Arbeloa - Xabi loss costly

06 September 2009 12:20
Alvaro Arbeloa has questioned his former club Liverpool's title credentials after selling Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid this summer. Arbeloa made the switch from Anfield to the Bernabeu in July, with Alonso following the same path just a week later for a fee believed to be in the region of £28million. The Spanish international midfielder has since admitted that he wanted to leave Merseyside as soon as manager Rafa Benitez tried to replace him with Gareth Barry last summer. Benitez has come in for flack for selling arguably his best performer last season, a suggestion only intensified after the Reds lost two of their opening three games, and Arbeloa admits that the decision to sell Alonso could prove costly. "The thing I always say about Xabi is that he may not be a match-winner, but he does win you titles," the defender told The People. "He brings so much balance and order to a team, and it is impossible to over-estimate how important a player he is."

Source: SKY_Sports