Rafael van der Vaart – At £6-7million, the signing of the Dutch playmaker should be a no brainer if Rafa Benitez has the funds. He has excelled in the last six months of the season despite the fact he started the campaign frozen out at the Bernabeu. The Dutch number 10 wasn’t even given a squad number at the start of the season but has turned his season round remarkably. With Kaka out injured, van der Vaart has capitalised on his chance and has become a firm favourite among Real fans for his class displays. His performances behind Higuain and Ronaldo have been exemplary, playing a critical role in the hole behind the strikers, creating chances for others as well as scoring some vital goals himself. A player, who has flexibility too as he can also play in a wide position, would add that much needed flair and goal threat to the Liverpool attack. Why is he available for such a low price? Because Real want to make room for more expensive signings this summer.
Joe Cole – Probably an unlikely move but I have always been a fan of Cole’s despite his affiliation with the Blues. A creative, skilful English player who would be a very useful addition to the wing, he might be available on a free transfer in the summer if he is not given a new contract by Chelsea. More likely to move to Manchester United or stay at Chelsea, I would really like Rafa to have a go and persuade Cole to become part of something on Merseyside, even if there is no Champions League football next season. A regular starting place and a promise to him that he would be a very important player, you never know what might happen.
Arda Turan – A sizeable fee would be needed to land the young Turkish left winger, and Liverpool would need to sell a couple of players to finance a deal. The sale of Albert Riera and perhaps Ryan Babel would probably give us enough money to sign the 23 year old. A useful player on the ball, he is quick, skilful and is equally adept at scoring goals as he is assisting them. Arda played an important role during Turkey’s great run at Euro 2008 to the semi-finals, and his influence on the left side would come in very handy for Liverpool. The midfielder has already stated his desire to play for Liverpool on a number of occasions, and at his age, we could really be buying a fantastic bargain.
Diego Forlan – His goal on Thursday night against us is typical of the Uruguayan’s style of play. Worked very hard off the ball for most of the night, but pretty quiet in front of goal, he pops up at the vital moment to send his team through. Although a former United player, I wouldn’t have any qualms over signing him, he may even come back to haunt his old team in a local derby! At 30 years old, Forlan is at prime goalscoring age, and with Fernando Torres the only other real class striker at the club, what the Reds need more than anything is goals, and goals right now. Although he was a flop last time he was in England, Forlan now has two European Golden Boots under his belt since his time in Spain; he scored 32 goals last season and 24 goals this season despite Atletico only being tenth in the league. The big stumbling block will be the money that will be demanded for him but if the Reds do have any money this summer, it must go towards a striker because if Torres does get injured again next season, we need a good enough replacement, Forlan may well be it.
Aleksandar Kolarov – With Fabio Aurelio most likely leaving and the inexperienced Emiliano Insua the only first team left back left, Liverpool will need to search for another full back, and look for a relatively cheap one too. Kolarov is an attacking full back who has had an impressive season with Lazio, and many see him as a world class player of the future. Denoted the “Serbian Roberto Carlos,” Kolarov loves to get forward and cross from out wide, as well as being a pretty apt free-kick taker. He has already been linked with Liverpool in the last few months and could be a very exciting prospect. The left back position has been a problem position all season and it is one area we really need to get right in the summer, have you any other relatively cheap suggestions that could be an option in this position for Liverpool to sign in the summer?
Sorry to wreck your day mate, but Rafa won`t be here next season. Your player selection is decent though. YNWA
I agree with some of this article, but the one thing I’m dead against is signing Kolarov. He is Dossena Mark2. He’s made a name for himself going forward in a league were wingers are few and far between. Whenever he is up against a quality wide man he’s looked poor and I feel we need a predominantly defensive LB to complement Glen at RB. Once we have that we need a natural LW and although I rate all the players mentioned, none of them are that, apart from maybe Turan.
But I also hold my hands up and tell you that if someone asks me who is the answer on the LW, I’m not sure I could give a definative answer.
kolarov should be replaced with taye taiwo and we can buy just arda or vdv because they both are leftwingers so the players we need are :Arda,Taiwo and Forlan or Bent for strikers to partner Torres
Sorry isa but Bent is a useless player, he can’t cut it in a big club and since the proof is in his record at Spurs. Darren needs alot of chances to score plus he also takes penalties so that why he has so many this season. There are only 2 quality English strikers good enough for a big club and they are Rooney and Defoe. Since neither are available we should be looking abroad at Dzeko,Benzema and Jovetic. Agree about swapping Taiwo for Kolarov, Taiwo is a much better athlete and a better defender. Like Turan and VDV, need to get both though. They are different players which we need to add to the club.
We need at least 2 more strikers.No goals = no points.Learn your lesson Rafa.He either sold or loaned out any cover we had this season and getting shut of Crouch and Sami and spending 17 Mil on Johnson was a sackable offence in my books. With them in the side we didn’t concede soft goals from set pieces at all.Cost us 2 cracks at the CL (40-80 Million) and rendered us uncompetitive in everything else.No doubt he’ll buy another 7 dismal utility players that no-one else would touch with a Neville.Then he’ll blame financial restrictions.David Moyes must be livid,given his ‘real’ financial restrictions and 2 seasons of injury woe.If we don’t buy the right players this season we’ll be resigned to mid-table mediocrity.Simple as.We’ve been average at best this season and the league is getting far more competitive.
Errr… why are we assuming any new Liverpool manager will have funds to buy these players?
First of all, the mighty reds need a new gaffe at the helm next season, my bet Martin o’Neill or Hodgson.
Assuming a swift takeover the best 5 signings by the manager should be-
1)Striker-David Villa,coz if we can pay upto 30mil for Forlan we can add 5 mil and get Villa,the new manager’s reputation might have a say in it though.
2)Left Back-Gorgi Schennikov,provided Insua (rubbish) is sold,and we keep aurelio.19 year old Russian,Plays for CSKA moskva,
3)Left Wing-Arda Turan-very good player,Sell Riera
4)Right side-Though i have to say Maxi has been impressive,got to get a young player there,Ashley Young/James Milner if O’neill comes in or else Werder Bremen’s Mezut Ozil ,a tad costly though.
you lot talk as if we got money to burn. name 1 world class manager who would manage us under current conditions. dreamers
I would not bother with Forlan even if the club had the money someone like Jovetic is what they need and would not get both Cole and Turan together.
Rafa is going to Turin. Announced several times on Italian media since morning. Two decades gone and never managed to win the Premiership. No cash and no buyers. The curse continues
If Hicks and Gillet are still in charge next season, whoever will be the manager won’t have to much money to spend, so I’ll try to be realistic
Names for me would be:
1)Carlton Cole 10 mill
2)R. Van Der Vaart 8 mill (if available at that price and if he would accept season without CL)
3)Danny Wilson 3 mill
4)Taye Taiwo 10 mill
in addition, Sofiane Feghouli is out of contract, so as one for the future…
I think best solution for winger/forward would be Suarez but Liverpool cannot pay his price at the moment…
Rafa aint LFC manager 4 the next PL titel race
sorry to shoot most of you down, but how do you know we’ll even have funds to even compete with any of the top teams this summer… bearing in mind that its the world cup some of these players prices are gonna sore…
we dont even know if anyone wants to invest in the club. Gillet and Hicks have really done us over on this. Having those yankee wankers has made us into a laughing stock…
One last the fans that want Rafa out… It will come to haunt you when he’s in Italy doing well with Juventus because the board will give him backing and MONEY.
Dont forget that in the last few years Liverpool have been in the champions league and doing well in most years.
We could also see the likes of Torres, Reina, Mascherano, Kuyt leave the club as it was Rafa who lured them in.
Erm sorry to crash the party but, and it’s quite a big but, where is the money for these signings, never mind the wages.
Do you think Van Der Vaart would be earning less than 100,000 in Madrid. Don’t forget the tax breaks they get over there. Keep smoking the pipe
Forget about new signings. If Rafa leaves and we have no investment in players, we are looking at present top players leaving. Which manager and top players in their senses would join the club with present owners? Instead of everyone putting their energies together [except the Spirit of Shankley] in getting rid of them, we are driving out the manager and taking all pressure off the Dracula brothers. If matters get even worse, most of us will deserve what lies in wait for us next year!!!
Matty K
Not really a Forlan fan -scored a goal against us as a result of poor marking more than anything else & there is better younger options out there.
Turan should come to Anfield,also really need an imposing solid fullback because they have been caught out with pants pulled down by most teams & yes -that includes Carra who bleeds Liverpool blood but has slipped up also.
the problem I don’t think are the players. We need a manager who can motivate and bring youths up from the academy. The success behind Man Utd and Arsenal have been this. Liverpool does not seem to be bringing up youngsters. Rafa can leave and hopefully with him goes Lucas, Ngog, Degen. With little money, we can do some wonders. It is not impossible. We need a decent manager and Dalglish is good enough. He has the one thing Rafa lacks – for Dalglish, Liverpool is in the heart. For Rafa, it is just another club. That difference will bring liverpool up. The youngsters coming up will have to develop the fire in them to succeed. It might take time but it will make the team a formidable one in two or three season. This is better than every season ,without fail we dreaming of buying all kind of players. It has been 20 over years we are doing this. Frustrating!!!
In short, I rather have the heart of Carragher and Gerrard in the players than the skills of Torres. Though I must admit Torres has developed the heart for Liverpool. If we can get players to be like torres and have that passion, then we can buy the players. If not we end up …. with French players coming under Houllier, Spanish players under Rafa, and then next what? Frustration after frustration. I am really tired of all these talks of buying this player, that player and then a rubbish season. 20 years – it is about time we learn our lesson! Either we have the money of chelsea or man city, or we develop a powerful youth academy programme. With the history of the club like liverpool, if we can develop a team to succeed in 2 or 3 season (not easy though – 5 years a more decent target) – the players coming up have better chance of staying – they will have the liverpool heart – that is what we need. And we need a manager who can motivate and bring the best out of the players. Not a tactician who is not able to relate to the players. We need the liverpool heart.
So many knee-jerk reactions here. Have you looked at Gerrard, Torres, and Carragher lately? They would LOVE to be shot of Benitez and play for a progressive, daring, forward-thinking manager. All this toss about everyone leaving if we lose Rafa is ridiculous. Rafa has been tactically poor and his man-management is perhaps the worst of any manager in the prem. Look at his decisions, his press conferences, his signings, his alienation of players and personnel, his absolute unwillingness to learn and adapt. The sooner we move on from him the better – and a better suited manager would get far more out of this squad. Just imagine if a Hiddinck came in and made sensible decisions – he’d get Gerrard firing in his natural positions – he wouldn’t stand for repetitive ineptitude from the likes of Babel and Kuyt – and he certainly wouldn’t play players in unnatural positions and hold them back all the time. Even someone like Roy Hodgson would get more out of this team – and one or two quality acquisitions (and perhaps bringing on some youth team products) might make all the difference this season. We don’t need to keep banging on about the squad, the money, the owners – when we’ve seen a sitting duck manager toss points away with silly decisions all year. Some shrewd changes could have us back and firing in no time.
wake up call, if and its abig if, liverpool do find the funds, then some, just some of the above are good players.
van der vaart is and always will be a great player, for me on his day he is unplayable, he can tackle, he can run all day and pass as well as any footballer in the english league any day, he scores too and then breaks with pace from left and right, so yes for me if a club pick him up for 10 mill then what a deal, make him feel part of your team and then you will have a player still only 27 with years ahead.
joe cole, no way, hasnt played much for chelsea in 2 years, to much wages, london boy, to much a chelsea man for me, and to many injuries, good player but not what we need.
turan- good pro, id rather milner or silva or mata but then every christmas you do not always get what you want, turan is a good player and with his hard work and balance he would give any side a plus, if we could not get silva or mata.
liverpool with huge investment; and player sales.
REINA
JOHNSON CARRAGHER AGGER CISSOHKO
MATA MASCHERANO GERRARD SILVA
VILLA TORRES