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In Alonso, they have lost one of the most accurate passers of the ball and someone with a bit of grit. Someone who wasn't afraid to get stuck in. Someone who freed Gerrard into being the magical player that he can be. Mascherano's future still seems to be in the balance and if he leaves there will devastation at Anfield. 

I would have let Mascherano go out of the two, as I think his temperament and lack of vision will leave Liverpool vulnerable at times. And while he is definately tougher tackling than the Spaniard, he can't bring much else to the squad. A squad whose lack of quality depth may have to pay for his hot headedness at times next season.

In the current climate, the talked about £30m seems a fair price for him. Aquilani is getting brought in for £20m. That would insuniate that Liverpool are getting a player that is 2/3 the quality Alonso. I never fail to understand Rafa sometimes. FACT!

Verdict: Win the title this season? Not with Rafa's policy.

Being a Newcastle fan, I always knew this was coming but it still didn't fail to shock my system. The man who had given us the most glorious years in recent times was gone. This wasn't the first time that he had to battle through Cancer and everyone who followed football would have loved to have seen him get through it. 

The solace is knowing that no matter how much the football world needed him and will definately miss him, the man upstairs needed him more. 

Characters of his like are few and far between in these eras, where money and the marketability can sometimes outweigh ability. Someone who could control his audience, whether they were prima donnas or a room full of journalists, part of his personality touched a part of everyone. Let alone his personality but his trophy haul is one to be admired also. Barcelona and PSV saw his biggest clubs triumphs.

But who can forget Italia '90. Semi-finals against Germany. The pain and the heartache. Yet, he was arguably made into the footballing idol that he is that night. Had it not been for a misplaced penalty, there may have been an extra star above the three lions these days.

Whilst my thoughts are with his family in such a difficult time, I offer him the greatest thank you for what he gave to the game we love. 

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Both are genuine goalscorers with bags of skill. Ibrahimovic would be my pick in terms of skill out of the two. He has been at the forefront of Nike adverts in recent years and has often found a way to duplicate those skills on the field. In no way am I saying that Eto'o can't do that, because he has on several occasions at Barcelona but Ibrahimovic does it with a bigger degree of variety.

In terms of speed and raw pace, I would pick Eto'o by a slim margin. Again neither is slow and are both often found drifting out wide and drifting past defenders with consummate ease. Eto'o' s change of pace is more favourable than Ibrahimovic. Agility wise they are almost inseparable again. The elastic legs of Eto'o have got him out of trouble on numerous occasions, running in and out of players and around goalkeepers. Ibrahimovic can do this also. But he can also do it to score. I beg anyone to look at his goal against Bologna last season which won 'Goal of the Year' in Serie A. Even during his early years at Ajax, he was reaching the unreachable.

He also tends to reach the unreachable when it comes to balls in the air. He is a clear 4 inches taller than Samuel and can be a target man for his comrades. This will certainly add a dimension to Barcelona's style next season, where I assume he will be playing the central role of the front 3. 

Goalscoring abilities seem to be very similar again. Samuel Eto'o is the 4th highest goalscorer in La Liga ever and has become so with a style-range of goals. Whilst Ibrahimovic has a similar range, if not bigger, he can often be found going through barron spells, most notably his two year international drought. And whilst Eto'o is only one of two players to have scored in separate Champions League Finals, Ibrahimovic has had the reputation of going missing in 'big' games. 

Mentality no doubt plays a part, and there have been rumours circulating for years that Eto'o has struggled to get along with some of his FCB couterparts and has previously physically lashed out. Ibrahimovic on the other hand has always lead a slightly quieter playing style, often letting his football do the talking. Both have been known to also have chronic joint injuries over the years, with Eto'o being the more affected.