It could be argued that Liverpool have massively overpaid for a couple of players this Summer, but the bottom line is that if they have the money, they should use it to improve their squad and so far that is exactly what they have done.
Their priority so far has been the strengthening of their midfield, and they were never short of attacking threat, so it is their defense that I think should be their next focus. Liverpool don’t necessarily lack quality in their back line but they do lack numbers, their current set of players are experienced but either injury prone or getting on in years, and in some cases both. Jamie Carragher and Sotirios Kyrgiakos are both decent players but the wrong side of 30, Daniel Agger is a great defender when on form, but he has been hampered by injuries , and Martin Skrtel has missed the entire preseason with an injury.
Caughtoffside.com reckon that ‘King Kenny’ is looking at addressing that department in the near future and they claim he is paying particular interest in Stoke war horse and former Manchester United defender Ryan Shawcross. Whether it be the Stoke man or not it shows a clear understanding of the frailties in his squad, and he could do a lot worse than the 23 year old. He is about to begin his 5th season with the side and in that time he has become a crucial cog in their team, his physical attributes make him a real force in the Premier League. Clearly he is not one of the ‘classiest’ defenders, but he gets the job done and he has attracted admiring glances from a few teams up and down the league.
In many ways it is a transfer that I can see making sense for all concerned, Shawcross has recently rejected the opportunity to represent Wales which would suggest that he see’s a future with England, and I see no reason why that can’t happen. CaughtOffside suggest that the defender may feel it easier to get into the England squad whilst playing for a more high profile club and I can see that as a big factor in pushing him towards a move. It is reported that a bid of around £12million would secure his signature and to be honest I think that would be a really good piece of business for Liverpool, he is a quality defender and I think there are similarities between Shawcross and Anfield legend Jamie Carragher. Clearly it would be good money for Stoke as well, a side who are hardly flushed financially and therefore it would be a bid that would be very hard to reject.
personally i dont think we need anyone whos gonna be on the bench and kill me for saying it but carragher is done, we need a big time replacement for him, and possibly the only ones we could buy and who would come to us is someone like chris samba and shawcross(not good enough)
kelly and ayala are at the standard for bench