The Skrtelnator: Man City bound?

Amid recent specualtion linking Martin Skrtel with a £20m move to Manchester City, I thought it would be a good time to analyse the pros and cons of any potential move away from Anfield. Skrtel has just completed another very solid season for Liverpool in which he made 34 league appearances and managed 2 goals and 1 assist. His impressive performances resulted in Skrtel being awarded the clubs player of the season award which was well derserved. The question is though; Is Martin Skrtel indespensible or should we take the £20m and strenghten our team in other areas?

Over the last two years Martin Skrtel has gone from reckless liability to an abosolute defensive rock. He has become the mainstay in the heart of Liverpool's defence and his physical no-nosense defending has invited praise from all quarters. At 6' 3" Skrtel is a dominant figure in the air and is very strong in the tackle, often out-muscling opponents to win the ball. He is always comitted and willing to through himself into any kind of challenge. Skrtel has also developed a knack for scoring goals in recent seasons and is becoming a genuine threat at set-pieces.

Although he has improved immensly over the last couple of seasons Skrtel still has an uncanny tendency to give free-kicks away in dangerous areas. Couple that with his very poor marking at set pieces and £20m starts to become a very attractive propsition. Unlike his defensive partner Daniel Agger, Skrtel is not indespensible and at the age of 27 with two very talented young centre-backs waiting in the wings in Martin Kelly and Sebastian Coates there would not be a great need to replace him. Any replacement would be no-where near the £20m we would receive for him and would allow us to buy another or a better-quality attacking player.

Martin Skrtel's agent Karol Cstonto had this to say in response to the recent specualtion: "Some changes have been made at the club and he (Martin Skrtel) wants to know what the aims and ambitions are. And of course, we will discuss the issue of Martin’s new contract. Liverpool is a big club and just because they haven’t made the Champions League this year doesn’t mean they would not do it next year.There are expectations on both sides, though." If Martin Skrtel is in anyway becoming disillusioned about his future at Liverpool then we should cash in on him.

To make it clear I do not want Martin Skrtel to go anywhere, he is a great player who plays a vital role in our teams defense and has formed a very impressive partnership with Daniel Agger. The longer that partnership continues the better it will be for Liverpool, but in the case that Skrtel's head has been turned by either Champions League football or the riches available at City then I think we should cash in on him and strenghten our attacking personnel. Particularly if Man City start throwing silly money in our direction in the region of £20m+ then we would be wise to accept. So in conclusion there are benefits on both sides of the coin to Man City's interest but like the majority of Liverpool fans I want the Skrtelnator to stay at Anfield.

References:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2163544/Martin-Skrtel-set-turn-Manchester-City.html
http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/martin-skrtel/profil/spieler_24180.html
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/45606/martin-skrtel?cc=3888