Liverpool Transfers – Sturridge In, Ince Under Radar, Sneijder Linked, Will Sahin Leave?

By Uday Telkar
11 years Ago

Even before the transfer window opened, Brendan Rodgers was heading the line of managers looking to do business this January. Liverpool are one of the teams under immense pressure that is two-fold ai??i?? the mammoth task of improving their quality of play in order to get back to top-four stature and the task of attracting promising players to Anfield in order to improve squad depth in the true sense. While Rodgers is taking small steps in bringing back the ai???Liverpool Wayai??i?? of playing, this transfer window is going to be one of the most crucial ones from the clubai??i??s perspective. There will not be a mass influx or exodus of players but looking at how Liverpool are poised with their current crop of players, the addition of just a player or two could make all the difference and improve what has been not only a difficult but also a dismal start to the 2012/13 season.

First things first; Brendan Rodgersai??i?? reliance on Luis Suarez is like humans’ on oxygen. Say what you may about the Uruguayan, but without his presence and services on the pitch, Liverpool wouldnai??i??t be able to get through many games like the one they did against West Ham which Suarez was suspended for (after picking up five yellow cards). The arrival of a striker was necessary, inevitable and need-of-the-hour.

As Demba Baai??i??s transfer to Chelsea edged closer and closer, Sturridge to Liverpool rose from the horizon and to the forefront. On January 2nd, Rodgers finally signed the Chelsea forward for A?12 million in order to ease the load off Suarezai??i?? shoulders. The 23-year-old striker was suddenly staring at a big dent in his career while at Chelsea as the clubai??i??s inability to utilize his potential to the fullest led to frustration and a change in plans.

Brendan Rodgers declared that Sturridgeai??i??s arrival will push Suarez out wide as an inside forward, allowing Liverpoolai??i??s new signing to play in the central striker role. Although this is only going to be Sturridgeai??i??s second employment in such a role, he has proved earlier that this is a position he revels in when he was sent out on loan to Bolton from Chelsea where he scored eight goals in twelve appearances. Not that his experience playing out wide under AVB at Chelsea goes to a waste. There is a good possibility that he and Suarez would interchange positions on the pitch, causing all sorts of problems to opposition defenses depending on the course of the game.

Sturridgeai??i??s arrival could also mean that Stewart Downing would be compromised (once he is done covering for Jose Enrique at left-back), giving Liverpool a much, much stronger attacking threat across the forward line. Couple this with Fabio Boriniai??i??s return from injury, and it doesnai??i??t look so bad for the Liverpool boss, who has been fretting over Suarezai??i?? fitness since the start of the season, given that he has featured in twenty of Liverpoolai??i??s twenty-one fixtures so far in the league.

While fielding Sturridge does take care of the ai???wide-manai??i?? conundrum at Liverpool in a way, there will still be a need for a player who can compliment Sterlingai??i??s pace and agility on the opposite end. Blackpool boss Michael Appleton confirmed a Liverpool bid for Ince two weeks ago but said that the offer (rumoured to be A?4 million) was not going to be enough to prize the former Liverpool academy player back through the gates of Anfield.

Ince does exhibit a few traits that one sees in Sterling but inexperience in top flight football means bringing him in mid-season would be risky if Rodgers does plan to field him in the first team. But by the looks of it, Rodgersai??i?? risks have not done much harm so far this campaign. The latest rumoured update on this transfer is that Liverpool may be willing to up their offer to A?6 million but Blackpool are holding out for a higher fee which could see negotiations stretching through till deadline day. Liverpool will be hoping to tie a ribbon around this before that though, considering Oussama Assaidi will be unavailable due to African Cup of Nations.

A while before Ince grew as a sharper target for Liverpool, the Reds were said to be hot on the trail of Theo Walcott, whose contract talks with Arsenal seem to never end. Lack of opportunities as a frontman forced Walcott to reevaluate his position at the club and he even declined a new contract at first. But then, Wengerai??i??s trust in him playing as a central striker paid off after seeing performances like the hat-trick against Reading in the FA Cup. But it is now unlikely that Walcott will say yes to Liverpool even if they offer the money he demands because of Daniel Sturridgeai??i??s arrival.

Brendan Rodgers has said that he doesnai??i??t have a truckload of money to spend this summer, considering the exorbitant amount of money spent in the previous winter transfer windows and the bad dealings that ensued from a financial perspective. However, with the little money that will be available (rumoured to be around A?20 million excluding player sales), the Liverpool manager is looking to bring a good defensive cover for Agger and Skrtel as well, since Sebastian Coates has struggled to break through to the first team since his arrival last year.

While West Bromwich Albion and Napoli are rumoured to be interested in the 22-year-old Liverpool defender, his departure is reportedly going to be followed by the arrival of another U-21 international, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin from Valenciennes. The 6ai???1ai??i?? central defender is known for a strong presence in the air and a rare sense of composure while tackling, turning him into a suitable candidate for Brendan Rodgersai??i?? side. Valenciennes have stirred quite a surprise this season, rising above the likes of Lille, Montpellier and Bordeaux in Ligue-1, and Mirin has been instrumental in the teamai??i??s progress. With Martin Kelly out due to injury, Rodgers will definitely have to turn towards a defender to cover for Skrtel and Agger. With the funds available to him, it would be hard to find a more experienced defender for a low price.

When you compare the Liverpool of 2008 to the Liverpool of now, there are a few similarities ai??i?? Torres to Suarez, Kuyt to Sterling (obviously with the difference in pace), Riera to Downing, Mascherano to Lucas. The difference lay in the central midfield setup. Gerrard and Torres linked up and lit the sky alight but the Liverpool captain is four years older now and plays more of a floating role. Liverpool need a central, attack-minded midfielder who can consistently play in key passes around the front two/three (depending on the formation). The one man media believes can solve this? Wesley Sneijder.

Sneijder is said to be available for A?10 million and Liverpool can match that target if needed. But the bigger problem is the midfielderai??i??s wages. Sneijderai??i??s fallout with Inter was mainly due to the club’s demand to the player to reduce his salary by ai??i??2 million per year. The philosophy adopted by Liverpoolai??i??s new owners is to pay for a playerai??i??s worth if he has the potential to show for a good part of 7-10 years. This is definitely not something that applies to the Dutchman. Even if it did, the club would not pay such high wages, considering that they just let Joe Cole leave to West Ham and freed up their wage bill by quite a chunk. At the moment, no other names are strongly linked with the Reds.

Liverpool have more than enough personnel to power their midfield ai??i?? Lucas, Allen, Gerrard, Shelvey and Henderson. Of these, Allen, Gerrard and lately, Lucas, have featured more often than the rest. With Gerrard hitting peak form, Lucasai??i?? vital presence and Allenai??i??s presence to keep the clock ticking, one person who is missing out is Nuri Sahin.

The on-loan Real Madrid midfielder came in with a lot of promise and even earned a goal and assist from the seven games he featured in (league only) before sitting out due to injury. Now, although he has returned from injury, the point of a loan spell is going moot for Rodgers since it will take a while before Sahin is match fit and could feature again. With more than half the season complete, and the fact that Sahin isnai??i??t accustomed to the Premier League style yet, it will be too much of a climb for the Turkish international if he is to contribute at a substantial level to Liverpoolai??i??s growth this season. So in all likelihood, Sahin could be shipped out and the latest update is that his former club, Borussia Dortmund, are interested in bringing their star player back to Signal Iduna Park.

Finally, a few quick notes on some other transfer-related news circling Liverpool:

The Reds have reportedly offered A?7 million for Cagliari defender Davide Astori but could lose out to Southampton who are believed to have offered A?12 million for the 26-year-old’s services.
Liverpool were strongly linked with Birmingham keeper Jack Butland as a foil for Pepe Reina but with Arsenal now in the frame, it could turn out to be a close battle between the two for the shot stopper’s signature.
After turning down a new contract at Real Madrid, the media is now linking former Liverpool star Xabi Alonso with a return to Anfield.
Atletico Madrid attacker Arda Turan has been linked with a January move to Liverpool but coach Diego Simeone and teammate Diego have thrown in a caveat to keep him at the club.

Brendan Rodgers was hoping to conclude business as soon as possible this January but looks like it is taking longer than expected for the Liverpool boss to close in and wrap deals on the targets he had lined up. But there is definitely movement to be expected. What remains to be seen is whether the club has learnt from past mistakes and will make the right moves this time around.

Categories: English Premier League, Features, Liverpool FC
Tags: Brendan Rodgers Liverpool FC

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