Lucas Leiva:
Right now Liverpool sit in fourth place and despite a disappointing showing against Aston Villa they still very much contenders to finish there. Liverpool experimented with their formation by deploying Steven Gerrard in Lucas's position as a center defensive midfielder, and he failed miserably (we can explore the 'Gerrard Conundrum' another time). Lucas changed the game for Liverpool and they looked like a completely different team with him on the pitch.
Liverpool scored the equalizing goal when he was on the pitch but they lost the edge when he went off injured and Joe Allen was brought on. I personally believe Allen is a hell of a player, but not when he is asked to perform Lucas's job of being the controlling defender in the midfield. Then there is Henderson who has really impressed this year but he again is no good at Lucas's responsibilities. Henderson is best in Steven Gerrard's position, marauding up the pitch and has even excelled playing out on the wing. Currently there are no players in the Liverpool squad who can perform Lucas's duties well.
It is clear that Liverpool are in need of some reinforcements and need to bring in a sufficient replacement/competition for Lucas. There have been many players that have been linked with a move to Liverpool so far including Fernando Reges of Porto and Yann M'Vila. It seems unlikely that either of these players will sign for Liverpool in January but there are others that could be on their way on.
Almost as soon as it was released that Chelsea had stolen Mohamed Salah under the noses of Liverpool it was reported that Liverpool were approaching Spartak Moscow about Romulo Borges Monteiro. Romulo is a center defending midfielder who started his career at Vasco de Gama in his native Brazil before moving to Spartak in 2011. His time there has been plagued by an injury that lasted for about 15 months but has recently returned to action. Liverpool signing Romulo would be a slightly less marquee signing but he still has a long career ahead of him at only 23 years old and has a lot of potential. It is been rumored that Liverpool have already tabled a 7 million pound offer for Romulo but that Spartak are hoping for closer to 10.
I am not sure what Liverpool will do without Lucas to be honest. If it was up to me I would sign Fernando as he is one of the very best in his position, but it seems as though the Liverpool owners are going for a low cost alternative and therefore Romulo could be on his way in.
Glen Johnson:
Today in a press conference Brendan Rodgers said that Johnson has been suffering with ankle injuries all season long, which he attributes to his loss of form and to why he is now ruled out indefinitely for now. Rodgers also said that Liverpool will not be looking to bring in a replacement for him in the January transfer window. Liverpool currently have a plethora of young talent that play fullback that can fill in for Johnson. This season Liverpool have employed many of these players to fill in for the injured Enrique and Johnson.
Jon Flanagan, 21, has played the most games, although that was at left back before he was injured and replaced with Aly Cissokho. I'll be honest, I am not the biggest fan of Flanagan. I find him very poor at defending and anticipation, though I will admit that he is quite fair at helping on the attack, which I believe is why Rodgers likes him. He was injured during the Christmas period but returned to training this week and will probably start for the FA Cup tie against AFC Bournemouth. Flanagan has had his share of injury problems like the rest of the lot but I believe that Flanagan works harder in training than the rest of them. It seems like every Liverpool fan is rooting for Flanagan because he is from Liverpool and everyone wants him to be the next Jamie Carragher. Flanagan is a good backup for now but I think he needs to go out on loan before he is ready to maintain a starting position.
The second alternative to replace Johnson during his injury is Martin Kelly, who would be my choice. Kelly also is overcoming injury problems, though his was worse than Flanagan's with a torn ACL. He made his comeback from injury during preseason with Valerenga but hasn't made an impact for Liverpool this season. He started and played all 90 minutes of Liverpool's last FA Cup against Oldham which was a big step for him. Kelly hasn't really played to his potential since the injury and has been a little off the pace but I'm sure he will get back to his best self with a few more minutes on the pitch. I believe that Kelly should be the one to replace Johnson for the long term. In my opinion he has it all and Liverpool are letting him go to waste at the moment.
There are also those players who are currently on loan that could be great replacements, but that wouldn't be at least until next season. There is Andre Wisdom, 20, is currently on loan at Derby County. Many see him as a future starting center back but at least for now he is better playing right back. He has been doing exceptionally well there, helping Derby to be in contention for a playoff spot in the Championship. He is probably the best defender of the group but is not as good at getting forward as the others. I think he could do with another year out on loan and then would be a great option to start at right back.
Ryan McLaughlin, 19, will probably be the best of them all in the future, but has the most time before he will be ready to start for Liverpool. He is currently on loan to Barnsley in the Championship for only a month. He has great pace and is great in the attack. He will probably get a full season loan next year which will help in his development.
Overall I believe Rodgers should give Kelly more game time and then I could see him develop into a great right back starter for Liverpool. Wisdom, Flanagan and McLaughlin will develop into great defenders but I think they need to get more game time with other clubs out on loan.
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