Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson welcomed the Reds’ newest signing Serbian international Milan Jovanovic today at the club’s training camp in Switzerland. Although he wasn’t one of his signings, Roy stated he felt he could be a very good addition to the team. Speaking of his role, Hodgson said to Liverpoolfc.tv:
“He’s a natural wide player who can play through the middle. He’s more of an attacking winger than a wide midfielder and he’s a goalscorer. He scores goals for club and country and I’m sure we’ll get a lot of use out of him.”
It is statement that is not overly surprising, as over the last year Jovanovic has played for both Standard Liege and Serbia on the left wing. Before then, at Standard and at his previous clubs, Jovanovic has been more accustomed to playing as a striker. Roy acknowledges that he can play through the middle, but my impression from his remarks is that the player will be utilised mostly on the flanks rather than in a striking berth. The 29 year old will most probably do an excellent job there as he has a great deal of pace and is a goal threat, but it does leave the question open as to whether we have enough cover up front.
No doubt both Dirk Kuyt and Milan Jovanovic will be able to cover the position when needed but it still leaves us effectively with only 2 recognised first team strikers in Fernando Torres and David Ngog. With uncertainties over the futures of both players, it must surely be a priority for Hodgson to bring in 2 recruits to actually fulfil the role primarily of striker.
With the lack of investment, this will surely be a difficult problem for Hodgson to solve, and I have mentioned in an earlier article today about the possibilities of some youth players getting their chance to shine. Nathan Eccleston, Dani Pacheco and even Krisztian Nemeth if he stays could have roles to play if there is a lack of funding to spend on new players.
More likely though is that Roy will look to wheel and deal, and perhaps utilise a player like Ryan Babel in a more forward role. If he sells Emiliano Insua and perhaps Albert Riera, he may have money to spend on another striker, although any such funds would probably be directed towards getting reinforcements in the full back position. Hodgson has said today that he will be looking to keep the “good players” and to bring a couple of new faces. With the departures of Benayoun and perhaps Insua, the squad is looking even more threadbare than when Hodgson arrived. He actually stated on his arrival he was surprised at the small size of the first team squad. He will have to increase numbers with limited funds and at the moment, the striker positions look the most threadbare.
A possibility as I have mentioned before is Klass-Jan Huntelaar who is available for transfer after AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said he would need to sell the Dutch striker to the Premier League to fund their move for Lukas Podolski. Still, the money for the 26 year old would be prohibitive at £10m, movement on the player sale front would probably have to come first unless Roy has a small transfer budget to play with. Huntelaar has stated he wouldn’t mind going to a club outside of the Champions League if it meant he got first team football, and there would be a greater likelihood of first team action at Anfield rather than at his other potential Premier League suitors Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
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Huntelaar could fit the bill,is cheap( i can’t believe we don’t have the money for him)and a very good striker,he’s a mate of Kuyt n Babel,so it’s good for build a team,not just XI players.I really hope,that i don’t have to relay on Ngog this season too.
great , i second that mate, this guy should be brought for around 10 mill, if we cannot do that then why should are top players stay and when the whole club, owners, board, baks whoever else will not pay out! its about time we knew what is going on, its to much now and i for one know we need another striker big time, him or crouch would do for me, i doubt crouch would leave spurs when they have champions league but the there was talk! if not buy the dutch man
Hm, well, Kuyt is not a winger so he must be a striker. Babel is not a striker. Look up his scoring rate in Holland. Well, he’s not a winger either. What is he? Roy will have to find out. But yes, we do actually need another striker, a real striker who we can rely on. Huntelaar is a good shout. At the right price worth a try.
I’d like to see Babel as a striker. He’s a natural finisher at a club where we don’t have too many of those. Plus he’s selfish, has an attitude problem, thinks he’s way better than he is – all the ingredients of a superstar!
Bring him on in his favourite role and see what he can do.
at least he’ll replace riera (who will definitely leave)
Do you think Huntelaar will want to sit on the bench all season? Crouch wouldn’t, I don’t see why Huntelaar would.
Errr…lets get this straight Kuyt is not a footballer.
Secondly, what a stupid question. Of course we need another striker – preferrably a very good one because Torres seems to get injured every 5 minutes.
Kuyt, Babel and Ngog should be sold immediately.
I don’t think huntelaar should come to Liverpool, he’s flopped at every club he’s been at since Ajax, if he was so good he’d have done the business at atleast one of those clubs…he never! Kuyt isn’t a winger lets keep him as a forward, lets push Babel up front aswell & take him in off the wing, that’s 2 strikers, let Ngog go out on loan & see how he develops, Torres is our man man..that’s 3 strikers, now we need 1 more, is jovanovic the man to fill that spot?? I don’t know I haven’t seen much of him but I know he played in a weak league, we really need a decent striker not some shite off cast who has always been over hyped & priced, it might be that we have to get someone on loan for the season??
I’m sorry to dissapoint anyone here but Liverpool is most likely to rellay on players like Kuyt and Babel, becouse there is a lot more chance of Torres leaving than them.
Now I read Loic Remi is comming our way and it is good to know Jovanovic will not be our secund striker.