Pepe Reina Aggrieved to Leave on Loan
In the early days of the transfer window it looked like Reina, who joined Liverpool in the summer of 2005 as part of Rafa Benitez’s “Spanish Armada”, would be Barcelona bound after rumors linking the shot stopper to a return to club where he began his career started to pop up. When the transfer failed to materialize and he stopped angling for a move in the press, it looked like Reina would be staying on Merseyside with Reds boss Brendan Rodgers heralding the arrival of former Sunderland ‘keeper Simon Mignolet as “competition” for the starting spot between the sticks. Obviously, this wasn’t the case.
In an open letter to Liverpool fans, the Spaniard revealed that he asked the club for a contract extension if his rumored return to the Nou Camp failed to bear fruit and that he was not informed of the loan move until after it was agreed. “I thought I deserved better than that, even though I understand that difficult decisions have to be taken in football” said Reina as his eight year spell in the Anfield net closed out amid speculation that the club forced him out. It wasn’t all hand grenades and veiled swipes though as Pepe, who made 394 appearances for the club, reflected on playing for “the most wonderful English club” ahead of linking up with former manager Rafa Benitez in Napoli for the season.
Everyone here at Paisley Gates wishes Pepe Reina and his family all the best in the future.
I will try to decrypt the messages that are
coming out from Pepe Reina’s emotional letter to the LFC fans and what those
messages are actually saying about LFC’s manager Brendan Rodgers. “But if I have one regret, it is the way
that I am leaving. It is only natural that I would be disappointed that the
Liverpool management agreed to loan me to Napoli without telling me first, I
thought that I deserved better than that even though I understand that
difficult decisions have to be taken in football. A lot has been made about me
informing the club that if an offer came in from Barcelona that I would have
liked them to consider it. But I had also spoken to the club about the
possibility of extending my contract if the offer was not made. I told the
manager that I wanted to play for Liverpool and that Barcelona would only
become an option for me if the opportunity arrived, like the rumours said it
would, as it would be a chance for me to go back home. When it didn’t come I
was happy to fight for my place so I was surprised that Liverpool decided it
was in the club´s interests to send me to Napoli instead.” When Brendan Rodgers signed Simon Mignolet he
declared, “I always felt
it was important for us to have competition right the way through the squad,
and that includes the goalkeepers,” said the Liverpool manager. “I
spoke to Pepe about this a few months back and told him we wanted to bring in
another goalkeeper as real competition. I was very open with my goalkeepers and
they know the situation. Pepe has been terrific here. Simon comes in and we’ve
got great competition and when you’ve got competition it pushes everyone to
perform.” It is obvious that with
the way Brendan Rodgers handled Pepe Reina’s situation outraged over the most
important slogal of LFC’s fans: YNWA!
Since he was named an LFC manager by the usage of communication tricks
he tried to disorient the LFC’s fans as to be accepted. But with the way he handled Pepe Reina’s
situation he uncovered his real self by proving that he is a man who can easily
let down and sacrifice his players, the fans, and this club at the altar to
remain an LFC manager. It shows that he
has no real honesty, integrity, dignity.
Deeply inside him he knows he is not a manager for a team of this level
and status, so, he enlists all the means as to remain an LFC manager. With this behaviour he doesn’t actually
serves the club but he damages it. For
those who don’t know it Luis Suarez wants to leave LFC because he doesn’t
believe that under Brendan Rodgers the team will get back where it deserves to
be. When Luis Suarez will leave the club
and the team will start struggling under Brendan Rodgers then those LFC fans
who supports him will realize who in the reality he is; a manager who just
wanted to become an LFC manager as to satisfy his personal ambition but not a
manager who has the knowledge and ambition to make this unique club a global
football force again!
I have just read 4 different posts on Newsnow/Liverpool and every one of them has used Reinas letter to have a go at Liverpool, with the Headline: Reina slams Liverpool management. These headlines are word for word the same, as is the body of text, some lazy journalists have had a nice easy day cut and pasting.
I am sick and tired and tired of so called journalists, They have been calling for Luis head season after season but now that the Gunners want him he’s suddenly flavour of the month, and the Arsenal supporters are no better BLOODY HYPOCRITES the lot of them.
Pepe isn’t happy about the events surrounding his move to Napoli on loan; since that’s the truth, i’m not sure how else that could have been written…
Pepe would have left in a second to play for Barcelona — loyalty works both ways, doesn’t it? the reasons are there and plain as day for replacing Reina and having him sit on the bench making the wages he earns doesn’t make sense at all. white lies in the press are one thing, it comes part and parcel with the job, but there was no real down and dirty dishonesty going on here.
in regards to Luis, getting back into the Champions League and back where the club “belongs” isn’t an overnight process. remember when he wanted to leave because he couldn’t stand life in England and the press any more? now he wants to play for Arsenal?
we dropped out of the Champions League in 2009 which by my estimation was long before Rodgers had anything to do with this club. blaming him for our current predicament is short sighted and if Luis or Pepe are using him as a scapegoat it’s only to further their own ends.