LIVERPOOL have reportedly agreed a deal for Benfica player Lorenzo Melgarejo which will see the player spend a year on loan at Anfield and, if he impresses, Brendan Rodgers has the option of signing the left-footer on a permanent basis.
Despite the majority failing to do their proper research, a number of Liverpool fans have questioned the motives behind the acquisition.
Although my suspicions are that their gripe comes from a mixture of not knowing of the players’ existence before the link to the club and the few pundits who have criticised his defensive frailties, fans are wondering what to expect.
Originally a left-sided midfielder, Melgarejo spent much of last season at left-back and struggled to cope with the transition. With Rodgers talking up the need to bring in cover for the left side of defence, it seems as though the Paraguayan fits the bill. However, nobody can be confident of the plans Rodgers has in mind.
One thing is for sure, the way in which the manager has gone about this deal is one I admire and respect.
Too often in the past Liverpool have rushed into multi-million pound transfers involving players that have turned out to be nothing more than Premier League flops. Names such as Andrea Dossena, El Hadji Diouf, Robbie Keane, Christian Poulsen, Paul Konchesky, Mark Gonzalez, Jermaine Pennant and, most notoriously, Andy Carroll came to Liverpool for sizeable fees and all finished with the same conclusion – expensive mistakes.
With those names in mind, and with hindsight a wonderful thing, wouldn’t every Liverpool fan have preferred to have seen how these particular players fared over the course of a season at the club before any substantial amounts of money were handed over for their permanent services? It certainly would have saved Liverpool Football Club a lot of money and a lot of embarrassment.
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Melgarejo is valued at approximately £7 million and, come the end of the 2013/2014 season, that price could prove to be a bargain or a travesty. Nevertheless, the difference is that the club have afforded themselves the opportunity to evaluate the situation before they are forced to pay a handsome fee for the wing-back.
The Northern Irishman has his critics but, for me, Brendan Rodgers knows how to work the transfer market superbly. So far we have seen the manager bring in the likes of Philippe Coutinho for £8.5 million and Daniel Sturridge for £12 million – a duo that could be at the forefront of any success Liverpool achieves in the next decade.
He has made his mistakes, of course, but who’s to say the likes of Joe Allen and Fabio Borini won’t, eventually, become great players? After all, the youth and potential of both these players were one of the main reasons behind their acquisitions.
Lorenzo Melgarejo may not set the Premier League alight, however, he will be given a chance to prove he can be a success. If he fails, then the club and the player move on and next summer Rodgers will target another left-sided defender.
On the other hand, if he impresses over the course of a season then the club may have unearthed yet another gem for an inferior fee.
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Sorry but the headline of this article sounds like a p**s-take, why do we keep talking up the manager?, I have never seen so many articles devoted to trying to shape opinion of Brendan. Personally I believe Brendan has been hit and miss in the the transfer market, with more misses than hits, at this moment in time at least.