AFTER Liverpool’s attack once again tore yet another Premier League defence on Saturday afternoon, the need to bring in any additional options in attack seemed a bit redundant.
With Suarez, Sterling, Coutinho and Henderson working so well in tandem, not to mention Sturridge and Gerrard to return in the New Year, there are probably other areas that require strengthening much more, particularly with the likes of Moses, Aspas and Alberto also in reserve.
For a fraction of the price of Manchester City’s illustrious attack – valued at well over £100 million on it’s own – Liverpool are narrowly second in terms of goals scored, with City having scored 51 goals to the Reds’ 42.
While City have a ridiculous amount of world class talent at their disposal, Liverpool – and credit must go to Rodgers and his scouts for this – have had to be intelligent with their money and make it count. There may have been the odd slip up but nobody can argue with how things are going at the present time.
So, if we were offered the services of a highly talented youngster that has terrorised Chelsea during this season’s Champions League group stages, I don’t think we’d really want to turn our noses up at that, if we’re all honest.
The 21 year old Egyptian international, Mohamed Salah, is probably an unknown quantity at a higher level, and his record at Basel suggests that while he may be a goal-scoring winger, he may struggle to replicate that kind of form immediately when he jumps up from the Raiffeisen Super League in Switzerland.
For such a young player though, he has two shining beacons in his career so far that seem to suggest that he might just have what it takes to make the step up and those are his goals against Chelsea in the Champions League and his international record.
Basel notched two great victories over Chelsea during their Champions League run – during which they narrowly failed to get through to the knock-out phase – in which Salah ran rings around Chelsea’s expensive and experienced defence. His goals and performances against Chelsea show that he’s got what it takes to perform in the big games. That he did it for ‘lesser’ opposition as well, is even more impressive.
Scoring the goals that earned the Swiss side 6 points is nothing to turn your nose up at, but it is in his international record that it looks like Liverpool may be getting a pretty decent deal, given that the Swiss side will likely be looking for little more than £8-10 million.
Salah’s 17 goals in 27 games for Egypt are a supremely impressive record for a player that is barely 21. As far as I’m concerned, a good goal-scoring record for a lower-tier nation, ranked 41 in the world.
The 21 year old is already 10th in the country’s all-time leading goal-scorers – just 2 behind Mido – and has the best goals-to-games ratio of any Egyptian player with 0.63 goals per game, compared with Amr Zaki’s 0.38.
Of course, stats are all well and good but we’ll only know the true player once we see him step up a level to the Premier League but there will be few attacks into which he can slip that will accommodate such an attacking talent and allow him to prosper than Liverpool’s at present.
The little I’ve seen of Salah, I can say he looks very promising, but that’s all. However, there is as much a risk in signing him as there would’ve been in spending £25+ million on one of our summer targets who had already established themselves as a force in European football, as you never know how a player is going to adapt to a new league. You can only hope they’ll fit in and you’ll be patting yourselves on the back come the end of the season!
salah is good but xedan shaqiri would be awsome and ivan rackitic
Salah over Shaqiri for me. Rakitic would be a great signing.
i agree with you
If the owners can give B Rodgers some serious investment in January:
60-70M
Then we could maintain top 4 pursuit all the way to the end of season and maybe win our first Premiership trophy ever and our first league trophy in over 23 years.
If the owners give RODGERS 60-70M
And he brings in these 4 players along with Salah(21), not only will they be players for now they are players who will do well in the Champions league next season also with us.
1: DM: Y M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan for 10-14M to compete and Cover Lucas Leiva
Back up Option: Fernando(26) Of Porto for 2-4M
2: CM: Y Cabaye(27) Of Newcastle for 16-20M to compete and Cover Henderson
Back Up Option: I Rakitic(25) Of Seville for 7-14M
3: RW / RWF: M Salah(21) Of Basel for 10-14M to compete and Cover Sterling
Back Up Option: J Montero(24) Of Monarcas Morelia in Mexico for 4-7M
4: LW / LWF: B Arfa(26) Of Newcastle for 10-14M to compete and Cover Ibe and so Rodgers can send V Moses(22) back to Chelsea as soon as possible.
Back up Option: D Capel(25) Of Sporting Clube De Portugal/ Lisbon for 4-6M
5: FD: L Remy(26) Of QPR ( Currently on loan at Newcastle) for 6-10M to compete and Cover Sturridge
Back up Option: K Gameiro(26) Of Seville for 6-12M
These five players : Arfa(26), Cabaye(27), M’Vila(23), Remy(26) and Salah(21) will cause problems to any side in the premiership and if we get back in Champions league, any side in Europe.
Cabaye(27) and M’Vila(23) in the centre of the park would be the clubs 2014 version of Alonso and Mascherano, we could go to most grounds and dominate midfield with those two in the centre of park.
Out wide: With Arfa(26) and Salah(21) out wide, we would have two class, creative, goalscoring, pacey, quick wingers on either side terrorising full backs and stretching teams out will.
Up Top: Remy(26) , we would have another proven goalscorer in the ranks
Good list Dennis, just not sure we’ll be able to get them in January. Summer maybe?
Ian, if we want to win the league. It has to be done in January.
Man City spent 90M in the summer and we spent 47M in Summer, but we brought in 30M on player sales( Carroll, Downing and Shelvey) , so Rodgers spent 17M. He needs to be backed well without having to sell players.
The owners need to give him 60- 70M in January, so we can maintain top 4 and have slight chance of league title.
Then in summer if we make THE champions league these 5 more players will be needed to complete Squad:
GK: Class, quality, competition for Mignolet: A Mccarthy(23) Of Reading for 4-7M
RB: Class, Quality, Competition for Johnson: M Montoya(22) Of Barcelona for 5-8M
LB: Class, Quality, Competition for Enrique: S Umtiti(20) Of Lyon for 4-7M
Two players to replace Captain Fantastic S Gerrard(33) for next 3-6 years:
CM: Koke(21) Of A Madrid for 16-22M
CM: A Lallana(24) Of Southampton for 15-18M
What I mean Dennis is I’m not sure some of those players will be allowed to leave in January.
Of your list which players can you realistically see leaving this window?
Yawn . The boring fool is still trolling.
Idiot
Ian,
Realistically,
If Rodgers pushes the boat and seriously wants to maintain his top 4 pursuit all through season.
Then Four of the five players are a must:
1: DM: M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan Or Fernando(26) Of Porto, DM. One of these needs to be brought to club in January for 3-14M to compete with Lucas. As even though we play with three men in the middle, the amount of goals i have seen teams score past us by coming straight through the middle has been shocking. When teams break on us quickly, Lucas does not have the mobility or pace to get back in time
2: CM:Y Cabaye(27) OF Newcastle Or I Rakitic(25) Of Seville, One of these class, creative, box to box , goalscoring midfielders needs to be brought to club for 7-20M as in Allen, Henderson and Lucas, there is not enough of goals.
3: RW / RWF: M Salah(21) Of Basel needs to be brought to club for 7-14M to compete with Sterling.
4: LW / LWF: B Arfa(26) Of Newcastle needs to be brought to club for 10-15M
These 4 players are realistic signings, Players who would all move players currently in the first team onto the bench, because they are better.
Man City spent 95M on players in summer. And will spend some more in January
M’Vila(23) or Fernando(26) would give the back four a real shield in front of them.
Cabaye(27) Or Rakitic(25) would bring more class, creativity, goals, movement and quality to the centre of the park.
Arfa(26) and Salah(21) would terrorise full backs in the premiership and the world, Those wingers would open up the best teams in league: Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Man City, Man United and Tottenham and also the weaker teams.
And the 4 players Rodgers should bring in as a must are players of Champions league class and quality.
Denis……your love affair with m’vila continues. Is he married to your sister or something?
Nah Stevie, I just want top class, quality players playing for my club.
And M’Vila(23) is the best Defensive midfielder out there available for good price.
Fernando(26) Of Porto is a good quality defensive midfielder, but M’Vila(23) is better than Fernando and younger.
The best defensive midfielder in football at moment is J Martinez(26) Of Bayern Munich and he cost them 35M, M’Vila(23) is not technically as good as Martinez. But tougher in the tackle, but Rodgers could bring M’Vila(23) to club for 10-14M, 21M less than J Martinez(26) but he would offer the same class, power, protection and quality that Martinez Offers his back 4.
We should have brought him to the club three years ago, but we didn’t. And he is available now, he is much better than Lucas and one thing we are lacking in the centre of our park is presence,power and size.
Its not a love affair its a fact, he is what we need.
But does he want to come to anfield? Also, fsg will not give rodgers huge funds. They are running the club as a business and will look to balance the books where possible. I for one would like to win the league the way we are. If we turn to financial cheating like citeh and win the league that way I would get no pleasure. I realise I am in the minority but that’s how it is
And do montoya and umtiti (whoever he is) want to come here? The last I heard montoya wanted to sign a new contract with barca. You need to be realistic
Stevie,
We brought in Cissokho, Llori, Mignolet, Toure, Alberto, Aspas and Moses in the summer to the club, that was 7 players.
In all honesty the attacking players have not done anything and club does not notice when they are playing or not, so that in itself is bad buys.
The Defensive signings have been good, except for A Cissokho who has been a flop. Llori(20) has not been used and now seems like a waste of money also.
Stevie,
Rodgers needs to ship out these dead wood average players who are simply not good enough to play to a high standard for Liverpool:
GK B Jones
RB M Kelly ( Too Injury Prone 80% of every season out on treatment table) CB S Coates
LB A Cissokho( Send Back to Valencia)
AM Alberto
RW / RWF Assaidi
FD Aspas
All those players above offer the club not alot: As when they do not play they are not really missed at all:
The likes of Y M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan Or Fernando(26) Of Porto would offer real class, quality competition to Lucas Leiva. Lucas (26) has improved dramatically over the last 3 years, but he has had no real class, quality competition to push him , he has had the likes of Poulsen and Spearing to contend with. M’Vila(23) and Fernando(26) are both in the mould of Mascherano but with height, size and strength about them. Something we are lacking in the centre of the park
Y Cabaye(27) Of Newcastle should be brought to club, because our centre midifeld lacks goals where Ramsey, Yaya, Oscar are scoring goals from Centre midfield.
Now almost half way through season between Allen, Henderson, Lucas and Gerrard, Y Cabaye(27) may have more goals than all of them put together. We need goals from the centre of the park, as Suarez and Sturridge cannot be expected to score every week for club.
Arfa(26) Of Newcastle and M Salah(21) Of Basel, are both two quick goalscoring wingers with pace, skill, speed to burn.
Sterling(19) is improving and is an awesome little player, but if we are seriously looking to compete for top 4, we need to start spending serious money. ( Arfa(26) and Salah(21) would cost the club 20-26m together, Yet these world class wingers of similar class and calibre would cost 20m plus individually: Di Maria, El Shaarwaay, Lavezzi, Messi, Neymar, Pedro, Reus, Ribery, Robben, Rodriguez, Ronaldo and Sanchez. Yet both these players would cause problems to any full back in world football. And would be bargains, we need to build a good powerful squad capable of playing in Champions league and League on all fronts.
Am tired of u dennis,,dis is not fifa manager,,,plsss
Shittle,
You know nothing about football so please shut up.
in last 10 years we have always had strong defence
But since Alonso and Mascherano have left club, we have never had a dominate centre midfield: So in 5 years plus now, the class, quality of Alonso and Mascherano has never been replaced. When we had them two in the centre of park, we could go to any ground around Europe and dominate.
That does not happen now, Y M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan is more mobile, quicker, physically stronger, taller and tougher in the tackle than Lucas. ( Mascherano type player)
And we have been screaming out for a player like this since Mascherano departed 5 years plus ago.
Y Cabaye(27) is a class, creative, box to box, goalscoring centre midfielder who gets physical and stuck in without the ball. He is a combination of Alonso and Gerrard. And Cabaye(27) scores against top teams and lower teams. He is a player that would be on the same wavelength with Coutinho, Gerrard, Sturridge and Suarez as he is of their calibre and class.
Shittle,
Our club have lacked class, quality consistantly performing wingers on either winger for over a decade: The last time the club had two good class quality pace quick goalscoring wingers on either wing anielating teams week in week out was during the Roy Evans Era. When we had Mcateer On One wing and McManaman on the Other wing.
Moses(22) is simply not good enough, Average at best.
Ibe(17) is class, quality player but needs to be sent out on loan for few years to gain some experience.
Sterling(19) is class, quality but needs some serious finishing lessons and needs class, quality competition for his place.
B Arfa(26) Of Newcastle is a player who is of Champions league quality and could anielate most full backs in world football, when he is on his game he is unplayable. Arfa(26) i think is a better player than Nasri, Hazard, Lamela and Nani. Yet whilst all these players all individually cost between 17-32M, B Arfa(26) would cost the club 10-15M
M Salah(21) Of Basel is a player who currently played in the Champions league and last year he played in Europa league with Basel and everytime he played against Chelsea or Tottenham, he destroyed their full backs with his movement and blistering pace.
And Chelsea have C Azpilicueta, A Cole, B Ivanovic and R Bertrand as their full backs.
While Tottenham had Walker, Naughton, Esso-Ekotto, Vertonghen and Rose as their full backs, so Salah(21) did not come against slow laboured full backs, he came against class, good, mobile, quick full backs and anielated them at times.
Salah(21) has good technicall ability, is always moving and has blistering pace. And at 21, he will only get better if club can bring him to Anfield for 7-14M, in next 2-4 years if we are back in Champions league football. Salah’s Value would have doubled easily
Shittle,
This is not fantasy football or Football Manager.
Whereas Man City brought in Negredo, Navas, Jovetic, Demicheles and Fernandinho for 95M this summer. Add that to Nasri 25M, Silva 27M, Yaya 25M , Aguero 38M
We spent 48M but 30M pounds was brought back into club on player sales outwards( Carroll, Downing and Shelvey)
The players 5 players i have said club should go for are available, would bring class, quality competition to side and most of them are better than what we have.
I have said the club should bring in these players:
1: DM: M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan Or Fernando(26) Of Porto, Both are more mobile, quicker, better in tackle, have physical presence and height and are both better than Lucas
2: CM: Cabaye(27) Of Newcastle Or I Rakitic(25) Of Seville, Both better players who create and score more goals from Centre of park than Allen(24) and Henderson(23).
3: RW / RWF: M Salah(21) Of Basel, class, creative, goalscoring wide man with electric pace who has caused Chelsea and Tottenham problems every time he has played against them. Someone who Sterling(19) could compete and learn from.
4: LW / LWF: B Arfa(26) Of Newcastle : Class, creative, quality, goalscoring magician with good pace/speed: B Arfa(26) we should have brought to club year and a half ago, B Arfa(26) i feel is a better player than Nasri who cost city 25M, Lamela(21) who cost Tottenham 30M. Rodgers could bring Arfa(26) to the club for 10-14M , that is a bargain for a player of his class and calibre
5:FD: Back Up Striker: L Remy(26) Of QPR( On Loan at Newcastle) is an out and out goalscorer who will always score goals, he is mobile, quick, always on the move and a very good finisher. Rodgers could bring him to the club for 6-10m
If i was thinking unrealistic and like a Fantasy football or Championship manager, i would be saying we should bring these unrealistic players to club, players who the club do not have money to get and who would not come to club: But play the positions that we desperately need to strengthen:
1:DM: J Martinez (26) Of Bayern Munich
2: CM: C Fabregas(25) Of Barcelona
3: RW /RWF: Ronaldo(28) Of Real Madrid
4: LW / LWF: Messi(26) Of Barcelona
5: FD: Falcao(27) Of Monaco
The players i have said Arfa, Cabaye, M’Vila, Remy and Salah are class, quality players who would improve squad drastically and bring more class and quality to squad. B Rodgers could bring them to club if owners backed Rodgers well with 60-70m in January transfer window.
The likes of Messi, Fabregas, Martinez, Falcao and Ronaldo are world class players who would cost a club between 350-400m for those players to be brought together , let alone their wages.
Denis D I’m always on this site and I slways see u put up a long list of players that we should buy but can u be realistic. I’m not trying to bash u because God knows I would love all those players at the club but the reality is that we have no idea of the transfer targets. Maybe my FIFA team would be set up like this but I honestly can’t see us even getting more than one of the names u mentioned even if they were on the clubs transfer wish list.
Leighton,
The reason is: The last five years plus we have become a top 6-10 side because most of the class, quality that club had those years ago has still not been replaced.
Since Alonso and Mascherano left 5 years and a bit now, the likes of Aquilani, Meireles, Poulsen, Adams, Allen, Henderson have been brought in. But still the club do not have a midfield that can go away to any ground in Europe and dictate play and dominate game, That is something Alonso and Mascherano gave side.
We have been screaming out for a Mascherano type player for numerous years now, Lucas(26) has imprved drastically but his lack of mobility and pace, lets him down huge.
And M’Vila(23) should have been brought to club two seasons ago, but we did not bring him in, Lucas has had no real class or quality competition for his place in last three years. Only Poulsen and Spearing challenged him and both of them were abyzmal players to say the least.
M’Vila(23) is in the same frame build as Yaya Toure, he a player that would go 50/50 with Yaya and be ok. M’Vila(23) is mobile, has bit of pace/speed with him and cover ground very well. Rodgers should bring him to club in January for sure or the back up option of Fernando(26) Of Porto, who is good defensive midfielder. He is not as hard in the tackle as M’Vila(23) or as physical , but Fernando(26) is quicker than M’Vila(23) and cover ground exceptionally well.
Both of these players would make Lucas(26) take his place on the bench
Y Cabaye(27) is a class, creative, box to box, goalscoring midfielder who is a combination of Alonso and Gerrard. Whereas Allen and Henderson lack scoring goals from centre of park, Cabaye has a good shot and scores from long range and short range. Rodgers should bring him to club for 15-20M, class, quality creative goalscoring midfielders cost 27M plus: Fabregas. Modric, Gotze.
Cabaye(27) is similar class and quality to those three players i named above and should be brought to club in January. If Fellaini(25) cost Man United 27M , Fernandinho(28) cost Man City 30M, Ramires(26) cost Chelsea 24M, Ozil(25) cost Arsenal 42.5M, Y Cabaye(27) costing our 16-21M is a bargain
Guys stop with the crazy comments buying 4or more players would destabilise our team and impede youth development.
salah is very good player and have good skills
Salah and cabaye and I would be a happy man.
i agree with you his dazzling future
We should be prudent in the transfer market. For me, Salah & Cabaye/Everton Robeiro only and Liverpool will be world bitters.
I think getting salah in january would be a good addition to the team. It would also be nice 4 the club to have a pre-contract agreement with athletic club 4 diego costa as a back up when suarez finally departs the club in the summer. I don’t think any addition would be necessary aside that in january cos I think the technicality of the current players in improving in every game which is what matters compare to power cos spain had really used that to dominate the world football for years till date. Also suso will be returning very sharp with great inept in the summer. We’ve also got a promising player in ibe and a good technician in Alberto. So I think these guys need time to get nurtured and gel together so they could turn out great and have a good resale value which will benefit the club.