Benitez has only himself to blame as Alonso is finally granted his wish
In a transfer saga which threatened to be as protracted as Gareth Barry’s proposed move to Liverpool last summer, Xabi Alonso finally appears to have got his move to Real Madrid after a £30 million fee was agreed between the clubs. A medical remains the final obstacle.
Rafael Benitez seemed reluctant to let Alonso leave, and clearly dug his heels in to get the right price. The Liverpool manager is hardly within his rights to express any dissatisfaction at Alonso’s desire to move on however, having tried to offload the Spaniard last summer in order to fund the Barry deal.
It’s difficult to blame Alonso for requesting a move, especially when Real Madrid are prepared to take their summer spending to around £220 million to seal his signature. They are signing a player who will bring some balance to the attacking ballast they have already bought, yet who is capable of the spectacular himself:
Alonso will be sorely missed by the Anfield faithful. The scorer of memorable goals such as the above against Newcastle, another effort from beyond the half way line against Luton and, most crucially, the goal that drew the scores level at 3-3 against Milan in the Champions League final, he was a player that the fans never wanted to see leave.
Rafael Benitez is now left with the difficult task of replacing him with the start of the Premier League season less than two weeks away. Roma’s Alberto Aquilani is thought to be the most likely target. Whether it is Aquilani or somebody else, Benitez can not afford any error of judgement in the transfer market. He has big boots to fill.
