Craig Bellamy: should Liverpool sell their Team GB star?
The Great British public may be sceptical about the appeal of men's football at the Olympic Games, but London 2012 has served to prove that, at 33 years old, Craig Bellamy still has the capability to have a major impact at a high level. With Liverpool considering selling the Welshman and his old club Cardiff and QPR both keen to secure his services, the Reds look likely to cash in while Bellamy's stock is high, but would they be better off keeping him on the Anfield books?
Judging by Bellamy's performance for Liverpool in the Premier League last season (see the stats above), not to mention his key contribution in the Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City, it's clear that he is a more than useful squad player for the Reds. Kopites don't need statistics to tell them that Bellamy offered as much, if not more of a threat than big money signing Stewart Downing last season and with Dirk Kuyt and Maxi both departed, the Reds should think twice before releasing another proven attacker with vast experience.
Bellamy's age and the fact he joined on a free transfer in 2011 means that Liverpool may not have a better opportunity than this summer to cash in on the player, whereas Downing is five years younger and should, in theory, have more to offer over the coming seasons. The Andy Carroll situation, however, shows that new Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is not afraid to consider jettisoning younger, big money signings made by the previous regime, so Downing's age 'advantage' over Bellamy need not necessarily be the deciding factor in whether the Welshman is ushered to the Anfield exit door.
More important is whether the Northern Irish manager sees Bellamy slotting into his tactical system and, while the flying forward may not be a first choice, it would seem a risk to get rid of a player of his terrier-like impact - one capable of playing wide, off a lone frontman - without a surplus of reliable options in reserve. Stewart Downing appears to be going nowhere, but 17-year-old Raheem Sterling is too raw to be regularly relied on at this stage of his career, which leaves Bellamy's immediate future potentially hanging on the fate of Fulham's Clint Dempsey.
Should Dempsey arrive at Anfield, Brendan Rodgers may feel comfortable in letting Bellamy go, while his transfer fee and removal from the wage bill - he is on a reported £90,000-a-week - have to be taken into consideration, too. But if Liverpool fail to bring in the American, they could be making a big mistake by selling Bellamy.
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