Grasping Borini's puzzling decision (ESPN article)

[tlw content]

by Dave Usher for ESPN

 

Fabio Borini must really enjoy weekend shopping with the wife, as chances are he is going to have a lot of spare time on his hands over the coming months after pricing himself out of moves to QPR and Sunderland.

 

Between now and the reopening of the transfer window in January, the Italian striker's chances of playing first-team football appear to be slim and none. Unlike other fringe players at Anfield such as Suso and Lucas Leiva, however, Borini's situation is one entirely of his own choosing.

 

His motives for staying put aren't exactly clear, and his somewhat cryptic Twitter outburst on Tuesday has done little to clarify the situation.

 

Maybe he just wasn't prepared to give up his Liverpool dream without a fight and hopes to force his way into the team. As a footballer, you have to back your own ability, and I would imagine he sees himself as being a better option than, for example, Rickie Lambert, who is currently third in the front-line picking order. Furthermore, Borini knows Daniel Sturridge has had various injury problems and, let's face it, no one knows what could happen with Mario Balotelli from one moment to the next.

 

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[Josef Svejk]

Turfed out for Aspas last year. Behind Lambert this year.

 

I think he's entitled to hang around and show what he's worth (if he ever gets the chance)...

[Trumo]

I've read some of the comments from his agent, which of course do nothing to clarify the player's position and only suggest that Borini has a rather inflated opinion of himself. I suspect the real reason behind his decision is much more mundane, so I've not joined the queue in being hasty in castigating him and wishing he would just leave.

 

Although we've had numerous loan-to-buy offers from Italy and understandably rejected those (not least because the 'buy' element never comes into effect when dealing with Italian clubs), the only clubs that offered to buy him outright for a fee acceptable to us were Sunderland and QPR. No disrespect to them, but they are stepping-stone clubs rather than clubs where you spend 4 or 5 of your prime years, and Borini probably felt that he'd need to move again within a year or two regardless of his own form and/or fitness. Those are clubs where if you do well, you'll be moving on soon enough.

 

And that is the crux. He has thus far led a nomadic existence as a footballer, signed by clubs only to be shipped out on loan frequently. Whether that is down to what he can actually offer is much debated on forums like these, but the constant moving around has really stifled his progress. He probably wants to settle somewhere for a good few years and show what he can do, and since such a move isn't forthcoming (I think the QPR wage demands were nothing more than a tactic to not have to agree to that deal rather than simply asking for too much money) he must feel he's better served staying put until another more suitable offer comes along.

 

Of course, if he's not involved in Liverpool's matchday squads then those offers are much less likely to materialise, but that is the chance I think he's taking. 

 

In a roundabout way, it works out well for us because he at least gives us a squad option up front even if he's well behind in the pecking order. With Rodgers often playing with 2 up front, having 4 strikers at least gives him options, and that is something he's not had until now. Rodgers can now make choices whereas before, it was a case of those choices being made for him because we lacked depth.

 

Then again, Borini may well have made his decision because he's just another greedy mercenary cunt, but there's never been any suggestion from him that this could be the case, and he doesn't seem the sort of character to do such a thing. Players are heavily influenced by their agents these days so you never know. Liverpool have been honest with him and told him he was lower down in the pecking order and will struggle for game time so he's not been fucked about either.

 

There's always January 2015.

[dave u]

Turfed out for Aspas last year. Behind Lambert this year.

 

I think he's entitled to hang around and show what he's worth (if he ever gets the chance)...

 

That's just it though, he's more or less been told he won't get the chance.

 

I'm glad he's still here, I don't care about the £12m as it's not going in my pocket, i'd rather have him as part of the squad in case a situation arises where we need him.

 

If I was Borini though I'd want to play football and I'd have gone to Sunderland.

[Mathewbet1]

Sunderland is a grim place to be fair.

[Josef Svejk]

That's just it though, he's more or less been told he won't get the chance.

 

I'm glad he's still here, I don't care about the £12m as it's not going in my pocket, i'd rather have him as part of the squad in case a situation arises where we need him.

 

If I was Borini though I'd want to play football and I'd have gone to Sunderland.

 

He may get a chance. Most likely in Europe. He's not a bad player and he works his arse off. Touch of the Dirks about him: big match player, perhaps...

[Strontium]

Nothing puzzling about it. Winston Bogarde spent three and a half years in Chelsea's reserves while his contract wound down, trousering 70 grand a week without troubling the first team. For every footballer who lives for the game, there's another guy for whom it's just a means to an end.

[Josef Svejk]

Nothing puzzling about it. Winston Bogarde spent three and a half years in Chelsea's reserves while his contract wound down, trousering 70 grand a week without troubling the first team. For every footballer who lives for the game, there's another guy for whom it's just a means to an end.

 

Borini was offered more money elsewhere. Unlike Humphrey...

[halewood pete]

Maybe He just loves the city And feels settled here.agree with dave that you never know if he will be needed somewhere down the line

[xerxes]

Borini was hawked from club to club in Italy in a shameless manner making money for everyone with an obvious talent that was rarely given a chance to shine.

 

Rumours persist that his move here was not a Rodgers buy, but part of a sweetheart deal with Dibenedetto in an FSG old boys arrangement.The numbers suggest that may be true.

 

I think that Borini still sees himself as an elite player and would rather run down his contract, and take his chances, here, and cash in on a Bosman back to Italy, than risk relegation, and another forced move at QPR or Sunderland. I can understand that.

 

His prospects here are not as bas as some suggest. Balotelli often gets banned, Sturridge can get injured, and Lambert is an unknown against European competition. His time may well come.

[Dr Nowt]

Like the potential double-meaning of the title, Dave.

[Joe Strummer]

According to Bascombe, "The Italian wanted a £95,000-a-week contract, a severance package from Liverpool and an exit clause from QPR allowing him to leave for less than the £10 million they would have paid.

 

QPR offered a significant pay rise to the Italian, but would not agree to the clause.

 

Liverpool were willing to offer Borini a pay-off but negotiations broke down between the player and QPR as the transfer deadline approached."

 

£95k a week! I know London is expensive like but jeez. I agree the only time I can see him playing for us is if Sturridge is injured and Balotelli suspended. He probably won't even get league cup games now.

[Frankenhooker]

His demands are so over the top its like he's deliberately pricing himself out of a move. He's never really struck me as being greedy, he comes across as quite a humble kid really.

 

All a bit odd.

[JustTosh]

It’s a weird decision, one that’s difficult to comprehend. If he really is staying to fight for a chance to prove himself, fair play. If so I think he’ll be given a couple of matches, probably in the cups. Maybe, just maybe the wheel might start rolling the right way for him.

 

If, on the other hand, his motives for staying are different, he’s doing neither our club nor himself any favours. I don’t buy the “I’m happy he’s staying as the 14M wouldn’t have gone into my pocket” argument. We’ll always have a restricted transfer budget. If we lose out on a 14M sale that will hurt our transfer kitty, so I do care about it.

 

If Borini is disappointed with the club and BR I can understand him. He’s had limited chances to settle. He left for Sunderland last year to get matches and prove himself. He did just that and returned as surplus to requirements. If so his decision to stay is even more baffling. I just don’t get it. 

[Trumo]

Rumours persist that his move here was not a Rodgers buy, but part of a sweetheart deal...

 

Been a while since I've heard that term from you, and when you say rumours persist, you are the only one on here that's even claimed it to be the case. So it's you persisting with a 'rumour' based on nothing but putting 2 and 2 together and making 5.

[Tony Moanero]

Why do people bother quoting Bascombe? I for one have no interest in what a former News of the World journalists has to say.

[aRdja]

There are some twats supporting us, especially on twitter, abusing Borini for wanting to stay, tagging him in the process. It's almost like YNWA means absolutely nothing.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

I tend to think his demands were deliberately excessive.

 

It seems like his first choice was staying to get the opportunity he left a promising career in Italy for. I can't blame him for that, with four competitions, a system that often requires two strikers, and Sturridge's injury record he clearly thinks he'll get a chance.

 

Second choice would've been a return to Italy, maybe to a Milan side. They've fallen somewhat, but the choice of playing at the San Siro or a lower half Prem ground isn't hard.

 

Unfortunately Italian sides are potless, so his only option is to sign for the likes of QPR or Sunderland. If that's the last thing he wants to do, why not ask for exorbitant wages that'll either nix the deal or make you insanely wealthy?

[DanDanShaw]

Liverpool fans don't really give a shit and he isn't going to play.  Sunderland fans love him, and he's start every single fixture. 

 

If he wants to "settle for a couple of years" then staying at Liverpool makes no sense, as we're only going to try and ofload him again in January or in the summer.  He should have gone to Sunderland and had a good few years there before one of the big Italian clubs come for him.

[Kevin D]

It seems reasonable enough to me. He'd rather play for Liverpool than he would QPR, or Sunderland, but he has a price and that price is 90k a week. If they're willing to give him that, he's prepared to let his ambitions slide, and if not, he'll play for Liverpool. I think that's roughly the position that the vast majority of our players would take in Borini's position, we just don't know what their price is.

[Major Tom]

I think the point is that his chances of actually playing for Liverpool are quite slim. And if he does happen to get chances, they will be rare.

[sh#t waffle]

I actually like him as a player; however he seems like the type of player that needs a run of games to show his worth to the team. The odd cup game isn't going to be enough for him to impress.

[DanDanShaw]

It seems reasonable enough to me. He'd rather play for Liverpool than he would QPR, or Sunderland, but he has a price and that price is 90k a week. If they're willing to give him that, he's prepared to let his ambitions slide, and if not, he'll play for Liverpool. I think that's roughly the position that the vast majority of our players would take in Borini's position, we just don't know what their price is.

 

Which is exactly my point, he won't play for Liverpool.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

If Borini doesn't get games then interest in him in this league will probably dry up, certainly at the prices quoted, and then he's back to seeing if the club will accept a loan move from an Italian side.

 

I wouldn't be shocked to see him loaned in January, much like Ilori was.

[The Guest]

I used to go to college with his bird.  She's 100% the type of girl who would say to him we aren't going to live in Sunderland permanently.  Obviously I have no idea whether he's the sort of pussy who would just fold to what his bird tells him but look at him he defo is.

 

What doesn't make sense is him turning down QPR though.