Liverpool fans have their say on re-signing Raheem Sterling... should we be interested in bringing any ex-Red back? 🤷‍♂️

Can sentimentality sometimes be a good thing?

Sentimentality hasn’t exactly been a guiding principle of Liverpool’s transfer policy since Jurgen Klopp took over the reins at Anfield; arguably even further back to the start of FSG’s tenure as owners of the Merseyside-based club.

In fact, Divock Origi’s contract extension in 2019 - a reward for his Champions League heroics - is quite probably the closest we’ve come to letting emotion cloud our judgement.

Bar that one misstep, the Premier League outfit’s approach to transfer business (contracts or otherwise) has been underpinned by a cold, calculating methodology that seems entirely at odds with Jurgen Klopp’s affable, hug-happy image.

We’ve no problem with that personally, as coaching on the pitch and behind-the-scenes business are two areas that are necessarily kept separate.

But we’re getting sidetracked from the topic at hand - sentimentality: can it sometimes be a force for good?

Take, for instance, debates over who Liverpool’s next manager should be once the unthinkable occurs and Klopp calls time on his leadership of the side.

Former captain and club legend Steven Gerrard, who recently engineered the return of the Scottish Premiership title to the Ibrox after a decade, has been linked with an emotional homecoming to Anfield as the German’s potential successor.

However, there are only a handful of examples across world football where such sentimentality has paid off.

That’s not to say footballing reasons wouldn’t come into the equation, with Gerrard’s tactical nous not to be downplayed in the early stages of his managerial career.

Regardless of how neutrals view the Scottish top-flight, an unbeaten season at the helm of Rangers, after ten years of the side looking over enviously at their rivals Celtic’s unchallenged domestic success, is a more than admirable feat.

Moving on to our more immediate needs, specifically in the forward department, would it be worth - relying in part on sentimentality - securing the potential return of former Kop favourite Raheem Sterling to Anfield?

Of course, reasonable arguments could be pitched to question the existence of any vestige of warm feelings held for the Englishman following his contentious move to Manchester City.

Having polled over 6,000 fans on the subject, it would appear that this is certainly the case for a considerable proportion of supporters.

Given that the wide-man started in the Citizens’ Champions League final defeat to Chelsea, there’s certainly no indication that Pep Guardiola is desperate to offload the 26-year-old either.

In fairness, we weren’t expecting as many as 20.8% of you to be willing to hand the former Academy graduate a shot at redemption, so perhaps there could be hope yet for other ex-fan favourites in Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho?

We at EOTK Insider don’t seriously expect either to be on Jurgen Klopp’s wishlist (at least, not particularly high up on it).

Nonetheless, with a top-notch coach like the former Dortmund boss around, it’s tempting to consider what could be, if Liverpool were to give in to sentimentality.

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