Steven Pienaar will not rule out a move to Liverpool
The South African Steven Pienaar, who has become a fan favourite since his move from Borussia Dortmund back in 2007, has revealed that he will not rule out a controversial move to arch-rivals Liverpool, if he was to leave Everton.
The South African was a revelation during last season and was the heart beat of the Everton team, especially during the absence of their talisman Mikel Arteta. David Moyes has never hidden his admiration for the former Ajax man, whom he believes gives his
Everton team a different dimension in attack.
Steven Pienaar is set to leave Goodison for free when his contract runs out at the end of current campaign. It has been reported that he was offered a new contract worth £65,000-a-week but the two parties failed to reach an agreement.
If Pienaar is to leave the club in summer, he will not be short of options. His last season heroics were noted by loads of clubs across Europe, including the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Inter.
If no deal is struck by the end of the year, Pienaar will be free to negotiate with interested parties from January onwards.
The 28 year old winger will be willing to move across Stanley Park, if the Reds show interest in acquiring his signatures. Roy Hodgson has shown an intent that he would be willing to spend in the January transfer window and suggested that his team lacks
the necessary width on the flanks.
Pienaar could well prove to be the solution, whether he moves in January or in the summer. However, there has been no real indication from Roy that he will be interested in bringing the South African to Anfield, but reports suggesting that the player will
not hesitate to make the controversial move, will be encouraging for the Liverpool boss.
The last player to be transferred from Everton to Liverpool was former England midfielder Nick Barmby. He joined Liverpool in 2000 for a deal worth £6 million. He managed to stay with Liverpool for only 2 seasons before moving again to rivals Leeds United.
Pienaar is adored by the Everton supporters and is a highly rated asset for the Goodison faithful. His performances last year caught the eye of nearly all top teams and inevitably he was named Everton’s Player of the season 2009/10.
However, his reputation and relationship with the fans will be dented big time if he decides to move to Liverpool. Everton value him at around £15 million, so the idea of Pienaar leaving on a bosman, at the end of the season, would result in a severe supporter
backlash. They would demand more honesty and loyalty from the player they have given so much love and respect.
The wing wizard, who can play in a variety of attacking positions, insists that he will remain focused and perform to his level best while in the blue shirt. However, the attractiveness of playing for a bigger club and challenging for trophies might be a
temptation too big for him to ignore.
Playing in the Champions League is a dream of any footballer and Pienaar is no exception. He has made his desire clear to David Moyes that if a Champions League club comes with an offer than he will like to move.
However, his agent has dismissed rumours of offers for Pienaar. “Steven's contract is expiring but there has been no contact with me from other clubs,” Pienaar's agent Ivan Modia was quoted as saying.
“There is no news on his contract talks with Everton – he is just concentrating on playing well and that is all.”
Moyes admitted this weekend: "I have probably resigned myself to Steven leaving but I knew that when there was no contract signed in the summer...there is a really good contract offer there for him but, to be fair, he has stood up for us this season and has
done some really good things on the pitch."
Tags: