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Should Liverpool Bid for Luke Shaw?

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Luke-Shaw-v-Denmark2_3095761During last Summer’s transfer window, Liverpool tried and failed to lure a host of attacking players to the club. Mkhitaryan went to Dortmund, Willian to Chelsea and Costa stayed at Atletico Madrid and is now second top scorer in La Liga behind Ronaldo.  We ended up signing a couple of younger, less proven attacking players in Alberto and Aspas who, with Liverpool not in Europe and out early from the Carling Cup, have barely featured. In the Winter transfer window we again went for attacking players, Konoplyanka staying at Dnipro amid allegations that Liverpool mismanaged the whole process.

And yet we are the top scorers in the League, ahead of the free scoring Manchester City (although they do have two games in hand on us).  Suarez and Sturridge are in the top 5 for the European Golden Shoe, Raheem Sterling was man of the match for England against Denmark and the English media look to have found a new golden boy, and then we still have Gerrard, Coutinho and a rejuvenated Henderson.

I agree with Brendan Rodgers that we need attacking reinforcements. If one of these players gets injured we don’t have the strength in depth to replace them effectively. The next up would be Joe Allen or Iago Aspas, neither have particularly impressed in an attacking context, though Allen has done some solid defensive work of late. With us challenging on four fronts next year, and hopefully one of those fronts being the Champions League where we will always have to play a strong side, we will need to continue to reinforce offensively.

However, if you had asked me what was the main position we needed to fill at the beginning of the season, if you asked the same question during the January transfer window and if you still asked this question now, I would have only one answer.

Left back.

Left back can often be one of the trickiest positions to fill in the team. It’s one we’ve struggled with since John Arne Riise. Some would say we even struggled with Riise, but the players who came before and after him were either woeful (Konchesky), injury prone (Aurelio), inconsistent (Enrique), or a combination of the three. The need is even greater now than it was at the beginning of the season. Enrique, who can certainly be impressive on his day, has been out for virtually the whole season with a knee injury which looks like it may be ongoing for the rest of his career. With last minute on loan signing Aly Cissokho quickly making it clear why Valencia were so pleased to let him leave, we have shoehorned right backs into the left back spot.

The exception to our left back problems, in my view, was the highly underrated Alvaro Arbeloa. Although he too was actually a right back, he played the left back role expertly and perhaps because he was undemonstrative and not outwardly athletic, was let go to Madrid for a paltry fee by Rafa. That he has now played 187 times for Madrid and has 56 caps for Spain just highlights what an awful mistake Rafa made in selling him.

Jon Flanagan has impressed in comparison to Cissokho, and he has come on considerably this season, yet he is still young and inconsistent. He’s showcased good defensive qualities – tackling and bravery as well as a calm ability to maintain possession under pressure. He nevertheless lacks pace and technical ability. Perhaps this was part of the reason why he was not only overlooked for selection to the England team (the correct decision, as I mentioned in my last post) but also the England Under 21 team recently. He’s done well, no doubt, but needs improvement. And ultimately, he’s not a left back, he’s a right back.

Glen Johnson is presently filling in this role, allowing Flanagan to play on the right side. Glen is a top player, last season was arguably his best in a Liverpool shirt when he was clearly the best performing and most consistent defender in a difficult season for the Reds. He played left back as well at times last season, and impressed equally on either side. This season his level has dropped, in some part we now realise due to carrying a number of differing injuries. He’s back now, claiming to feel as good as he’s ever done, and he was certainly very impressive in his last game playing for England against Denmark. However he too is a right back, not a left back.

So it’s clear we need a left back, preferably one who can be a first choice and play in the footballing style that the team has developed. The player on everyone’s lips at the moment is Luke Shaw, an impressive 18 year old at Southampton who has already racked up 51 league appearances and shone on his debut for England. Shaw has pace, height, strength, a solid left foot, good attacking instincts and a good cross.

However there is always far too much hype around young players and if Liverpool were interested in him we would supposedly have to compete with Manchester United and Chelsea, both of whom have experienced left backs coming to the ends of their careers. The price for Shaw is apparently upwards of £20m, and with a possible bidding war who knows how high it would go. Also, paying a large price for a left back, when we have announced a loss of nearly £50m, may seem imprudent, even with the Champions League on the horizon.

Given our position we would seem in a much better state to sign Martin Montoya from Barcelona, whose contract is due to run out soon. Although he is in fact right footed. An even better signing in my opinion would be Fabio Coentrao, an experienced top quality international full back, as adept defending as attacking, and likely to be available since losing his regular place since his fellow Portuguese Jose Mourinho left the Santiago Bernabéu. Signing a more experienced left back would allow for our younger full back options like Flanagan, Kelly and the returning Jack Robinson and Andre Wisdom, to develop at a more measured pace.

So, unless we can get Luke Shaw on the cheap, which I doubt, our money is better off spent elsewhere.

One thing is for certain, come next Summer, signing a left back, whoever that may be, must be a priority.

You can catch more from me on my own blog: http://taintlessred.blogspot.co.uk/

Live4liverpool is looking for writers, please contact the editor at live4liverpool@snack-media.com

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Gabriel Darshan (Writer) - aka Sutha Nirmalananthan aka TaintlessRed. I am a lifelong Liverpool fan who has followed the Reds from near (e.g. living in Kirkby) and far (e.g. living in Johannesburg), though am again living back home in the UK. I’ve watched football in stadia all around the world, from the Maracana to the Camp Nou, though Anfield will of course always be the greatest! I enjoy healthy football debate, preferring reasoned analysis based on sound evidence over gossip. I also write a blog at http://taintlessred.blogspot.co.uk/ on all things Liverpool FC and you can follow me on twitter @taintlessred

8 comments

  • PeteLFC says:

    This is a must he is class and fits in with FSG young British talent. He is thought to be a Chelski fan so they will again be the sticking point, but we still have to try even if it is to show everyone where we want to be. And you never know maybe he will look at where other youngsters at Chelski have gone ( or not ) and how Liverpool have developed there youngsters. YNWA

  • godwin says:

    messi is left footed,hope you wont mind buying him and playing him in your fantasy football team…anyway,a left footed winger is for me a priority i really cant remember the last time we had one(apart from the mighty riera and invincible downing)having a laugh mate)we havent had many.

  • stevie says:

    Luke shaw will cost a fortune so we won’t be getting him. Having just lost 50m I can’t see it happening

  • Seve says:

    Everybody is looking at Luke Shaw. I would rather us go for Ben Davies. Young – check, British – check, Talented – check, Cheaper – check. Doesn’t have the pace and power of Shaw but reads the game extremely well. Great at linking up play and getting into good attacking positions as well as scoring the odd goal. Very similar style of play to Leighton Baines. Added benefits is that he has European cup competition experience and already has six caps for Wales. For me it’s a no brainer. Swansea probably won’t let him go on the cheap but we’re not looking at Shaw type money.

    • magic man says:

      I would give young brad smith the chance in preseason. This kid has every thing power and pace can score goals and a great crosser of the ball. He didn look out of place when he came against chelsea.

  • Kings says:

    Totham vertonhem is gud for me.

  • vladis says:

    No, no and no!!! The are a few LB, so why him? Yes, hes perfect for BR style, but too expensive now, and after world cup. City, mancs and Chlsea on the way for him, justo NO!

  • precious says:

    To me I prefer BR go for the like’s of fabio coentrao nd ben davies, cause that luke shaw of a guy clause is too much

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