By Chris Rowland and Daniel Rhodes.
W/c Monday May 18th 2015.
Welcome to our weekly round-up, a diary of news and events on the site, matters relating to LFC and the world of football generally.
The Week in Football – Liverpool FC:
Monday:
Brendan Rodgers told the official site he believes the younger players can learn a lot from Gerrard:
“His standards are so high every single day, they are right up there.
“He never has a lazy day. When young players see that from a world-class player, and there are a lot of young players, that provides a great example for them.”
“In my time here he has been absolutely fantastic. It has been a huge privilege to work with him.
“I thought the supporters were magnificent and gave him a wonderful send-off from Anfield. It’s just a pity as a team we couldn’t get the result to match it.
“For me, he has been brilliant in terms of the history of the club – really allowing and helping me to understand everything.
“I’ll miss him when he goes because our relationship is strong; we communicate well, he’s very open, like me. His qualities will be missed.
“There’s another game to go and we’ll not say our goodbyes yet. We have to be even more determined now to finish on a good result.”
Raheem Sterling is expected to tell Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers he wants to leave Anfield this summer.
The England forward has already turned down a new £100,000-a-week contract, and denied being a “money-grabber” in a BBC Sport interview last month.
Sterling will meet Reds chief executive Ian Ayre and Rodgers on Friday, when he is set to tell them he wants to go.
The Reds’ winger Sterling is making a mistake by asking to leave Liverpool. Barnes told BBC Radio 5 live:
“He is only 20 and has not achieved anything, he has not won anything.
“The time is not right for him to move, but if he wants to move the club should sell him. If he goes to Manchester City, to give himself a chance of winning the league, he will not become a regular for them. We have seen it with players in the past like Scott Sinclair.”
Read BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty on why Sterling’s departure need not be a crisis for Liverpool:
Liverpool’s supporters would back Rodgers and FSG for taking a firm stand and ordering Sterling to stay – and the vast majority would also accept the Anfield hierarchy taking a decent offer for a player who is gifted but by no means the finished article.
The loss of any talented player, especially a young England international, is not welcome at a club with Liverpool’s scale of ambition but this would not be regarded as a departure in the category of a Suarez or a Gerrard. Not in the same league.
…
Do not expect an outpouring of grief if Sterling leaves or any rage aimed in the direction of Liverpool’s owners and manager.
Liverpool’s fans would accept the loss and move on. They would also be happy for Sterling to stay but he would have a lot of making up to do.
There has been growing discontent regarding Sterling from Liverpool’s fans when he has not delivered in recent weeks and the initial reaction on social media when the news broke veered from anger at his perceived disloyalty and greed, to supreme indifference as to whether he stays or goes.
If he stays, Liverpool’s supporters will live with it, even though he will have work to do to make up the goodwill he has lost, and if he leaves it is unlikely any tears will be shed, especially if Liverpool can rake in around £35m.
Tuesday:
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