Should Liverpool take the £10m and move on?

Plenty of column inches have already been written about Alberto Aquilani’s time at Anfield, with the general consensus being that the Italian wasn’t given a fair crack of the whip. I personally could see both sides of the argument, although I do find it hard to overly criticise a player who was only given a handful of chances to impress.

I was extremely surprised that Roy Hodgson decided to send Aquilani out on loan. Although Joe Cole had duly arrived the fact remains that every successful team needs strength in depth, (something we haven’t) therefore it seemed strange not to give the Italian a chance given he had finally returned to full fitness after his troubles last season. It is one of many decisions made by Hodgson since his arrival that has left me baffled.

According to reports in the press today, Juventus have been impressed with Aquilani’s contributions so far that they are looking to broker a permanent deal. Although the terms of the apparent season long loan deal suggests that Juventus already have first refusal on a €16m Euro deal, they are looking to bring it forward and trying to snap up Aquilani in a £10m in a cut price move. It is certainly a dilemma for the current board to consider, especially given our current debt.

Although we are all keeping our fingers crossed that the NESV takeover bid will be approved by the Premier League and we can finally see the back of Hicks and Gillett, it still remains to be seen what they’ll bring to the table and whether there will be endless millions to spend. Not knowing the exact financial mess that will await them, they may be tempted to take the £10m, especially as the current manager clearly has no intention of keeping him.

So what shall we do with Aquilani? Should we take the £10m now to enhance our January transfer budget or should we hold out for the full amount next summer?