Milan Jovanovic – A Bosman Bargain or the next Andriy Voronin?

Liverpool have managed to secure the free signing of Serbian international Milan Jovanovic from Standard Liege and Reds fans are hoping that he will turn out to be an astute piece of business and an efficient addition to a squad in need of serious strengthening. Nevertheless, there are always questions to ask when a player becomes available on a free. Is he any good? Is there a reason why he cost nothing? And so on. Milan Jovanovic has managed to earn himself a massive reputation in Belgian football, succeeding in winning the Belgian Player of the Year, the Belgian Golden Boot and twice picking up the Belgian League winners medal with Standard Liege, whilst bagging a hatful of goals on the way. However, almost every football fan will know that the step up from Belgian football to the English Premiership is huge. There are only a handful of players who have made that step successfully so far, including Marouane Fellaini of Everton, Thomas Vermaelen of Arsenal and Vincent Kompany of Manchester City, and it is clear to see that many have fallen by the wayside.

Although there is no questioning that Jovanovic will play at the top end of the pitch there is some confusion as to which position is his favoured one. Many initially believed that Jovanovic was a striker; however, after seeing Milan play for Standard Liege and now Serbia in the World Cup, it is clear to see that he prefers to play as a left-sided attacking midfielder. One thing Jovanovic does possess which will excite Liverpool supporters is raw pace, he has the ability to run at defenders and cause them problems; something which has provided Reds fans with much frustration over the past few seasons with our current batch of wingers not willing to do this often enough.

With the sale of Yossi Benayoun to Chelsea and the out-of-favour Albert Riera looking likely to follow Benayoun out of the Anfield exit door this summer, there is a massive opportunity for Jovanovic to make the left-side of the Liverpool midfield his own with only, at the moment, an inconsistent Ryan Babel challenging him for the position. Needless to say we are unsure of how Roy Hodgson will act in the transfer market but there is certainly a chance for Milan Jovanovic to cement his place in one of the biggest sides in English football.

All Liverpool fans will be hoping that Jovanovic can hit the ground running and give Liverpool a good three or four years of top-class football. The biggest worry for us supporters is that, with free transfers, there is always that risk of bagging yourself another Andriy Voronin. There is no doubting Jovanovic will be a brilliant option as a squad player and for me his pace combined with his ability to put the ball into the net regularly is perfect for the type of winger Liverpool have needed for a long time. If he is able to make the step up to regular first team football and put in some quality performances in the 2010-2011 season then he could become a brilliant bit of business for Liverpool Football Club.

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