Spring has arrived, albeit not weather wise. The run in towards the end of the Premier League campaign has begun. It’s around about this time that managers may begin to turn their thoughts to next season; thoughts of a new beginning, thoughts of success, thoughts of disappointment and thoughts of player transfers. All-in-all, there is certainly plenty to think about.
As Liverpool turn their attentions to 2013-14, with half an eye still on trying to finish as high as possible this term, Brendan Rodgers has no doubt begun to assess where to spend his money.
As you cast your eye over the Liverpool squad, there are most definitely a number of disposable assets. Many of these players are no longer wanted by the manager whereas some are disposable only to some degree. It’s a tough job deciphering where to move the hypothetical chess pieces in order to obtain checkmate.
The main area the club need to strengthen is in defence; that much is a foregone conclusion. An icon of my era has decided to relinquish his playing career, cause for concern on its own. Add to that the out of favour Skrtel and Coates, and you start to see the re-building task that lies ahead.
With the high possibility that the squad will lose three centre backs this window, you can’t help but feel two joining the club isn’t a distant reality. I strongly believe Rodgers will use Kelly as a 3rd/4th choice centre back next season – mainly because buying 3 new central defenders seems unlikely. The usual outlets have been rife with speculation, as ever. I must have seen 8-10 names mentioned already, with some suggestions actually fairly sensible, realistic ones – not all though, of course.
Judging by the noises being made from the more reliable, it does seem likely that Ashley Williams is a big target. I can’t really get enthused by that, but it does become apparent to me why Rodgers feels he’d be good to come in and play next to Agger. He’s a player with an aggressive defensive attitude and would add presence into our back four. My worry with Williams, though, is his age; 29 this year, and his price tag. Swansea do not need to sell and he holds a first team starting place in their squad. Somewhat reminds me of a certain Joe Allen deal. I’d be annoyed if we paid over the odds when Europe offers far better value.
Speaking of Europe, the majority of the other centre backs mentioned have been from that part of the World. Two that spring out at me, from the rumour mill, are De Vrij from Holland and Papadopoulos from Germany. Both are centre backs I admire highly and would happily take at Anfield tomorrow. Having said that, both would undoubtedly cost good money and may not be willing to leave their current clubs. There have also been murmurs regarding the Belgian player, Alderweireld, also from Holland. Again, however, it’s unknown whether he’d be keen on a move to Merseyside.
Perhaps a more realistic target who’s been bandied about widely is Martins Indi, also playing in Holland. He’s young (21 years old) and has some versatility (can play left back as well as centre back) – both are things Rodgers seems to like in a player. He looks, on the surface, like a player who could add to our squad and evolve into a classy footballer. This sort of versatile player would also aid many people’s fears regarding a 2nd choice left back. I sit well in the camp that says we need another one, just in case, and having a player who can naturally cover there would be a big bonus. Another alternative to that would be Neil Taylor: one Swansea player that I would very much like. It remains unseen, however, what damage his long-term injury has done to him and how long, if ever, it’ll take for him to recapture his pre-sidelined form.
Moving onwards and upwards, into midfield; an area of the pitch I don’t think we need too much work on. There is one player who has been whispered plenty of times by many: Christian Eriksen. He’d be a boss signing, no question, but I find it hard to tell how realistic a move for him really is. The Dane, however, is a player who plays in a role that I think we could do with adding to and does carry that versatile edge by being able to play centrally and wide. Whether it be him, or another player, an attacking midfielder (no.10) with the ability to play wide would very much be welcomed by me.
I’d also like to see the club invest in a more muscular defensive midfield presence. I often feel Lucas can be a little lightweight against the more physical teams; this could be remedied by improving the height and build of our holding player. I’m not suggesting this player replaces Lucas, but more for them to be available to allow Rodgers to be pragmatic when selecting his starting eleven. Celtic’s Wanyama is a player plenty of people have talked about and if I’m honest, he does look like the type of midfielder we could use. Would he be willing to play a bit-part role in our squad though? I’m not so sure.
Lastly, but by no means least, the attacking areas of the pitch – do they need adding to? Personally, I’d like to see us purchase another striker. This will definitely not be a priority, but certainly something we should consider. This could, however, become more or less relevant depending on the formation Rodgers settles on. If we persist to play just one striker per game, then our current three would just about be fine. Another winger would be a luxury too; one with more experience than Sterling but again, that wouldn’t necessarily be a priority, especially if a newly acquired ‘number 10’ could also play there.
I firmly believe the club need to start utilising the loan market more, to offload players who are beginning to stagnate in our academy. Suso would be one player I’d like to see join another club provisionally; it’d have to be to the right club though. Shelvey could also be another candidate for a loan move. He’s been dropping down to the U21 team to maintain his fitness and game time, but I’m not sure how long he’ll be happy doing that without the hint of any first team football. He does often look a grade above the “reserves” but hasn’t yet shown his full worth at senior level. Michael N’goo is proof of what can be achieved when going out on loan. He’s thrived up at Hearts and will definitely re-join the academy a better player for that experience.
We’ve seen what can be done in the transfer market for sensible money; Philippe Coutinho being a prime example – already a Player of the Month winner. It’d be nice to see the club continue to deal in this way and also to offload players, where necessary, to supplement the kitty. This is more than possible with the players that Liverpool own who could be sold. Carroll, Spearing and Assaidi (plus the centre backs I spoke about earlier) are all possible outgoings.
If we manage to bring in quality players for good prices, using both the money earned from sales and FSG’s likely upfront offerings, there really is no reason why we can’t give top four a good go next season. That all rests, of course, on this summer. It’s definitely an important one.
Summary
IN:
2 Centre Backs (1 who can also play Left Back)
1 Attacking Midfielder
1 Defensive Midfielder
1 3rd/4th choice Striker/Winger
OUT:
Coates
Skrtel
Carroll
Spearing
Assaidi
Suso, Shelvey (LOAN) [divider style=”tiny”][/divider]
