Former Reds centre-back Alan Hansen believes that in order for Liverpool to become title contenders, Fenway Sports Group must invest a further £200m for new players.
However, he acknowledges that previous mistakes with big money signings may mean they are reluctant to dip into their pockets citing the £20m spent on Lazar Markovic as reason for FSG to be cautious.
In an interview with the Independent, Hansen said:
Theses players are not going to win the league, so realistically they probably need five major signings. You could say they need to spend £100m, but where does that get you in today’s market? If you are going to have a real go it needs to be closer to £200m.
A three-time European Cup winning centre-back while at Anfield, Hansen believes that the main source of Liverpool’s problems lie at the back, picking out Simon Mignolet for specific criticism.
The problem with Simon Mignolet is that he’ll go on a good run and then a bad run. Do you give him more time?
The former Scotland international did concede that despite the obvious frailties at the back, there aren’t many other options available to Jurgen Klopp at the moment.
Liverpool play two key games in four days, and due to injuries, 35-year-old Kolo Toure may have to face Sergio Aguero on Sunday, further highlighting Hansen’s point of needing more depth (and quality) in the heart of the defence, which is why the arrival of Joel Matip in the summer will be a welcome addition to the squad.
