With an influx of new central defenders this year and as we approach the final weeks of the summer transfer window, Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool must decide what to do with central defender and long-time Red, Daniel Agger. Should they keep him on the squad, or sell him outright to make room in the squad?
5 Reasons why Daniel Agger can leave
Injury Prone
Daniel Agger’s career has been marred by injuries. The 11-12 and 12-13 season saw Agger leave behind the injury worries and regain his place as a Anfield regular. Good consistent performance combined with his love and loyalty towards the football club were rewarded when Aggerwas made the vice captain following the retirement of club legend Jamie Carragher.
However a combination of injury and arrival of Mamadou Sakho meant the Dane was reduced to a mere 20 Premier League appearances compared to 35 in the season before.
Aerial Weakness
Despite being 6ft 3in, a quality physique for a central defender, Daniel Agger has often been criticized for for his weak aerial ability. The said weakness often exposed against set pieces and powerful center forwards thereby marking a vulnerability in the highly attacking Liverpool team.
Rodgers might be looking to try and form a consistent central defensive partnership and between Agger, Skrtel and Sakho the later two are expected to have more preference especially being very muscular and possessing powerful heading ability.
Lack of pace/strength
One of the major criticisms for Daniel Agger in the past season was his inability to deal with powerful center forwards, a weakness blatantly exposed against Swansea and in particular their strong forward Wilfred Bony. Also a credible claim against Agger;s abilities has been his lack of pace.Also something to consider is being 29 years of age Agger is not expected to grow on either of these two attributes.
Age
Being 29 years of age, the current transfer window might just be the last chance for Liverpool F.C. to cash in on Daniel Agger. Barcelona and Napoli are said to be front runners for the Danish Captain’s signature.
Refusal to be back-up
With Rodgers looking to favor the strength of Sakho to the finesse of Agger, and the Dane reportedly refusing to accept a bench role, Liverpool just might have to part services with the Dane for the good of all parties concerned.
5 reasons why Daniel Agger can stay
Partnership with Martin Skrtel
The past 5 years have seen Liverpool deploy numerous different central defensive partnerships but on a consistent basis none have proved more effective than that of Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel.
And Liverpool fans would be hoping they retain the Danish captain and allow him to rediscover his form and regain a consistent defensive partnership with Skrtel.
Loyal/Vice Captain
The modern football has seen some extravagant transfer moves with players preferring high salary demands to other factors. It is a rarity when a professional footballer dedicates his career to a club and their fans and this rarity is observed in Daniel Agger,with the Liverpool F.C. vice captain stating he wont leave unless the club transpires to let him go. A fan favorite and long serving servant to the club Agger is an ideal professional footballer on and off the field.
Concentration/Distribution
Daniel Agger is known to keep a calm head irrespective of the skill of the opposition or the magnitude of the occasion. Distribution and charging forward with the ball from his own half paired with a very strong left foot also give the Dane a very dynamic and rare attribute for a central defender.
Positional Awareness
Always known for possessing a certain finesse in his game Daniel Agger is very talented on the ball and has a calm and composed reading of the game.
These qualities often differentiate him from the majority of the classical powerful central defenders and make him a big asset to any team he’s a part of.
Experience
With the Liverpool team featuring a host of youngsters, Danile Agger forms the minority of LFC regulars possessing the vital Premier League as well as Champions League experience. The Dane has been a loyal servant throughout the 9 seasons he’s been a part of the LFC team and is one of the few players remaining from Liverpool’s last UCL campaign five seasons ago.
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