in solid youth. The model is much in the same image as the Chicago Blackhawks, of the NHL, without actually bottoming out, as unlike the NHL, you can simply buy good young talent, and not solely acquire through the draft.
We see, using this comparison, that yes, it does take some time, but the rewards are priceless, when done properly. The Blackhawks just won their second league title in 4 years under this model.
I am waiting anxiously for the start of the season. I’m behind Rogers, and I do hope to see the club build positively on last year. I’d like top 4, but realistically, i look for us to challenge for the Europa spot this coming season, and go on deep domestic cup runs, with a challeng for top 4 coming in 2014/15 league season.
We have a few stellar young players in Sterling and Ibe growing into important roles, and after a year in La Liga for Suso, he should be ready to make a push for a full-time spot after this year.
I have hope, but i’m also cautious in my optomism. Let’s all get behind our boys, whether we’re fans of Rogers or not, and if he flops this season, many may get their wish to see him sacked.
YNWA.
BR is the right man period.his the man to drive us top the to.reina had aready lost it long ago so i dont blame BR.YNWA