Rafa Benitez left to rue the one deal that got away

Football FanCast guest columnist Jack Bethany feels that Rafa will be ruing the one that gone way this lunchtime.

I am sure that Rafa Benitez will look over at the oppositions No.18 this lunchtime and be ruing the one that got away and a player that will have ensured that Liverpool’s performance this season wouldn’t have been as indifferent as it has been.

His decision to move to City must have been a bitter pill to swallow, especially as the player had previously confessed his real desire to play for Liverpool and I’m sure Rafa felt with Alonso obviously keen to quit that he had his readymade replacement this summer, therefore it probably accounted for why Liverpool missed the boat on his signature, as Benitez clearly felt he had him in the bag.

The failure to snap him up also had massive influence on the club and shook it right up. Rafa revealed this week that it was essential that he was brought in to work in tandem with Robbie Keane and the failure to do so, saw resentment from Benitez towards Parry. Since then we know that the latter has departed and Rafa now has full control of transfers; however you can’t help but wonder where the club would be now had the deal originally been sanctioned.

Rafa has been quite vocal ahead of this fixture with regards to the lost deal and it is clear that it still bothers him. I am sure a large part of him regrets being presumptuous in thinking that the player was in the bag and not moving early to seal the deal, but the whole of football thought he was going to sign given what he had said in previous interviews. It was very much the big fish that slipped the net and one who you feel would have made a significant difference to this current team.