Juventus Transfer Would Benefit Glen Johnson and Liverpool as Manquillo Develops

Liverpool and England defender Glen Johnson is linked with a move away from Anfield this January, with his contract expiring six months later.

The Mirror's John Cross links Italian side Juventus with a cut-price deal due to the 30-year-old's contract situation. Napoli are also interested, according to Anthony Chapman of The Express.

Johnson is reportedly on £110,000 per week, according to The Liverpool Echo—terms which won't be matched for him to extend his stay at the club beyond summer 2015.

The Mirror's David Anderson claims Johnson is actually on £139,000 per week. Either way, his wages do not represent his worth or status within the squad.

Last month Johnson explained (quotes via Sky Sports):

"

There are no talks going on with the club at the moment. There were minor talks towards the end of last season but nothing else.

I’ve loved playing my football here from day one. I’m more than happy here. But obviously I can only talk to the club about it when they want to speak to me.

"

The former West Ham and Chelsea defender is currently sidelined with a hip injury, meaning he missed Liverpool's win at Tottenham and England's two recent internationals. He may struggle to regain his place both with club and country, with youngsters Javier Manquillo and John Stones impressing in his absence.

Form

Johnson's form over the last two seasons has been well below par for a player of his perceived quality and wage.

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

A player who is famed for his supposed attacking play, Johnson's return of no goals and just two assists in the Premier League last season was the lowest of all the regular top four sides in the league, as per Mahesh M. of This Is Anfield.

Indeed, according to WhoScored, Johnson has nine assists and seven goals in all competitions for Liverpool in his five seasons at the club. For a player who arrived for £18 million and has been England's first-choice right-back during that time, that's not a great return.

Defensively, too, Johnson is lacking. Mahesh M. writes while comparing Johnson to new signings Alberto Moreno and Javier Manquillo: "Moreno has made 8 tackles in his 2 games, while Manquillo has already made 10 tackles this season. Johnson, comparatively, has yet to open his account after 170 odd minutes of football."

New Signings

It's the summer arrival of Spanish duo Moreno and Manquillo that has signalled the end for Johnson and a new impetus for Liverpool's full-backs.

Daniel Tejedor/Associated Press

Those two, plus the return of Jose Enrique from injury to cover Moreno on the left of defence and Jon Flanagan's form last season, means Rodgers has his two full-backs for each side; Moreno and Enrique; Manquillo and Flanagan.

Johnson, provided the youngsters continue to perform as they have begun, will find himself a peripheral figure.

Of course, Moreno and Manquillo are both young—22 and 20 years old respectively—but in Brendan Rodgers, they have a manager who will aid their development and give them the patience to improve. Johnson, on the other hand, is now 30 and past his best form.

Business

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Therefore, the departure of Johnson, even if for a very cut-price figure in January, makes business sense. He doesn't represent the financial outlay within the squad and doesn't merit a place in the first team on form.

There's even an argument that allowing him to leave for free in January would be wise, given his exorbitant wages which would be saved in the final six months of the season.

On the other hand, keeping Johnson around, even just for his experience and ability to play left or right-back in the latter stages of the season, could also make sense. This will depend largely upon how Moreno, Manquillo and indeed Flanagan perform over the first half of the season.