The most important decision that Kenny Dalglish has to make this summer

Written by David Tyrer for Live4Liverpool.com: So Kenny signed a new contract on Thursday and I’m sure I speak for all Reds when I say I’m elated.  I will admit, I was dubious at first; I’ve said that before.  I also feared that, if he was successful and kept us up (let’s be honest, relegation was a very real possibility when he took over) he’d want the job full time and that wasn’t the right direction for the club.  However, he’s even won me over in the past 4 months and now I’m as happy as anybody.  I will always hold a candle for Rafa Benitez and I do genuinely hope he’s back some day but for the next 3 years I’ll be hoping we have a great deal of success to look forward to.

Moving into the summer though, I believe there may be one very big decision for Kenny to make.  It may never make the headlines or even the rumour columns; we may possibly never know about it but it could be the case that Steven Gerrard ’s future is a topic for discussion, behind closed doors.  Now, let me make this very clear from the start: I’m not suggesting I want him to go or that I want him to stay, I’m just saying what a number of people have already aired opinions on over the past few weeks and I am not asking the question: what do you think we should do with Steven Gerrard; should he stay, or should we give him the opportunity to move on and, thus, strengthen our coffers for the summer?

There are two sides to every story, and this is no different.  On the one hand, you have to look at Gerrard’s ability and standing at the club: he is a legend, that is not in doubt.  He has been at the club since he was a lad and came through at a young age and broke straight into the first team.  His record for the club is astounding (particularly, given his injuries) with 140 goals in 556 games, he has been an absolute asset to the club for the past decade and for most, he would be the man to build a successful team around.  Much like Drogba, Messi, Ronaldo and only a small number of other world class players, Gerrard incites the kind of fear into players, even before a ball is kicked, that is near enough mythical.  In short, he is a talisman. On the other hand, Gerrard has had two big injuries this season that have kept him out for the huge chunks and he’s become as injury-prone as he was as a young man in his early 20’s.  If you were going to be harsh, you’d have to say that he’s not getting any younger; turning 31 at the end of this month as well.  Looking around, there may not be as many takers as there were in the past, he’s lost a bit of pace, his goal tally hasn’t been as spectacular this season and he just hasn’t looked the same player for the last 12 months but there would be one or two that’d jump feet first in for Gerrard: Chelsea and City both immediately spring to mind.  And for such a marquee signing as Gerrard, City would be likely to pay big bucks.  In the past, he’s been worth 40-50 million.  Now, we’d be looking at more like 20-25 and given the way the side has played in his absences, it’s clear that we can manage without him, for the most part.  With that money, we could look at getting in an Ashley Young or a top-class import.  In short, it’d bloat our coffers to the point where we’d be able to bring in one or two more players than perhaps we could already. Either way, it’s a dilemma that may or may not face Dalglish in the summer.  If he does, it’s going to be an incredibly tough call to be left to make.  I’ve never been completely on Gerrard’s side but even I would fine it hard to choose.  What would you do? ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more. To have a peak at the top SEVEN available FREE TRANSFERS this summer, click here.