A goal scoring, hard hitting midfielder that we need?

Although I have no qualms with the improvement that Lucas Leiva has made over the last year or so, the Liverpool midfield is still lacking a physical presence which I feel we need if the Reds are ever to become Premier League champions. On the other hand, Javier Mascherano was a great tackler and covered every blade of grass on the field but a crucial element missing in his game was his lack of ability in the final third of the pitch. He could strike a decent shot from distance on occasion, and distribute the ball neatly but he was first and foremost a midfield destroyer. I am of the opinion that we could be missing a trick in this area. Although Lucas is a somewhat competent tackler and passes the ball efficiently, he is not a commanding presence who can intimidate the opposition. With Gerrard unfit, Meireles up field and Lucas isolated, the problem was magnified against West Ham when we were basically outmuscled and out fought. There is need fundamentally for Patrick Vieira style presence in the Reds midfield. There are a few candidates which the Reds have been linked with in recent months. The most notable have been French stars Yann M’Vila, Etienne Capoue and Blaise Matuidi but the most recent is Toulouse international Moussa Sissoko.

Tall and rangy like his namesake, and former Reds player, Momo, he also has developed a knack for scoring goals, making him the archetypal box-to-box midfielder. After growing up in the Le Blanc-Mesnil suburb of northern Paris, Sissoko then he moved to join Toulouse in 2002. Before he signed a professional deal with the French club, Sissoko was already being tracked withLiverpool and a number of other Premier League clubs, but he chose to stay in France to continue his footballing development and signed professionally in the middle of the 2006/07 season.

For the start of the 2007/08 season, Sissoko was promoted to the senior team and given the number 22 shirt by manager Elie Baup. Playing as the defensive midfielder behind Achille Emana and captain Nicolas Dieuze, he played 36 times during his first campaign and scored two goals. Despite his success though, Toulouse finished only one place above the relegation places and Baup was sacked as manager. His replacement Alain Casanova would still however use Sissoko and the player signed a contract extension until 2012 to keep the player at the club.

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