Friday, 26th July, 2013
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted that he never planned to loan Pepe Reina out, instead believing that the Spaniard would be sold this summer.
Reina has joined Napoli on a season-long loan deal, which sees him reunited with former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez at the Italian club.
The departure of a custodian considered one of the best in the Premier League has raised eyebrows, however Liverpool did sign Simon Mignolet from Sunderland earlier this summer and Rodgers has explained his thinking behind the events that have transpired.
"From last season, really, as a manager I was led to believe that we were going to get an offer for Pepe that would probably see him leave the club", Rodgers explained at a press conference in Thailand, via his club’s feed.
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"On the football side, we have to protect the team, and at that stage we started our search for another goalkeeper.
"That found us Simon Mignolet, who’s top class – one of the top young European goalkeepers.
"As events transpired, that move [for Reina] didn’t happen and it left us with two very good goalkeepers. Both would have been fighting for the No.1 position.
"Then obviously an opportunity arose for Pepe and it was one we felt as a football club was best for him to take."
And Rodgers hinted that had Reina have stayed at Anfield he could have been playing second fiddle to Mignolet in the forthcoming campaign.
"As a senior goalkeeper, he needs to be playing. It’s a very important year for him with the World Cup next year. It wouldn’t have served any purpose, both for the club and him personally, if he’d been the one missing out.
"It’s decided he will go to Napoli and we’ve got two very good goalkeepers still at the football club."
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