This is the sort of moronic comment I keep seeing posted on facebook and various internet forums. I won’t get into yet another defence of Lucas whom I felt was the club’s outfield player of the season. Instead I will point out that these idiots had better start cherishing Lucas given that the Brazilian is one of few midfielders you can virtually guarantee will be at the club next season.
It’s actually frightening when you look at just how many midfielders we have with question marks hanging over their futures this summer. Had Rafa not been martyred, it is certain that Riera and Babel would have been offloaded this summer. Now one or both might just be given a reprieve by the new manager but equally one or both could be sold to generate transfer funds. Benayoun has been busy engineering himself a move away from the club and his departure looks certain. Mascherano is widely expected to depart. Gerrard is rated as 50/50 to be plying his trade at Real Madrid next season. Youngsters like Plessis and El Zhar have added little or nothing to the first team in the past two seasons and could be sold for a pittance or kept with minimal impact on next season.
Then there is Alberto Aquilani... Will the new man give him a chance in the first XI next season? Is he truly a mid-fielder anyway or is he, as I suspect, a player who performs best in "the hole" behind the striker? If the club has a chance to recoup most of its significant outlay on him, wouldn't they be more likely to take the money than gamble on a player who has yet to convince in terms of his ability to adapt to the Premiership and crucially to stay fit.
That leaves Lucas plus Maxi Rodriguez, who only recently signed for us, Dirk Kuyt and youngsters Dani Pacheco and Jay Spearing. Who knows if the new boss with use Kuyt in midfield or even if he would consider cashing in on a player who has turned 30 and visibly ran out of steam at times last season.
Suddenly, Lucas looks like an invaluably member of the squad and arguably our best midfield player. Certainly with Mascherano going, Lucas will be the preferred defensive midfield player in the new-look Reds midfield.
“Thanks for everything Rafa but can you take these dickhead so-called fans with you? Not laughing.”
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