IT seems like every year Liverpool fans are pining for a pacy, tricky winger to be signed.
Could this summer finally be the time we see one signed to compete with Downing or play on the opposite flank to him. Or do we stick with Stewart Downing and give Raheem Sterling a chance, or delve into the market and bring in a young, exciting winger to enhance squad depth and competition for places?
I think the majority of Liverpool fans would select the latter.
There’s no hiding from the fact that Downing has underperformed, we all know that and he himself must know that. Tuesday’s game against Chelsea showed more of what we expect from him, running at defenders and being a creative force for the team. Yet his luck was still out hitting the woodwork twice, surely next season after more settling in throughout the summer he will be a different player and hopefully a more crucial one as he was a large investment.
All this talk of bad luck which he has been (hitting the woodwork 6 times I believe), doesn’t deter from the fact that he is soon-to-be 28 years old and was £20m. These two factors pointed to him needing to be an instant but sadly it hasn’t turned out that way and he must improve next season as an on-form Stewart Downing can help fire us to Champions League football.
Raheem Sterling will still only be 17-years-old come the start of next season but there’s no doubting his quality even at such a young age. We saw the introduction of other young academy lads such as Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard excel at a similar age and I wouldn’t be surprised if Raheem went on to make a similar impact to the Liverpool team. His cameo appearance against Wigan a few weeks ago was like a breath of fresh air. By just simply picking up the ball and running at full-backs and taking them on is something that hasn’t been seen often enough this season from our wide-men.
Concerning departures from the club, it seems certain Maxi Rodriguez will leave the club after coming off on Tuesday night’s game with Chelsea he waved to the fans as he was substituted, he later confirmed his exit via his Twitter feed. I’ll be sad to see the Argentine international leave as he’s been somewhat of a cult hero at the club but unfortunately he is the wrong side of 30 and we must invest in better quality and more youthful players if we are to progress next season.
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Dirk Kuyt is another that looks set to leave the club as he is along with Maxi, not getting any younger. Dirk’s always gave everything to the cause and has been an excellent players for Liverpool over his six year spell with the club, scoring vital goals and working harder than any player in the squad for a long time. Another over 30 is Craig Bellamy. He must stay at LFC for me as he still has the ability to compete with anyone in the Premier League, and he’s an example to anyone on the training pitch with his commitment and passion.
Possible acquisitions?
There’s been talk of Solomon Kalou arriving at Anfield. For me, I wouldn’t want to see him in a red shirt. He seems far too inconsistent and doesn’t work hard enough. I’d much rather see a younger alternative whether it be from the Premier League or abroad.
Personally, a more viable option would be Wigan’s Victor Moses as he recently broke off contract talks with his current club. He’s got pace and power, can score and create. It’s these types of players that are worth a gamble, and if you can acquire them for £5m-£8m in today’s market it wouldn’t be too bad. That ensures that if the worst case scenario occurs and they don’t perform it wouldn’t be too hard to reclaim most of the expense.
Another who is quite similar to Moses is Blackburn’s Junior Hoilett, a tricky Canadian with an eye for goal. True he doesn’t work as hard as some wingers but he’s got that creative edge and decent delivery into the box that the likes of Gerrard, Suarez and Carroll can feed off. Also both Moses and Hoilett are just 21 and if the reports are true that FSG want players 23-years-old and under, these two are sure to be talked about this summer as possible signings.
It’s all down to Kenny and whether he is willing to take a gamble of one of these few we’ve been linked with or whether he sees the more viable option to be to hand Raheem Sterling a more prominent role in the squad. No doubt it will be a very interesting summer for LFC.
Follow me on Twitter – @m1cklfc
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