I don't think it would have been the wrong decision either way, nobody can deny he would be handy to have on the bench, but the sensible thing is to let him go because he probably wouldn't be happy with that which means we probably wouldn't get the best out of him.
The reality is that wouldn't be capable of a top level performance every week so you have to ask how many matches he would be able to play. If and when he did play he could do a job but could he do it when we really needed it in the top matches? If not then it makes more sense to look for a replacement. That could be the difference between staying in and getting knocked out of the Champions League in the latter stages. If the likes of Villa sign him that's fine, that's why they'll never be title contenders.
There's a reason why we've been the top club in the league for the past decade and part of that is because we've known when to release players at the right time without trying to squeeze every last drop out of them. None of them have gone on to have three or four world beating seasons elsewhere, and I think his more recent seasons have been over hyped (please don't confuse that with "over rated" ).
I'm not as convinced as many that we need a major overhaul, 99% of the drop off has been due to injuries to Rodri, Bobb and other key players, not so much the injuries but the disruption that has caused - look at it the other way around, where would we have been without that disruption? But it's a very good indicator of why you need top level players at their peak if you're going to finish top and not top five.
The reality is that wouldn't be capable of a top level performance every week so you have to ask how many matches he would be able to play. If and when he did play he could do a job but could he do it when we really needed it in the top matches? If not then it makes more sense to look for a replacement. That could be the difference between staying in and getting knocked out of the Champions League in the latter stages. If the likes of Villa sign him that's fine, that's why they'll never be title contenders.
There's a reason why we've been the top club in the league for the past decade and part of that is because we've known when to release players at the right time without trying to squeeze every last drop out of them. None of them have gone on to have three or four world beating seasons elsewhere, and I think his more recent seasons have been over hyped (please don't confuse that with "over rated" ).
I'm not as convinced as many that we need a major overhaul, 99% of the drop off has been due to injuries to Rodri, Bobb and other key players, not so much the injuries but the disruption that has caused - look at it the other way around, where would we have been without that disruption? But it's a very good indicator of why you need top level players at their peak if you're going to finish top and not top five.
