Liverpool have been urged by Peter Crouch to make a marquee signing late in the transfer window to lift the dressing room and become title contenders.
Liverpool have made a perfect start to the 2021/22 season, scoring five goals without reply in their two games to date. Their latest outing saw the Reds produce a thoroughly professional display which ended with a 2-0 win over Burnley at a packed Anfield.
So, Jurgen Klopp & co. seem to have proven their credentials to be the title contenders in the Premier League once again after a difficult 2020/21 season, with the return of Virgil van Dijk already proving to be a game-changer.
However, it is also clear that Liverpool are pretty much continuing with the squad that delivered the title in 2019/20, with Ibrahima Konate the only significant addition. That is proving to be a concerning situation for one former Liverpool player, with Peter Crouch urging them to sign a marquee player.
As quoted by Daily Mail, the Liverpool icon said, “When a new signing walks through the door, when Lukaku. Sancho and Varane walk through the door (it lifts everyone). If they (Liverpool) signed Lukaku, you’re talking about them being front runners for the title.”
“They haven’t signed anyone, they’ve got Konate but they haven’t really gone out and got someone. This squad still has the quality to be title contenders. When someone walks through the door, when Shevchenko and Ballack walk through the door, when Torres walks through the door, it lifts training.”
“But with van Dijk, when the full-backs bomb forward when the strikers bomb forward, when they look back and see him there it’s a big lift to the whole team. I wouldn’t say I’m concerned. They didn’t do any business last year, they are banking on that unit of players that won them the title.”
“Last year, it got decimated by injuries. Instead of going for the big star, we’re going to put you in that position on the pitch and challenge Mane. They’ve gone around the peripheries, while Chelsea have gone “Lukaku, he’s playing. If it upsets Havertz and Werner, whatever. Whether they have the money to go for big players, I don’t know. They’ve gone down the road of giving out big contracts.”
Crouch’s comments do make a lot of sense, as Ibrahima Konate is the only significant addition to the Liverpool squad, with the young Frenchman only a backup option for now. So, for all intents and purposes, Liverpool are still playing with the squad that took them to the title two seasons ago. However, a marquee name could definitely lift the dressing room, with Robert Lewandowski among those linked lately.