Who should be sold:
Fabio Borini – A player Rodgers knew well from his time at both Chelsea and Swansea, the young Italian was signed for his positional ability in the opposition’s penalty area. Sadly, he’s seen his chances limited by injury but only two goals in 20 appearances this season suggest that perhaps he isn’t worth the £10.5 million they paid Roma for his services. It’s not that he’s a bad player, far from it, but it’s unlikely he’ll force his way into the side ahead of Suarez, Sturridge and Iago Aspas, so they should look to offload him now whilst his resale value is still relatively high.
Jordan Henderson – Hype surrounds certain players naturally, whether they’re worth it or not, but if a club spends £20 million on a player then they’d better be worth it. So far he hasn’t justified his price tag contributing just six goals in 44 appearances this season. Henderson seems to be the poster boy for over valued young British talent, which is a shame because he could have been (and still could be) the genuine article.
Jay Spearing – Another highly lauded academy graduate who has failed to make a meaningful impact. He spent the bulk of the season on loan at Championship side Bolton; and he’d made more league appearances for them last season (39 in total, scoring two goals) than he has in five years at Liverpool. Used mostly in cup competitions (and in fact, only cup competitions before his move in August,) he could still turn out to be a handy player for someone, but it won’t be Liverpool as rumours of a move to Blackburn Rovers are now doing the rounds, his tough tackling and neat passing will be better utilised in the second tier.
Stewart Downing – Aston Villa were laughing all the way to the bank after receiving £20 million for the England winger – £8 million more than they paid Middlesbrough for him. He was largely considered a laughing stock in his debut season as he failed to make a single goal or assist for his new club. Last season saw a slight improvement in his fortunes, as he ended chalking up four goals and five assists but he’s still a long way off justifying the price tag and earlier this season seemed to be so out of favour that he was told that he may have to play at left-back if he wanted to be a part of the squad. Some have accused him of collecting England caps by being connected to the club, and on they evidence available – they could be right. However, he still has something to offer somebody, but there’s a feeling that Liverpool may have been a step too high for him.