IF the rumour mill, the tabloid press and the frenzied activity on Twitter over the last couple of months is anything to go by, then Liverpool would have spent about £150m in transfer fees already this summer, and the squad would be bulging with new talent.
The reality is that activity has been limited to the signings of Fabio Borini, Joe Allen, Oussama Assaidi and now Nuri Sahin on loan.
The transfer window will finally close in just under a week’s time and, although we’ll have to endure a full day’s worth of nonsense on Sky Sports News and watch Jim White get incredibly excited as Spurs start panic buying, and top foreign strikers are spotted at random airports all over the nation, the silly season of transfer comings and goings is about come to a conclusion very soon.
But what more will Liverpool actually get done in the last week of activity, and what’s the most important area for strengthening? Of all the countless players that have been linked, which deal is the most likely to come off, and which would be the most important? Here we’ll look at a few potential signings that have been heavily linked with LFC, and try and make a case for which would be the most relevant for the club as we stand.
Clint Dempsey: the longest running transfer story of the summer, and now seemingly the subject of an official complaint from Fulham, despite the fact that all Brendan Rodgers has done in public is answer a straightforward question with a very straightforward answer. Whatever you think of what’s happened here so far, Dempsey is an established Premier League goalscorer, with 17 league goals last season and 14 the season before – both totals would have made him Liverpool’s top scorer in each of those campaigns. If Liverpool can still reason with Fulham and negotiate a realistic price, Dempsey might prove to be a very valuable acquisition. With energy, ambition and a proven goalscoring record, not to mention a clear desire to come and play for the club, Dempsey’s ability to turn chances into goals, which is an area that Liverpool are sorely missing at present, would be a hugely important ingredient in the mix.
Hector Herrera: the star player in Mexico’s recent run to become Olympic champions (impressively beating Brazil in the final), Herrera’s current club have confirmed that both Liverpool and Manchester United have contacted them about Herrera’s availability. Another technically sound and energetic midfielder, Herrera is attracting attention from a number of top clubs in Europe, but you can’t help but wonder whether the club is already overloaded with young midfield players with potential. If he were to be the only signing made before the window closed, you’d be left with the feeling that we could and should have focused efforts on strengthening elsewhere.
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Theo Walcott: lots of strong rumours from seemingly well placed sources were coming through in July that suggested that Liverpool were about to bid £15m for Walcott, who was stalling on signing a new deal at Arsenal. The rumours have died down somewhat over the last few weeks, but with Walcott still to agree a new contract at Arsenal, the whispers are sure to re-start over the run up to deadline day. If Liverpool could raise the funds, would Arsenal really reject a £15m bid for a player with less than 12 months to go on his contract? Would Walcott be prepared to leave Champions League football behind and commit himself to Liverpool as part of a front three with Suarez and Borini? Reds fans would love to see Walcott join – his pace is a constant menace to defences and he would link up fantastically with the other attacking players in the side – but it might be that other deals here are more realistic.
When all is said and done, what Liverpool have lacked most in the last eighteen months has been goals. Sheer weight of goals, and the ability to put chances away. The team is really not short on ability to create chances and, last weekend apart, doesn’t look too bad as a defensive unit, especially with Lucas back in the side. The need to be clinical in front of goal, and the need to have that guaranteed source of 15-20 Premier League goals per season, is the greatest of all.
For that reason, if Liverpool only make one more signing in this window then we should all be keeping our fingers crossed that it’s Walcott, and if that proves too unrealistic then it should be Dempsey. In a front three alongside Suarez and Borini, that might just add the firepower we need.
Find me on twitter @rossco1981
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£150M in transfer fees?!?!?!?!
That means we paid £123M to get Sahin on loan!!!
He must be very very good!
Read again,no one said we’d spent that,,if all we where reported as trying to buy,had been bought it would have cost us…now then,I think Dempsey for goals & to fit the team,also makes commercial sense for fsg,then there has been talk of Huntelarr that could be a good move,maybe strengthen in January cover c/l back & defensive midfielder
Afellay please, I know he’s not on the list but by all reports he’s available on loan, and it means we can let joe cole go.
The owners should give B Rodgers £50M to bring 4 players by end of week to change dimension of squad:
1: G Rossi Of Villareal Or Soldado Of Valecia, One of these deadly finsihers should be brought for £15-£20M FD to compete with Carroll and Suarez
2: T Walcott Of Arsenal should be brought for £12-£15M RW/RWF to compete with Assaidi and Sterling.
3: Diego Capel Of Sporting Clube De Portugal should be brought for £6-£11M LW/LWF to compete with Borini and Downing.
4: C Dempsey should be brought in swap deal with C Adams and £4M. AM to compete with Gerrard and Shelvey.
Those four players would bring more monility, pace, speed, creativity and goals to squad and some good healthy competition to side:
And those 4 players would bring between 30-50 goals to side.
more mobility, pace, speed, creativity and goals: Those four players would bring to club:
1: Soldado Of Valencia
2: T Walcott Of Arsenal
3: Diego Capel Of Sporting Clube De Portugal
4: C Dempsey Of Fulham
And B Rodgers needs to ship out these 4 dead weight players still at club:
1: J Flanagan RB/LB
2: J Spearing DM/CM
3: C Adams should be used in swap deal for C Adams CM/DM
4: J Cole AM/RW/LW
Flanagan?!!
Have you ever seen him play? I doubt it otherwise you would know he is a very good prospect. Why don’t you get back to your computer games
Flanagan is not good enough to play for club, if your telling me Amoo, T Ince Of Blackpool now wre not good enough to make 1st team and flanagan is , you got to be kiding me, Darby, Ayala, Whitbread and Peltier all young defenders who could not get into first team, are all miles better than Flanagan.
So i do not get your point
flanagan is 18/19 up against johnson and kelly and should be kept not his fault he is fight for a place against two internationals.
I am not denying that, but he is not good enough.
Our club in the last four seasons have let some desecent young defenders leave club who are two times as good as flanagan, Ayala, Peltier, Darby and they wreer not good enough to get in first team and show the door, so how can you say he should be still at club?
We should absolutely take Soldado. He would score a lot for us.
I think Dempsey is on his way to LFC. Would be a good move for all parties.
one player i wish we would buy just to put pressure on our forward line, would be Jordan Rhodes! he would come relatively cheap and he sure as hell knows where the goal is and who’s to say he won’t be the next superstar?
other than that, i think we nearly OWE it to Dempsey to sign him up after everything he’s been through!
Theo would add to any team, so yeah!
One poweful striker please and hector herreira
pls we need Dempsey by all means b4 the window close!
for get dempsey if it will cost us anything more than 5/6 million. he will be 30 soon. would buy Walcott for any thing up to 16 million. if rodgers will play him is main striker, i think he might come. because that is position he wants to play. he is a very good finisher, as the so called experts say Walcott’s problem is he does not pick out the right ball when he has the time, that problem is not such a problem when you are thru the middle. also think Suarez is better on the right.
ok and where are all the so called fans that were calling for BR’s head gone………..
Spot on with your picks. I believe if we can get Dempsey and Walcott we’ll be difficult to stop and finally have a player to put away chances inside the box and another constant threat (with Suarez) to opposite defenders.
Our team looked so much more potent yesterday when they started “trusting” Sterling with the ball (after about 15 mins of the first half). Suddenly there was another threat apart from Suarez to close down which created space for our new pass happy midfield (compared to midweek Hearts game where they didn’t have similar space and allowed Hearts to close us down all over the park).
Imagine having Walcott on the right, Suarez left and the Borini / Dempsey in the middle with Carroll as “plan B”.
Probably only need 20 million as we’ll get 3 and 4/5 million for Spearing and Adam.
Saw a report on a Villa website saying the’re considering taking Downing back for 9 million, probably false but we can all dream I guess…
The four players i mentioned would bring some much needed creativity, mobility,pace, skill and trickery to side: The club have lacked out and out consistant performing wingers on either wing since the Mcmanaman and MCateer Era,
Sterling is going to be a star for future and was awesome yesterday, but he showed club what we have been missing for years out and out width, pace and trickery a winger who likes to get at full backs.
Borini is not an out and out winger
But if the B Rodgers is given £50M to bring in the 4 players i mentioned:
1: Soldado Of Valencia , Another striker who can and would score 15-25 goals a season for £16- £20M FD
2: T Walcott Of Arsenal for £12-£15M his pace, speed would frighten teams anyway like he always does and as a three man striker, he would get more chances on goal and walcott is a very good finisher. And would provide 10 goals and 6-10 assists a season RW/RWF
3: C Dempsey Of Fulham should be brought in swap deal with C Adams and £4M, dont think C Dempsey will be as prolific as he was last season. But he knows where the back of net is, then club could have two good finishers at club: Soldado and Dempsey and Suarez would score 12- 20 goals and Borini would score 5- 10 goals a season. And If A Carroll is kept at club for season and give chance in games, wheter he starts or comes from bench i think he is asset and club should not sell him as if things are not working one way, big A C can mix it up and will score at least 10-15 goals season if he is given fair chance.
4: Diego Capel Of Sporting Clube De Portugal should be brought for £6-£11M to come and compete with Downing and Borini, Capel willmoffer more pace and speed than Borini and Downing and is more direct than either of two. And he would score 5-8 goals a season and provide 5- 10 goals a season.
Those four players would take club back into champions league reckoning, as we have best centre back partnership in league and hoepfully FSG are not stupid enough to sell Agger. Who is easily the best defender at club and the best footballing centre back in premiership.
Thse 4 players would bring excitement, mobility,goals and get our club back to where we belong at top of table, challenging for top 4 places.
Jovetic and if possible, Navas. Dempsey only at the right price. Get this 3, sell Carrol, cole, spearing , Adam should bring in 30 million. Watch top 4 become ours
Please buy a goalscorer thats all i want.
As 4 me i tink we need jst 3 more signings such as:Clint Dempsey,Daniel Sturridge nd Hector hererra…. Argue with me if u can…
hey nunez. we dnt need sturidges. we need adam johnson sell chali adam and jordan carol should be given more chance. And perhabs one left back
We should hurry up and sign dempsy. His gona help us with that mdfeld. Or walcot, that is if he would like to come. But empsy is a perfect match 4 liverpool. YNWA
We just need to play big Andy, problem solved.
i think we need a goal scorer. I think borini is still young and settling in. Even if we keep caroll, i think the board and br should realise we need a striker now and not leave it till jan transfer window,it might be too late. I think the perfect striker is huntelaar,proven goal scorer and read that he has not agreed a new contract with schalke. Letz hope.As for dempsey, i think we should give adam or cole or even both in exchange.Spearing im not sure,home grown so they might give him another season. I like that br is not spending big on all his transfers but i feel we need a proven striker now even if it costs us some cash. Hope asaidi turns out to be a gem. Letz trust br and see what happenz. YNWA
brendan, shld keep andy and play him more often upfront with a starting lineup. his presence the last game was fantastic. almost got a goal for us.
Suarez is more to a winger and a finisher.
Borini is adapting to our game.slowly and steady.
Dempsey will be our last signing to me.
We need a defensive midfield.
We got only Lucas and his already injured.
Andy Carroll needs to fight for his place and get a regular start , but we still need to buy an outright goalscorer Soldado who can play champions league might not want to come or Cavani , then we will do more than fine.