Aston Villa Goalkeeper Brad Friedel Wanted By Liverpool -- To Be The Second Violin In The Orchestra

Liverpool, apparently, want beloved Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel. Or possibly they already have him, if you believe tweets from Slakyfoot that came through last night. Mr. Cieslak decided to terrify me just as I was headed into dreamland by writing: "I leave work and Brad Freidel signs with Liverpool? I'm never leaving work again." Considering I'd spent hours dealing with the drama of Napoli, I thought maybe I missed something major. Turns out no, it was just a bit of gossip again, something we're all going to need to get used to quickly now that summer is here and there's nothing else to talk about.*

*although do vote on what you think the Villa will do this summer

So yes, Liverpool want Brad 1.0 -- and how could they not, after an impressive performance against them on Sunday? Friedel didn't actually have a ton of work to do, but when he was called into service he was fantastic. I'm thinking, of course, of that shot by Raul Meireles that Friedel managed to save off the line. I don't think there was one person, in Villa Park or elsewhere, who didn't think that ball was in the back of the net.

On the other hand, Liverpool have Pepe Reina. Sure, Stewart Downing put a ball past him on Sunday, but Reina is certainly one of the greats in the Premier League, and if Friedel goes, he'd end up second fiddle to the Spanish international. At least if he goes to Tottenham Hotspur, he'll replace flap-tastic Heurelho Gomes, which at least means Frieds will continue to start.

The ideal, of course, would be to keep Brad Friedel at Villa rather than lose him on a free transfer. The club has enough work to do, what with rebuilding practically the entire back line, to worry about a replacement first-choice goalkeeper. C'mon Villa -- sort out the Gerard Houllier situation and let's get Friedel's contract in order.