Anfield Red

Liverpool have been linked with Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey over the last few days; isn’t this a sign of how bad things are getting at Anfield? In pre-season, Rafa admitted David Silva was a target, yet now we are scraping the barrel going for a player who was not deemed good enough during his first spell with Liverpool.

Don’t get me wrong, I cheered Heskey’s goals for Liverpool just as much as the next person on the occasions he did score, but come on; Heskey?

He has a reputation for not scoring – maybe I am being unfair but at the same time we have lacked goals this season big time so why bring in another player who cannot hit the back of the net?

When Torres is absent, N’gog or Kuyt play upfront. N’gog has been decent in the games he has played, yet Kuyt doesn’t seem to look comfortable upfront anymore – when you see him in his Feyenoord days you think where has this striker gone?

Heskey’s club career record looks like this: 625 appearances (72 as sub), scoring 142 goals. For a striker; that is NOT a good return. Compare that to Gerrard, who doesn’t even play as a striker: 504 appearances (44 as sub), 124 goals. Even Dirk Kuyt has a better overall record: 452 appearances (49 as sub) 173 goals.

In 31 games for Villa, Heskey has 5 goals – which equates to just over one goal in every 6 games. Great. If Rafa is after someone up play alongside Torres and hold the ball up/bring others into play, then who goes from Midfield? Kuyt is hardly going to be dropped permanently (Rafa has recently said that he wants to give Dirk a rest), which leaves Gerrard, Mascherano, Aquilani, Benayoun, Riera, Babel, Lucas etc all fighting for a place in the side. Heskey is 32 in January, if we are after someone that old, why not go for Van Nistelrooy? We have been loosely linked with horseface; and although he made his name at the Mancs, I bet most Liverpool fans would have him here in an instant. Luca Toni is also available, yet even though he is also getting on a bit (32), he’d still be a better option than Heskey.

Goran Pandev is available on a free after Lazio were ordered to cancel his contract, at 26 he has plenty of years ahead of him to make a mark on the Premiership. What about calling Nemeth back off loan and giving him a chance to shine?

Heskey was part of our treble winning season; but that was in 2001. Let’s leave things in the past where they belong.