Liverpool Transfers: The Arguments for and Against the Sale of Stewart Downing

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers wants to bring in more quality players over the summer transfer window to improve the Reds' league prospects next season. But to spend significant amounts of money, he might well have to offload a few first-team players as well.

One of the players who has come under speculation regarding their future is winger Stewart Downing. He has now been at Anfield for two years and has made 90 appearances in total for the Reds.

Downing was part of the team which won the 2012 League Cup final, winning the Man of the Match award for his display in the game. However, he has also been a big part of the side which has finished eighth and seventh in the Premier League over the last two years respectively.

Downing has divided opinions amongst fans, coaches and pundits during his time at the club, so what are the arguments for and against selling him?

Keep: Vast Improvement Under Brendan Rodgers

Downing's performances were uneven at best under Kenny Dalglish during the 2011-12 season. But he has improved immeasurably since December under the guidance and tutelage of Rodgers.

One of Rodgers' biggest attributes while at Liverpool has been his ability to get the best out of some players, and Downing certainly falls under that heading.

He is performing more consistently and has been bringing an important tactical dimension to the Reds' team. Downing keeps width on the right side of attack and helps out defensively.

Under fire last year for his lack of assists and goals in league play, Downing has also improved markedly in this respect during 2012-13.

"

7 - Stewart Downing has been involved in 7 PL goals (3 goals, 4 assists) in 26 apps this season, compared to zero in 36 in 2011-12. Settled.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 27, 2013"

He has now managed five goals and eight assists in all competitions this term, including the first goal scored of the Rodgers regime against Gomel in the Europa League.

Sell: Is That Improvement Enough?

Downing's improvement is obvious then. The key question remains though: Is it enough of an improvement to warrant being a regular first-team player for Liverpool as they aspire to return to the top four of the Premier League?

Within the context of the entire squad, there must be some who can still improve, since the Reds will only end this season in seventh.

Downing has certainly offered an important tactical balance in the side, but he is still not a player Liverpool particularly looks to to win games. There is, at times, still the feeling that he takes the easy option, rather than looking to commit his full-back opponent.

Many supporters will feel that Liverpool can still find better for the right side of attack than Downing. This is especially true if one of the preferred front two, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, start from that side on a regular basis next season.

Keep: Experienced Head in a Young Liverpool Attack

Liverpool are growing a young squad under Rodgers, and the attack contains plenty of that youthful energy and exuberance.

What that also translates to, as well as quality and pace from the youngsters in the final third, is an amount of inexperience in dealing with different in-game situations.

Raheem Sterling (age 18), Suso (19), Philippe Coutinho (20), Fabio Borini (22) and Sturridge (23) are all relatively-to-extremely inexperienced in the number of senior games they have played. Only Sturridge has managed to accumulate more than 150 senior games out of that crew.

Suarez (26) and Downing (28) are, therefore, the only ones who really add that level of experience to the front line of Liverpool's team. While the pace and skill of the younger players is important, they can also be more prone to impatience and rushing plays as time ticks down—more so than senior players should be.

Sell: Unhappy Not Playing Games, but Starting Him Hinders That Young Talent

On the one hand, then, Downing's experience is a good point. On the other, is it also a hindrance?

Downing was rarely in the league starting 11 for the Reds in the first half of the season, and was close to having to leave the club in the January transfer window. He eventually won back his place in the team and managed to secure his (short-term, at least) future.

Like most senior players, he was unhappy at not being involved in matches regularly. So would he be likely to change that attitude next season if he was not first choice?

Probably not.

On the other hand, if Downing starts on a regular basis, it inevitably means that one of the younger attackers will be left on the sidelines.

Suso and Sterling were two forwards who featured far more regularly up to January than thereafter. While Rodgers would prefer to use them more sparingly rather than relying on them for a dozen or more games in a row, it would certainly be the best option to see them get regular game time domestically next season.

That would mean Downing is, at best, in and out of the starting 11, which he might not be happy with.

Keep: Versatility on the Pitch and a Good Work Ethic in Training

It is on the right side of a three-man attack that Downing has been used most often this season. However, he has also shown great versatility in providing Rodgers with cover in other areas of the pitch.

Of course, he is most naturally a left winger, so he can certainly perform on that flank. But he has also seen irregular game time on the left side of a back four.

The Reds' most recent match, the 3-1 win at Fulham, saw Downing start the match at left wingback as Rodgers started with a back three. He then moved to his usual right-sided role for the second half after a tactical switch.

This versatility is important in all players, but particularly for the attacking players as they are frequently the ones substituted or rotated most often.

Off the pitch, Downing has won praise from his manager and teammates for his exemplary approach in training, as he knuckled down earlier in the season when he wasn't on the team. This work-rate and attitude should be important for all players, but in the young squad the Reds have, it is also an impressionable stance for the younger players to take on board.

They will have moments, at Liverpool or elsewhere, where they are out of the team having started playing at just 17 or 18 years of age. It is good to see the example being set of a senior international player that they should not simply complain and ask for a transfer.

Young players should, instead, work even harder to improve the management.

Sell: Resale Value, Wages and Contract Length

Questions of quality, attitude and versatility are all well and good. However, the cold reality of the situation this summer is that Liverpool will need to invest in new squad members.

Some seniors will also have to leave, an inevitable sequence of events at any Premier League club.

Liverpool have a list of players on the fringes of the squad and on loan—Andy Carroll, Jay Spearing, Dani Pacheco, Sebastian Coates and Oussama Assaidi perhaps amongst them. But two or three senior regulars may also have to make way.

Downing could be looked upon, therefore, as one of the seniors who are potentially expendable, improvable upon and will offer a reasonable return in the transfer market.

The Reds certainly won't get anything approaching the £20 million they paid for him two years ago. But an estimated market value of £7.5 million could give Rodgers more spending power, and the Reds will hope to get offers of a little higher than that.

Reported wages of around £70,000 a week could also be allocated elsewhere, and Downing's resale value will start dropping considerably after this summer with only two more years left on his contract.

Keep: Squad Depth

Buying and selling has to come in balance; Liverpool have handed plenty of debuts and experience to their younger players this season, but part of that has been because the squad simply lacks the necessary depth of established senior players.

Brendan Rodgers needs to ensure he keeps a good balance and depth in his squad this summer, adding quality to the team in the necessary areas and selling where players aren't offering a good quality:cost ratio.

Even so, he needs to make sure the Reds have enough players to keep competition for places strong in all areas, and for cover for injuries and suspensions without noticing a drop in quality when first team regulars are absent.

Sell: Tactical Plan and Lack of European Matches

Depth for Liverpool this season is not the same as depth next season.

The Reds will have no Europa League next term, meaning they will play around only 42-44 matches, compared to 54 matches this season.

What that translates to is less game time for most players if the squad has a lot of rotational players in it. It is likely that Rodgers will next term try to establish a core of 12 or 14 first-choice members, and supplement them with a few youngsters and some "cup team" players. Getting regular minutes for the young lads in cup games, and perhaps from the bench in league play, will remain important to the future of the youngsters at the club, so some seniors who do not play week in, week out will have to make way.

Rodgers' preferred tactical formation and game-plan will also determine what role Downing could take on a regular basis; if they opt for the 3-5-2 of Sunday's match more often then it would seem there is less opportunity for the No. 19 to feature regularly in attack.

There are certainly arguments for and against keeping Downing at the club; he'll have one more match to stake his claim this season but in truth it is likely that the decision by the boss has already been made, and his future at Liverpool may hinge on if the club receives an acceptable transfer bid.

Follow @karlmatchett

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