FIVE realistic replacements for Suarez

THE circus surrounding Luis Suarez shows no sign of slowing down and looks set to rage on for a while yet.

However, Liverpool do not want to be in a position where they are not prepared for his departure, especially if it happens with days to go in the transfer window. Targets need to be assembled, and quickly.

One problem persists though for Liverpool. The lack of Champions League football means that whilst they might have the cash to replace Suarez with a player of similar quality, they may be unable to persuade that player to join a club currently achieving seventh in the Premier League, the very reason why Suarez wants to leave in the first place.

Consequently, Brendan Rodgers and his scouting team may well need to look to buy two players instead, where their combined quality makes up for the loss of Suarez, and yet one of them at least has the potential to improve and become the next great Liverpool striker.

Whilst it may seem improbable that Liverpool could find a dream pair to fill Suarez’s boots, quality players are still out there who would be willing to move to a team outside of the Champions League if they had potential; which Liverpool certainly do have. Furthermore, the last two great strikers for Liverpool came from clubs who were in a similar position to us now, not super-clubs like Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

Atletico Madrid were trying to finish in La Liga’s top four to play in the Champions League when we bought Fernando Torres in 2007. Meanwhile Ajax would be probably a top eight club in the big leagues of England, Spain, Germany and Italy, and Liverpool outside of Europe were still seen as a greater attraction in the eyes of Luis Suarez. It’s top players at those sort of clubs that we would have to target, unless we scout a gem, or find someone unhappy at a big club, like in the case of Daniel Sturridge at Chelsea.

Here are five potential players who could help fill the void of El Pistolero:

1. Roberto Soldado

A different player to Suarez, Soldado does less of the dribbling skills, but more of the ruthless finishing that Liverpool still require, despite an improved attack last season. The 28 year old would cost in the region of £26 million, according to various newspapers such as the Telegraph. He scored 24 goals last season for Valencia in the league and would be a top signing, with competition from Tottenham.
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2. Burak Yilmaz

Similar to Soldado, Yilmaz has hit the back of the net 56 times in the last 60 league games for Galatasaray and has been linked to Liverpool according to the Daily Star. He was the player of the group stages in last season’s Champions League, chosen by UEFA.com, and Jose Mourinho recently stated that Yilmaz could play for any team in the world. The talented player is rated at around £18 million.

3. Luis Muriel

With bags of talent and already being compared to Ronaldo, Muriel is a player far more comparable to Suarez than Soldado and Yilmaz. In addition, he could become a world class star as long as he improves on his finishing, something which plagued Suarez in his first 18 months at Liverpool. Muriel scored 11 goals in 22 Serie A matches last season for Udinese and the 22 year old is rated at roughly £17 million.

4. Erik Lamela

The 21 year old had a fantastic season, scoring 15 goals in 33 appearances for Roma and is seen as one of the most exciting young players in Europe. Linked with Tottenham, he can play on the right or through the middle, usually in a 4-3-3 formation. Roma value him at around £25 million, so it would be a lot of money, but Lamela has frightening pace as well as dribbling skills and could easily fill Suarez’s shoes on his own.

5. Fernando Torres

How about a fanciful move for El Nino? The 29 year old has struggled since his £50 million move from Liverpool to Chelsea in January 2011, despite scoring 22 times last season. He has had a very successful period since his move in terms of trophies, winning the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup as well as triumphs with Spain. However his performances have been inconsistent and most of his goals have come against lower ranked opposition. Nevertheless, a return to the arena where he was adored may seem him capture his best form again, although I would be against it, especially with the value of £15-20 million.

There are a myriad of other strikers out there that Liverpool could look at, while honourable mentions must go to the likes of Jackson Martinez and Karim Benzema. However, their status and the position of their clubs make them far more difficult targets than the ones mentioned above. A double signing of Soldado and Muriel would probably be my preferred choice, although Lamela would be fantastic too.

However, despite his problems, I would love it if Suarez stayed.

But I’m not counting on it.

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