Young and Proven Talent Needed

All Liverpool fans remember the night of January 31st 2011. Just another manic Monday.

Liverpool sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea for a British transfer record fee of £50m, before signing Andy Carroll from Newcastle for a club record £35m and a certain Luis Suarez from Ajax for £23m as replacements.

Two of those three deals certainly did not make their mark for the money that was lavished on them, but the one who did now has his own colossal transfer, with Suarez, barring a medical, joining Barcelona for £75m.

Why am I referring back to that ill-fated/wonderful (Carroll/Suarez) night? The reason is, despite the overall failure regarding Carroll, Liverpool’s American owners had the right idea to bring in a couple of replacements that varied in their status.

One already had a reputation for being a top striker, albeit in a league lacking in quality compared to the Premier League. The other was a young, less proven talent – but a talent that could become one of the world’s best for a long time to come, hence the reason so much money was spent on the big Geordie.

Ultimately, Carroll was not the right fit for Liverpool, but Suarez picked up the mantle from Torres and incredibly raised the bar, putting himself into the discussion of the club’s greatest players after just three and a half years with the Reds.

Therefore, regarding what Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool should do with the Suarez cash, it will be impossible to find one direct replacement. There is no one available on the market at the moment who can perform all of the attributes of the Uruguayan to the same extraordinary level.

The American owners have the plan in place from that night three and a half years ago, but the replacements need to be chosen wisely, as the stakes are far higher this time round.

Last time, Liverpool were struggling between the top eight and six in the league, not getting anywhere near the top four. Now that Liverpool are finally back in the Champions League, it is critical that they stay there, which is easier said than done.

The fierce competition, rivals strengthening their squads, the loss of Suarez and the fact that Liverpool have not tasted back to back top four seasons since 2008-09 emphasises the pressure on Rodgers and his men, especially given the lucrative finances that come with qualification in the era of Financial Fair Play. However, most importantly, Liverpool fans would love to see another title tilt, let alone a top four finish.

So once again, the replacements for the star striker’s departure should include a proven talent and a young talent. Neither comes cheap these days.

However, there are players available who have showcased their talents already on the biggest of stages, or are waiting to after demolishing lesser competition, like Suarez back in Holland. Rodgers will have to tweak the style of play to allow everyone to express themselves rather than building the team round the strengths of Suarez, because of the inability of a direct replacement.

Another top striker could arrive to partner Daniel Sturridge, such as Mario Balotelli of AC Milan, Jackson Martinez of FC Porto and Karim Benzema of Real Madrid.

Alternatively, a more creative player could come in to play just behind the Englishman, chipping in with a few goals but providing many assists. The likes of Marco Reus of Borussia Dortmund and Angel Di Maria of Real Madrid could perform this role and Liverpool would be adding a genuinely world class player to their ranks.

These may seem like unrealistic targets, but Liverpool would certainly have the money to purchase one, with funds left over for a less established option plus strengthening the defence.

Furthermore, they would have the chance of becoming the next superstar for Liverpool Football Club, one of the biggest clubs in world football, in the Champions League, rather than one of many at the likes of Real Madrid. Even though they would not be a direct replacement on their own, they would feel like it and that could bring the best out of them, like it did for Suarez.

Regarding the ‘next big thing’ option, Liverpool are unlikely to find a cheap gem such as Coutinho in today’s market, but the price still cannot be allowed to reach Andy Carroll levels. It looks likely that this area will be settled with fairly soon, with the Reds initially chasing Xherdan Shaqiri of Bayern Munich, but now are set to sign Lazar Markovic from Benfica for roughly £20 million.

As a Liverpool fan, it is not the most exciting transfer and I am not exactly ecstatic about the price. Perhaps this is just the natural pessimism that is present in the majority of Reds, given our continuing title chase that has lasted over 20 years. Regardless, Rodgers has to improve his record in the transfer market this season, especially with these younger talents.

Rival clubs are continually being linked with star quality players, with Arsenal signing Alexis Sanchez (after the Chilean reportedly turned Liverpool down) and Manchester United still being linked with the likes of Di Maria, Arturo Vidal and Mats Hummels.

Of course, most of this is just speculation and the majority of it will not come to fruition (especially the United rumours hopefully!). Nevertheless, Liverpool have money to spend this summer and it must be spent wisely and on a varied mix of talent, not just the risky youngsters.

That night, three and a half years ago, the Reds had the right idea for replacing Torres. To replace Suarez – same method, better execution.

£75m – who should we buy?