Fenerbahce may be forced to sell Martin Skrtel this summer – and joining up with his former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers at Celtic may appeal.
Back in the summer of 2013, it appeared that Martin Skrtel’s time at Liverpool was up.
Dropped indefinitely after a disastrous performance in The Reds’ 3-2 FA Cup defeat at League One Oldham Athletic, the Slovakian struggled to find a way back into Brendan Rodgers’ line up.
As a result, he admitted to The Guardian that he would consider leaving Anfield after ‘one of the worst seasons in my career’.
In the end, however, Skrtel stayed. Not only that, he also forced his way back into Rodgers’ starting XI. After featuring just 25 times in 2012/13, the Slovakian centre-back was a virtual ever present in the Northern Irishman’s final two full seasons on Merseyside, starring as Liverpool narrowly missed out on the Premier League three years ago.
After ‘one of the worst seasons in my career’, Skrtel had arguably produced the best.
“He looks a class act,” Rodgers told Goal in February 2014 after Skrtel netted twice in a 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal. “It’s a big credit to him that he’s been able to prove me right.
“For the second half of last season he didn’t feature much. He had a choice, he could either throw the toys out the pram, or he could sit down with the manager and the coaching staff and see what areas he needed to improve.
“Now, you see a player with great intelligence in his defence, his use of the ball is composed and he has taken on a real leadership role. His performance levels, consistently, have been of a high level.
“He is up there with the top centre halves in this league, and I am delighted for him.”
Emotional return?
In fact, it was only when Jurgen Klopp replaced Rodgers in October 2015 that Skrtel’s Liverpool career started winding down. A few months later, he was farmed out to Fenerbahce for £5 million.
However, just twelve months on, the 32-year-old could return to British shores with Fotomac claiming Swansea City are plotting a move. Fener breached Financial Fair Play regulations last year and their precarious situation means they may be forced to cash in on arguably their best player.
And you wonder whether a reunion with Rodgers could be on the cards at Celtic, particularly as both Erik Sviatchenko and Jozo Simunovic continue to be linked with moves away.
Skrtel’s European experience could prove crucial at a club which is desperate to improve in the Champions League under the Northern Irishman. And his signing would be a major statement of intent.
Rodgers has already boosted Skrtel’s career once and he could do it again.
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