Top Transfer Talks for Liverpool FC
It's no secret that despite Liverpool's strong start to the 2016/17 season, their squad is in need of some serious refurbishment. With injury still claiming the likes of Jordan Henderson and Danny Ings, the Reds have had to bring in some lesser favoured players. The absences have helped youngsters like Ben Woodburn and Trent Alexander-Arnold secure some game time but with a lot to learn still, they can't be relied on as permanent replacements at this moment in time.
With a few names wavering on the list to leave the club, Klopp has confirmed he's on the hunt for new talent this summer. Some rumours have been confirmed and are on their way to being finalised, but others are just hearsay. As fans during the transfer window though, we can afford to spare a little hope.
The alleged news that Liverpool will be meeting with the French superstar to discuss a potential transfer has caused a lot of excitement amongst the fans. Reports have claimed that Klopp is aiming to get ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United and offer a juicy £50m for the Lyon goal machine. With a question mark above Daniel Sturridge's future at the club and Danny Ings still unfit to return, Lacazette could well be the solution to the ongoing striker issues that Luis Suarez left after his departure.
With injury plaguing a large percentage of Sturridge's time at the club, other strikers have attempted to fill the gap with very little success. Desperate signings like Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini were introduced under Brendan Rogers' reign and fans had to endure what felt like episode after painful episode of 'Failing Forwards'. BR's last grasp for a front man breakthrough was Mario Balotelli - disliked by many and achieved the bare minimum before he was sent packing by Klopp. However, with a very impressive 28 goals in 30 Ligue 1 appearances this campaign, Lacazette could without a doubt be the reliable striker Liverpool has been in need of all these years.
Sadio Mané was bought last season and has heavily impacted the way Liverpool play football - now there's talks of another fantastic African winger being snatched up. The Egyptian is so close to confirming his Merseyside move after Liverpool raised their offer to £35m to ensure he doesn't slip away again.
During the 'season that almost was' Brendan Rogers was keen on signing Salah to add to their unstoppable forward fleet, however Chelsea and Mourinho beat hi
m to the punch. His Stamford Bridge spell was a disappointing one, resulting in him making just 13 appearances in his 12 months at the club. Quite bluntly, just the typical tactical approach of Chelsea FC - snatch up a player so other clubs can't reap the benefits. Nathan Aké is living proof of this mindset. Recalled from Bournemouth after a flying start, merely to watch from the sidelines until they no longer had to push for the title. Anyway, I digress.
Mo Salah's career finally blossomed with Roma and he had a very impressive 2016/17 Serie A campaign. His stats are extremely similar to Mané's, near identical weight and height and his tasty 15 goal tally to Mané's 13. The two would definitely pose a severe threat manning the wings together, and with a prolific striker playing just ahead of them, Liverpool would be on fire.
The first confirmed name on the list is for the 19-year old Chelsea front man. With a fantastic youth goal record to his name, he looks a very fitting candidate to fix Liverpool's striker problems. Should the club sign Lacazette he'd undoubtedly become the first choice for the starting XI, with Solanke on the bench ready to freshen things up in the second half. Although Divock Origi seems set to stay at Liverpool, his temperamental season may see him demoted to the sidelines in favour of the newcomer.
With a few names wavering on the list to leave the club, Klopp has confirmed he's on the hunt for new talent this summer. Some rumours have been confirmed and are on their way to being finalised, but others are just hearsay. As fans during the transfer window though, we can afford to spare a little hope.
#1 Alexandre Lacazette
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| credit; espnfc |
With injury plaguing a large percentage of Sturridge's time at the club, other strikers have attempted to fill the gap with very little success. Desperate signings like Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini were introduced under Brendan Rogers' reign and fans had to endure what felt like episode after painful episode of 'Failing Forwards'. BR's last grasp for a front man breakthrough was Mario Balotelli - disliked by many and achieved the bare minimum before he was sent packing by Klopp. However, with a very impressive 28 goals in 30 Ligue 1 appearances this campaign, Lacazette could without a doubt be the reliable striker Liverpool has been in need of all these years.
#2 Virgil Van Dijk
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| credit; Standard |
One of the most speculated moves that has been buzzing around social media is for the Southampton skipper Virgil Van Dijk. Although they're just short of adding white stripes to their kits and playing home games at St. Mary's, LFC are determined to swoop for the Saints' man mountain. The club have deemed this an important transaction and are doing all they can to finalise it.
The squad's defensive issues have been ongoing and many have disappointed trying to step in - Alberto Moreno for example has delivered less than impressive performances as left-back, leaving James Milner to cover and adapt to a foreign position (which he isn't doing too bad at may I add). The loss of a few valued defenders over the last couple of seasons has also dented the team - we definitely miss the likes of Martin Skrtel and Kolo Toure in the back four. Despite Mamdou Sakho only being on loan, Klopp is pushing for a permanent transfer after their relationship being deemed un-fixable.
After signing Joel Matip, the Reds boss has proved that his eye for talent is not one to be judged. Van Dijk and Matip - both 6'4 centre-backs would look a treat playing side by side, using their matching height and strength to keep those clean sheets coming. I would also like to see Virgil start over Dejan Lovren; despite the Croatian's stellar performances, his errors and often absolute howlers have left a sour uncertainty around him. Maybe a role as an important sub would be best all round, at least for the first few months.
After signing Joel Matip, the Reds boss has proved that his eye for talent is not one to be judged. Van Dijk and Matip - both 6'4 centre-backs would look a treat playing side by side, using their matching height and strength to keep those clean sheets coming. I would also like to see Virgil start over Dejan Lovren; despite the Croatian's stellar performances, his errors and often absolute howlers have left a sour uncertainty around him. Maybe a role as an important sub would be best all round, at least for the first few months.
#3 Mohamed Salah
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| credit; Pinterest |
During the 'season that almost was' Brendan Rogers was keen on signing Salah to add to their unstoppable forward fleet, however Chelsea and Mourinho beat hi
m to the punch. His Stamford Bridge spell was a disappointing one, resulting in him making just 13 appearances in his 12 months at the club. Quite bluntly, just the typical tactical approach of Chelsea FC - snatch up a player so other clubs can't reap the benefits. Nathan Aké is living proof of this mindset. Recalled from Bournemouth after a flying start, merely to watch from the sidelines until they no longer had to push for the title. Anyway, I digress.
Mo Salah's career finally blossomed with Roma and he had a very impressive 2016/17 Serie A campaign. His stats are extremely similar to Mané's, near identical weight and height and his tasty 15 goal tally to Mané's 13. The two would definitely pose a severe threat manning the wings together, and with a prolific striker playing just ahead of them, Liverpool would be on fire.
#4 Dominic Solanke
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| credit; ITV |
The first confirmed name on the list is for the 19-year old Chelsea front man. With a fantastic youth goal record to his name, he looks a very fitting candidate to fix Liverpool's striker problems. Should the club sign Lacazette he'd undoubtedly become the first choice for the starting XI, with Solanke on the bench ready to freshen things up in the second half. Although Divock Origi seems set to stay at Liverpool, his temperamental season may see him demoted to the sidelines in favour of the newcomer.
Solanke's fresh talent and versatility is everything Jurgen Klopp is looking for with the added bonus that he's so well experienced with the youth levels as well as having a taste of bigger games too. He made an appearance during a Champions League win in 2014 making him the youngest European player ever and he featured in the senior squad against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Hopefully during his time at Anfield he'll earn more game time and become a crucial cog in the system. His time in a red shirt is the chance to show off how skilled he truly is and make Chelsea sorry for their loss.
#5 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
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| credit; fromthestands |
Rumours of the Arsenal midfielder joining the Reds this summer have been batted back and forth for weeks now. Is he interested? Is Klopp interested? The answer to those questions is yes, Chamberlain is certainly up for the move - he was reported to have voiced his interest in the club and after Arsenal's FA Cup win he revealed his admiration for Steven Gerrard and how he's always wanted 'to be him'. Klopp is interested, but he has said that Chamberlain isn't a top target. The gaffer has his sights on some very specific players and although the Gunner isn't one of them, Klopp has said it would be a bonus to take him on board.
Although I rate Chamberlain highly, his attributes are very similar to what Liverpool already have in their midfield. Lallana, Wijnaldum and Emre Can all play a key role in the system and I can't pick apart anything more beneficial that the Arsenal lad has to offer. When Klopp brings in a new left-back, James Milner will also return to his old position, leaving no room for any new meat. Injury has taken the Reds by surprise this season, though, so the Ox will definitely make for a valuable substitute.
Chamberlain's keenness to make the move is admirable and predicts his play would be fiery and passion fueled, which is everything we look for in Liverpool players. His friendship with Daniel Sturridge off the pitch could also make for something interesting to watch out for. We've seen before how a good personal relationship can make for great teamwork - close pals Coutinho and Firmino are an electric duo and Raheem Sterling's friendly bond with Sturridge created some great football when he was still at the club too. Football is more than just kicking a ball, folks.
#6 Naby Keita
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| credit; The Independent |
Another uncertain tip floating around social media is for Guinean central midfielder Naby Keita. I wasn't alone when I had to look up who the lad is, but I wasn't disappointed after I did a little digging. The Red Bull Leipzig middle man has tallied 8 goals and 7 assists this season, not miles away from Firmino's 11 goals and 7 assists.
Despite being unknown by most fans, Klopp's contacts within the Bundesliga are clearly vital to our recruitment process - if the majority of the Kopites were in charge, there certainly wouldn't be any talks about Keita joining us! The gaffer's ability to sniff out underrated talent is something we've needed at the club for so long and now we finally have it. So trust in Klopp and trust that whoever he brings to Anfield will flourish.
The news around Keita may have gone a little quiet for now, but the deal isn't off. Talks are still in progress and there's still the chance we'll see him making his Anfield debut very soon.
#7 Gael Clichy
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| credit; sports.fr |
Now that his contract is up, the City man is free to embark on his next journey. Statements have been released, however that Liverpool are not looking towards Clichy, but talks still continue. It was said that they weren't interested in the Ox either, and look how that unfolded. So never say never.
I would personally love for Clichy to join LFC; joining James Milner as the oldest player in the squad, his age would be beneficial in his role as left-back. Often the answer is to nurture young, up and coming players and watch them turn into sensations, but not always. Sometimes a more experienced player is the better option, someone who knows the ins and outs of the game and has spent a good chunk of their life doing what they do best. The Frenchman has very impressive credentials to his name, winning his first Premier League title as part of the Arsenal Invincibles in 2003/04 and becoming the youngest player ever to receive a medal. His second and third Premier League wins were celebrated with Manchester City, with whom he devoted six years of his career.
It's rare someone with so much experience and talent decides they want a new chapter in their life, and he will probably see out his career at his next club. Although Liverpool aren't actively looking at him, I wish they would be. Other left-back talks have fallen and flopped meaning Clichy would be an excellent replacement for Alberto Moreno and reliever for James Milner. He still has a lot to give and it'd be great if he could give it to Liverpool and maybe be the first ever player to win the title with three different clubs.
Watching and waiting...
As fans, there's not much we can do except pick the fake news from the truth and wait patiently for Jurgen Klopp to work his magic. The other Premier League giants are in serious talks of bringing in new talent and we need to match their recruitment ethic. But whilst we lure new players into the club, we need to ensure no vital men leave us either. With Barcelona rumoured to be eyeing up Coutinho and Juventus showing interest in Emre Can, Klopp needs to make sure we don't lose bodies from our main squad. But almost all our senior players have confirmed they're more than happy at Liverpool and they love playing under Klopp's management. So for now at least, our worries can ease.
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