The Liverpool Echo have asked supporters to vote on which players they want the Reds to keep and sell this summer, following the official opening of the transfer window on Wednesday.
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Only five players came out of the poll with more fans wanting to see them go rather than stay. We’ve discussed those five players below and consider whether there is any possibility of them turning their respective careers around on Merseyside.
Mario Balotelli – 74.9% want to sell
The Italian only signed for the Reds last summer, joining us from AC Milan, as Brendan Rodgers gambled on one of the few players still available following the departure of Luis Suarez. Unfortunately, the gamble hasn’t paid off thus far. He managed just one Premier League goal during his first season at the club and only netted four times in all competitions. Several off the field incidents proved to be unwelcome distractions and Rodgers appeared to have lost faith in him completely by the end of the campaign.
Fabio Borini – 93.1% want to sell
The second Italian on this list, Borini has endured a fairly miserable time of it at Anfield. He’s only managed 25 Premier League appearances and just two goals since joining us in 2012 – meaning he’s played less games and scored less goals for us that he did for Sunderland during his year on loan. Despite deciding to stay and fight for his place last summer, he’s only managed to score one goal in all competitions over the last twelve months, with that coming against Aston Villa. He looks unlikely to ever make the grade at Anfield.
Jose Enrique – 78.9% want to sell
Enrique has sadly been the victim of recurring injury problems over the last couple of years, with those injuries restricting him to just a handful of games in all competitions. His long-term future was all but wiped out last summer when Alberto Moreno arrived to replace him as first choice left-back and time certainly seems to be running out on his Liverpool career. The Spaniard remains an amusing and entertaining presence on social media but the prospect of him featuring on a regular basis for us in the future appears to be fairly remote.
Rickie Lambert – 74.7% want to sell
Lambert completed a dream return to Liverpool last summer, 17 years on from leaving our academy. Unfortunately, the dream has become something of a nightmare for him over the last 12 months, with opportunities proving to be extremely limited. He’s scored three goals in all competitions and looked a decent option at times but ultimately he just doesn’t fit Rodgers’ preferred style of play. The big man had a team build around him at Southampton and has struggled without the same luxuries here.
Raheem Sterling – 65% want to sell
This is arguably the biggest surprise inclusion on this list. Despite everything that has happened between Sterling and Liverpool over the last few months, he remains an excellent young player that based purely on ability we’d love to stay a member of our squad. However, the much maligned issues with his attitude appear to have detracted many Liverpool fans from giving him an up vote here. With Roberto Firmino now having joined an already packed list of options for Rodgers in the attacking midfield positions, it’s hard to see us not cashing in.
