Five Strikers who could play off Torres

Although it is still too early to say for definite what formation new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson will prefer, it is fair to stay that throughout the majority of his career he has opted for the traditional 4-4-2. With the lack of strikers currently at Anfield, even with the addition of versatile Milan Jovanovic today, it is most likely that Roy would look to strengthen in the forward positions. If Fernando Torres does stay put then, he will certainly be looking for a striker who could play off him, and do something a little bit different. Jovanovic is certainly an option, with his speed and his penchant for coming deep for the ball, but he is a player who can also play left midfield. Hodgson may look elsewhere for another addition to the squad. With finances tight, many of the five below would need funds from further player sales, but I think they could all be worth considering, or in some cases, are actually being considered by the Reds management.

Bryan Ruiz – Monitored by Hodgson during his time at Fulham, the young Costa Rican has had a breakthrough season playing as a striker at FC Twente. He has previously played as a second striker back in Costa Rica and as a winger for Belgium side Gent, but Steve McClaren opted to play the player up front last season, and got a fantastic return from him. 24 goals in the Eredivisie is not of course that big of a deal, remember Mateja Kezman, but Ruiz is not an out and out striker. He has creativity and comes deep for the ball, and is certainly a different player than Torres.

Stefan Kiessling – Linked with the Reds today, the Bayer Leverkusen striker is an unorthodox centre-forward in the sense that he is both tall and quick. The lanky 6ft 3 striker scored 21 goals in the Bundesliga last season but there is a lot more to the player than just his height. He loves coming deep for the ball and moving out wide to use his pace, and at 26 years of age, he may just be getting into the prime of his career. He has never quite cut it at international level though and has not scored in 5 appearances for his country.

David Trezeguet – Could be the bargain signing out of the five here, the French striker’s record at Juventus is hard to argue with 168 goals in 309 appearances, and he will be available very cheaply as Juve look to offload many players as they revamp their squad. Considering cash-strapped Valencia are front runners for his signature, he could well be worth taking a chance on despite now being 32 years of age.

Roque Santa Cruz – More of a long shot, but Santa Cruz may be available relatively cheaply because he won’t be part of Roberto Mancini’s plans next season. Brought in by Mark Hughes for £17.5million, he will be sold at a big loss. Certainly more a target man style centre forward, he could be an excellent foil for Torres as well contributing a fair amount of goals.

Miroslav Klose – Certainly it would be a big ask for Liverpool to sign the German striker, but despite having an excellent World Cup, there is every chance he will be leaving Bayern Munich this summer. He had a poor season in front of goal last campaign in the Bundesliga scoring only 3 in the league, and Bayern’s Dutch coach Louis van Gaal favours Thomas Muller, Ivica Olic and Mario Gomez to Klose. This may all change after his four goals in South Africa, but now aged 32, he could be available for a lot less, and his heading ability and hold play could be ideal for a player like Torres.

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