1 year ago
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Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
The veteran is set to join the Seagulls on a free at the end of the season, ending an eight-year run on Merseyside.
Liverpool’s long-overdue midfield rebuild will mean a number of new arrivals in the summer. It will also be expected to mean a number of departures, including a slightly surprising one for 37-year-old perennial lactate-test champion James Milner.
In recent weeks, rumours concerning Milner’s future have coalesced around Brighton, with the Seagulls said to be closing on a deal for the veteran, and now journalists including Sky’s Melissa Reddy are suggesting that the deal is “all but done.”
Despite Liverpool’s aging core requires a refresh, many expected that Milner’s versatility and his role in mentoring younger players would see him kept around as a depth option, and rumours have suggested that was manager Jürgen Klopp’s desire.
However, it appears Milner still has aspirations to be more than a bit part player and part time coach and a move to the south coast should see his minutes tick up at least a little from this season, where he has so far been give 1,147 minutes.
For Liverpool, that number—and his 38 total appearances, albeit at an average of 30 minutes per appearance—was likely considered higher than ideal and would have been expected to decrease next season following any summer signings.
With Brighton two points off the European places, it’s also a move to a side with top half expectations who play a solid brand of football. It’s probably not a move anyone expected a year ago, but one can see the appeal for both Brighton and Milner.
