It came from out of the blue; or, should I say, from the red? I have massive doubts that anyone had predicted that Southampton target man Rickie Lambert — who spent his formative years at the Liverpool academy — would be the first player Reds boss Brendan Rodgers signed this summer, but it appears we’re all about to be left a bit dumbfounded.
Let’s be clear right from the get-go and say that’s in no way a critique of either the Northern Irishman’s choice in targets or the players ability. Although he scored a fair few from the spot last season, when you take into account that the late blooming Liverpool born and bred striker racked up 13-goals and 10-assists in a campaign that saw the Saints once again stake a major claim for Premier League respectability, a £4mil bid starts to look like a shrewd bit of business.
Video by the fantastically talented @MrBoywunder
As another attacking option at Rodgers’ disposal, the acquisition of Lambert doesn’t seem so far fetched. With Champions League football on the horizon, adding another striker to a squad that could or could not contain Fabio Borini come September 1st isn’t the worst idea. Adding a more physical striker for European matches, and for those where a team is hard to break down (read: the 2-0 loss to Chelsea at Anfield) is an even better idea. Accomplishing all of that in a player that will be cheap in terms of both transfer fee and wages is borderline genius, but the real magic is finding this complete package in a player that’s ready to die for the shirt.
“I never hold any grudges. These things either make or break you,” said Lambert reflecting on being released from the Liverpool academy by club legend Steve Heighway. “At the time he was quite right to let me go. I wasn’t good enough. I thought it was the end of the world.” Thankfully, for all of us, the clock kept on ticking as the world spun on it’s axis. Time, inevitably goes on.
Stints at Bristol Rovers, Stockport County and Rochdale followed before finding his way to the Premier League with the rising star of Southampton where he fulfilled a boyhood dream of playing for the England national team. With a summer in Brazil playing on the world’s biggest stage ahead of him, it very much looks like the 32-year old striker is going to end up exactly where he started; in the same place he thought it ended all those years ago.
–Steven
