Dirk Kuyt has made a staggering 279 appearances for Liverpool since joining back in 2006 and he has played his heart out in each and every one of them. Though he was never the most technically gifted player, he’s always managed to make up for it by working hard, covering lots of ground and showing plenty of competitive edge. This in combination with his versatility (he’s been used on the right side of the midfield, as a wide forward and as a striker throughout his career) has seen him thrive at Liverpool.
Whilst he’s not a regular goal-scorer (just 71 goals in 279 appearances – many of them playing as a striker) he has chipped in with a good number of important goals and has thus established himself as something of an Anfield hero. How about the seven goals he scored during Liverpool’s 07-08 Champions League campaign? Or his hat-trick against Manchester United back in March 2011. Then there’s his recent effort: the extra-time goal against Cardiff City in the 2012 League Cup Final.
With all these memories in mind it’s sad to see the Daily Mail run a story about how Kuyt has been told that he’s welcome to leave in the summer and that he only has a £1m price-tag. Whilst many thought his time at Anfield was up (Hamburg, Feyenoord and Roma are believed to be interested) surely he’s worth more than that?
When he signed back in 2006 he was considered to be worth £9m and since then he’s more than proved his work. Whilst statistically speaking he’s relatively ineffective, stats rarely ever tell the full story and the passion, energy and drive that he’s delivered throughout his years at Liverpool are highly commendable.
He’s 31-years-old now and has never exactly been renowned for his pace. The time is probably right for him to make a move to a League with a slightly lower pace (Serie A) where he’d be able to use his high work-rate to even better effect.
As Liverpool seek to rebuild a competitive team through new transfers, Kenny will want to make certain that the money spent on new signings is offset by player sales. Selling Kuyt for £1m (when they could surely make more) just doesn’t make business sense. If that’s all the Red’s can pick up then it’s probably worth keeping Kuyt as a squad player.
What’s your take? Is Kuyt only worth £1m?
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Do your homework, don’t just read the latest headlines!!!
One of the reasons Comolli got canned was the $1mil. out written into Kuyt’s contract?
Kuyts contract is worth around £3m a year, money that could easily be split between 2-3 hungry and eager to prove 22-24 yr olds. Another reason we’d be looking to seek such luminaries as Joe Cole. Be that as it may, Kuyt is still a quality player and will play forever – I can’t remember the last time he had an injury through playing.