To buy or not to buy: Do LFC have enough strength in-depth?

THE jury is still out as to whether this transfer window has been a success or disappointment. For me though, the term ‘so far so good’ seems the most pertinent.

Despite the disappointment felt by losing out on the gifted Mkhitaryan there has been significant progress made in strengthening the squad overall.

The addition of Iago Aspas, Luis Alberto, Simon Mignolet and Kolo Toure has definitely increased competition for places and improved the quality of players available to Brendan Rogers.

The gaffer has spent more than £20 million on these new acquisitions but astutely balanced the books with the sales of Andy Carroll and Jono Shelvey. While Carroll’s departure was written on the wall basically the day Rodgers became manager Shelvey’s move more than raised a few eyebrows.

However considering the players we currently have and may bring in within the next few weeks Jono leaving may not prove as detrimental as some have argued.

So with the improvements made so far how many more signings are needed?

For my money there isn’t a great deal left to bring in and with maybe two or three more quality players the season ahead should be faced with justifiable hope and optimism. A major reason for which is the current crop of youngsters eagerly knocking on the first team door. The return to action against Preston for the likes of Sterling, Kelly and Spearing highlighted the focus of youth in Brendan’s plans for the future.

With Ibe and Sterling both on the score sheet we have options on the flanks that can both create and convert chances. Both will be vying for a regular first team slot and the competition between these two young guns will be a fascinating watch this season. The smart money has to be on Sterling commanding more first team appearances due to his performances early last year and experience gained in the process. However, I fully expect Ibe to be biting at this his heels and may even surpass Sterling in the Anfield pecking order.

The convincing win against Preston showed enough reason to believe the squad is heading in the right direction and should improve on results last season. Luis Alberto looked promising going on a few dangerous runs but his lack of experience and relative youth was easy to identify. Still only 20, he has time on his side and the unquestionable technical ability that seems to be the trademark of the modern Spanish player.
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All our new signings played a role in the game but Iago Aspas particularly caught the eye. Although it’s very early days he looks to possess the vision and ability to unlock a defence when needed. His superbly timed pass for Sterling’s goal displayed an awareness and touch that stands him in good stead for the season ahead. Combining with Couthinho in the final third the future looks very bright for the Reds.

His goal was a good strike that displayed an excellent eye for goal and technical prowess. It’s always positive to see players on debut not afraid to take a shot at goal and as the old adage goes if you don’t shoot you don’t score. Sure a Premiership class keeper would probably have saved the strike but that should take nothing away from the debutants effort.

There should be many chances created from midfield: the question is whether our strikers will be able to convert the opportunities.

This is where we may again struggle to capitalise on the creative work in midfield as Sturridge remains our only real striker; that is assuming Suarez is heading for the exit. Borini is a decent enough player as he displayed earlier this summer at the U-20 European Championships but appears a little out of his depth at the highest level. His profligacy in front of goal means he’ll be unlikely to score the 20+ goals needed as a top level marksman.

So if Suarez leaves and Sturridge fail to be fit for the start of the season we currently look desperately short of fire power. While Aspas and Borini are certainly players for the future to rely on them in the short term would be a risky strategy. For this reason we need to sign at least another proven striker and maybe another player to cover at fullback.

The fullback situation isn’t as pressing but without the additional striker I fear all the creativity displayed in midfield will be wasted as the chances are not taken. In recent weeks we’ve been linked with the likes of David Villa, Gonzalo Higuain or Burak Yilmaz. Of these three my preferred choice would be Yilmaz.

Having scored 32 goals in 39 appearances for Galatasaray last term his exploits have made him one of Europe’s most coveted strikers. Our inability to offer Champions League football makes his signing unlikely, particularly with the rumoured interest from Chelsea. So signing Higuain with another good utility player would make this transfer window as successful as we could have hoped.

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