Now that the dust has settled and the most debated transfer of the summer so far finally appears to be drawing to a close, let’s consider what has actually happened from a Liverpool perspective.
In Raheem Sterling, Liverpool possessed not just an extremely talented winger, but also one of, if not the brightest talent of England’s next generation. With his departure to the Etihad all but finalised, Brendan Rodgers’ options in the wide positions look somewhat scarce.
Jordon Ibe is touted by most fans to step up and replace Sterling, but is as inexperienced as he is talented. Lazar Markovic meanwhile had a mediocre first season; not as horrendous as some of his fellow summer signings but certainly not the wonderkid that the Vines and YouTube videos promised.
Therefore, in the style of our fabled transfer committee, I’ve drawn up a list of possible targets to replace Raheem Sterling.
Xherdan Shaqiri – Inter Milan
The first name on my list is a player who has been reportedly close to Liverpool in the last two transfer windows. Initially prevented from moving to Anfield by Bayern Munich prior to the World Cup, Shaqiri then decided to choose Inter Milan rather than join the Reds in the January of last season.
However the Kosovan-born winger has struggled in the Serie A, scoring just once, and could be set to leave Inter to make way for Wolfsburg’s Ivan Perisic, having recently been linked with a move to Stoke.
The committee will have Shaqiri well detailed and documented from the last two windows and his ability is well-known. A talented player possibly on his last chance at a major club also sounds a lot like previous Rodgers transfers, although his success rate isn’t quite 100%.
Juan Iturbe – AS Roma
Much like Shaqiri, Iturbe is another immensely talented young player who, by his own admission, struggled in last season’s Serie A. After impressing for Hellas Verona, Iturbe earned himself a move to title-chasing Roma, only to fail to show off the talents that had earned him his big move to the capital.
Being short, tricky and Argentinian make comparisons to Lionel Messi unavoidable, even if Iturbe is years behind his compatriot. Iturbe still has plenty of time to prove himself at a big club, being just 22-years-old, and his issues last season could be put down to multiple injuries throughout the campaign.
However, a move for a promising but struggling youngster is hardly the big move that Liverpool fans have been clamouring for.
Denis Cheryshev – Real Madrid
Links with Real Madrid players? Now this is more like it!
Unfortunately, Cheryshev isn’t quite a Galactico. He has managed a solitary Copa del Rey appearance for the first team and is hardly pushing the likes of Gareth Bale for a starting position.
The Russian winger has spent his last two seasons on loan at Sevilla and Villarreal respectively and seems to only be at Real Madrid because of a failure to get rid of him permanently. However, he is the most heavily linked name with regards to Liverpool signing a winger.
Despite these links, the Liverpool Echo have somewhat shot down the rumours in recent days, reporting that Liverpool currently have no interest in signing the Russian.
Son Heung-Min – Bayer Leverkusen
With Sterling leaving, Liverpool lose a striking option as well as a winger. Brendan Rodgers seems to like signing versatile forwards, meaning that any replacement could be required to lead the line at some point during the season.
The committee could look to the Bundesliga for the second time this window, this time raiding Emre Can’s former club Bayer Leverkusen for South Korean forward Son Heung-Min.
Talented, fast and versatile, Son provides immense potential alongside versatility across the forward line. He was also Bayer’s overall top scorer last season with 17 goals in all competitions.
However, as with Cheryshev and Iturbe, Son’s club did reach the Champions League, entering through the play-off round, and therefore may be unwilling to transfer to life in the Europa League.
Marco Reus – Borussia Dortmund
I had to put him in.
As soon as the news broke of Sterling’s £49m transfer fee, many English papers wrote up sensational stories that Liverpool were set to splash it all on Dortmund’s German superstar.
However, it all just seems like clickbait. No matter how much the Liverpool Twitter community badger the club and the owners to move for Reus, a transfer seems unlikely.
Much as I’m with The Redmen TV in wanting to see John Henry and Ian Ayre turn up in Dortmund with a cigar and a blank cheque, it seems wholly unlikely.
But hey, we can dream.
