With three goals and three assists in his first six games, Former Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani has made a great start to his Fiorentina career. The much-maligned Italian finally left Anfield in the summer after a largely unsuccessful spell at Anfield, and it's great to see him doing well, but Reds legend Steve Nicol is not convinced that Aquilani's fine start for the Viola proves anything.
Discussing Aquilani on ESPN last night, Nicol conceded that it was 'unfortunate' that Aquilani had a huge transfer fee hanging over his head at Liverpool, and admitted that arriving at the club with an injury probably 'knocked him back' a bit, but he also basically argued that the Italian can only thrive in an average team. He explained:
"He [Aquilani] the type of player who will do well for an average team.
"He’ll stick out, look silky, and score some goals, but when it comes to playing with the top teams, I just don’t think he has the physical or mental strength to produce week-in, week-out".
Aquilani may be gone, but the Reds are still paying for him. The terms of his Fiorentina deal are as follows:
* Three year contract.
* €4m transfer fee.
* LFC pay half his salary (€1.7 million per year) for two years.
Taking into account the €3.4m in wages Liverpool will have to pay over the next two years, the club will end up making a €16m loss on Aquilani, who was signed by Rafa Benitez in 2009 for €18m. Initially, Aquilani's fee was to be paid in installments, but according to LFC's 2010 accounts, the entire amount has already been paid.
To be fair, Aquilani was never really given a consistent chance at Liverpool, and prior to leaving the club, the midfielder complained that he was 'pushed out on loan against his will' by both Roy Hodgson and Kenny Daglish.
Aquilani is undoubtedly a good player with great vision and technique, and it seems wrong that comparatively limited players like Downing, Adam and Spearing were preferred to him during his time at Anfield
However, having said that, in purely financial terms, Aquilani's signing will surely have to go down as one of Rafa Benitez's biggest transfer mistakes.
As for Nicol's comments: there may be some truth to what he says. The expectation at Fiorentina is not as intense as it is at AC Milan and Liverpool, and this possibly helps Aquilani to relax and just get on with enjoying his football.
Jaimie Kanwar
Discussing Aquilani on ESPN last night, Nicol conceded that it was 'unfortunate' that Aquilani had a huge transfer fee hanging over his head at Liverpool, and admitted that arriving at the club with an injury probably 'knocked him back' a bit, but he also basically argued that the Italian can only thrive in an average team. He explained:
"He [Aquilani] the type of player who will do well for an average team.
"He’ll stick out, look silky, and score some goals, but when it comes to playing with the top teams, I just don’t think he has the physical or mental strength to produce week-in, week-out".
Aquilani may be gone, but the Reds are still paying for him. The terms of his Fiorentina deal are as follows:
* Three year contract.
* €4m transfer fee.
* LFC pay half his salary (€1.7 million per year) for two years.
Taking into account the €3.4m in wages Liverpool will have to pay over the next two years, the club will end up making a €16m loss on Aquilani, who was signed by Rafa Benitez in 2009 for €18m. Initially, Aquilani's fee was to be paid in installments, but according to LFC's 2010 accounts, the entire amount has already been paid.
To be fair, Aquilani was never really given a consistent chance at Liverpool, and prior to leaving the club, the midfielder complained that he was 'pushed out on loan against his will' by both Roy Hodgson and Kenny Daglish.
Aquilani is undoubtedly a good player with great vision and technique, and it seems wrong that comparatively limited players like Downing, Adam and Spearing were preferred to him during his time at Anfield
However, having said that, in purely financial terms, Aquilani's signing will surely have to go down as one of Rafa Benitez's biggest transfer mistakes.
As for Nicol's comments: there may be some truth to what he says. The expectation at Fiorentina is not as intense as it is at AC Milan and Liverpool, and this possibly helps Aquilani to relax and just get on with enjoying his football.
Jaimie Kanwar
