Liverpool fullback Glen Johnson may have bagged the winner as the Reds put an end to their domestic losing streak by edging out Stoke City at the weekend, but the experienced defender has resigned himself to the fact that his time on Merseyside is numbered.
With contract talks between the 30-year old and the club at a standstill, the former Portsmouth man is nothing but realistic when it comes to his future. “I have enjoyed the majority of the six years; I’ve had some good times and some bad times, but if I haven’t got a contract then I can’t stay,” he said following Saturday’s win. “Of course it plays on your mind but that is when you have to be professional and try to do a job for your team, and I respect my team-mates and I want to put in a performance for them.”
Liverpool have reportedly put a new two year contract on the table, but the deal is rumoured to slash his £120,000 per-week wages in half. Though Johnson has rubbished this particular point, he still looks set to explore his options when the transfer window re-opens in January.
“I want to play for a club that wants me – I am not going to go crawling to anybody. The club know where I am and they know the situation. There were minor talks at the end of last season but nothing I could accept or reject” continued the 30-year old defender. “At the moment, I have seen some stuff that I have been offered half the money I am on. That’s not true. I haven’t been offered anything” he said, before finishing with, “I want to play my football, keep winning for Liverpool and I want to respect my contract, and that is what I am willing to do.”
