Please no more half measures this summer

Life as a Liverpool fan has been difficult since Suarez left us. The current squad is just not good enough for Liverpool. The reason Liverpool have gone so long without a title has been failing in the transfer window, a fact that Stan Collymore pointed out this week. In order to bring the good times back to Liverpool serious changes need to happen. Here is my dream team for 2015/16.

Goalkeeper

Cech or Lloris in. Brad Jones out.

Goalkeeper is not an area that needs massive improvement as Mignolet has done a bang up job since being dropped in December, but we can always do better. Cech and Lloris are definitely upgrades on Mignolet and so I would be happy to see either play for Liverpool.

Right back

Daryl Janmaat or Serge Aurier in. Johnson out, Manquillo out, Flanagan loaned out.

Earlier today I saw Glen Johnson play right wing back for us once again and it was painful to watch. Manquillo is an okay player but offers little to nothing going forward, which doesn't suit this 3-4-3 system we are currently playing. Flangan is still recovering from a season long injury and plays similarly to Manquillo. Obviously serious changes are needed at right back and so the transfer committee needs to make it a priority. They solved the left back problem with Moreno and need a similar kind of player on the right. To be honest decent right backs are hard to come by these days. Nathaniel Clyne would be the perfect match but it appears as though he already has all but signed for Manchester United. Daryl Janmaat impressed playing for Holland in the World Cup and has been one of the bright spots of Newcastles torrid season. He is able to also play center back, which makes him perfect for our current system. He is still decent going forward as a right back, as he did so in the World Cup. Prying him away from Newcastle could be difficult though. Serge Aurier was linked with many Premier League teams last summer before he sealed a season long loan move to PSG. He hasn't been first choice this season and so I expect that he will have many suitors. He is more of a true right back with pace and decent attacking threat. 

Center Backs

Papadopoulos in, Toure and Coates out

Despite all of the stick that our center backs, especially Lovren, get I don't think that we need to make serious changes in this position. Skrtel has been great and Sakho has shown how good he can be as well. Since Liverpool shoved out such an enormous fee for Lovren I think they should give him one more season to prove himself. If Rodgers insists with the 3 center backs then he needs to get someone to take Can's spot. Can has done well but it is clearly not his best position and Janmaat or Schalke's Kyriakos Papadopoulos would be good replacements. Good center backs are also hard to come by which makes improving in the position hard for Liverpool at the moment. Papadopoulos made a loan move to Bayern Leverkusen this season and hasn't played a ton but lately he is getting more game time. He isn't the fastest but his physical presence is massive and would be very helpful to Liverpool's back line. If Liverpool don't bring another center back it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Left Back

Stay the same

I don't see any reason to change things around at left back. Moreno has had some shaky moments but he is still extremely young and he has shown us how good he can be this season. Behind him in the pecking order is the social media freak Jose Enrique, who is a good back up.

Center midfielder

Nainggolan in. Gerrard out.

Everyone knows that Gerrard is leaving at the end of the season and everyone knows that Liverpool need to bring in a new midfielder to help in midfield. We don't need to sign another Gerrard, what we need is a solid midfielder who can allow the likes of Henderson, Coutinho and Allen to do their thing. A new midfielder isn't as important as other positions but I do believe that getting a quality midfielder in will do wonders. We don't need a midfielder like Coutinho, Lallana or Markovic but a player who can tackle and cover. Nadja Nainggolan of Roma can certainly do that so I would like to see Liverpool sign him.

Attacking midfield/winger
Depay and Milner in. Markovic out.
Liverpool signed both Markovic and Lallana last summer but neither has made serious contributions. Sterling has done well but because of it his head has grown too big and might look to move elsewhere. Liverpool needs to do all they can to convince Sterling to stay. That said I believe it wouldn't hurt to improve in the winger position and in doing so provide a back up if Sterling leaves. Memphis Depay is another Dutch player that shone on the main stage of the World Cup and has continued to improve in club play with PSV, who just won their first title in 8 years. This kid is seriously good, and only 21 years old. He will be one of the most coveted players of this coming transfer window so if Liverpool can sign him it would be a major coup. Manchester United are said to already be in negotiations, as has Liverpool, but I am hoping that we sign him. If we do sign him then someone will have to make way and I believe that would be either Markovic or Ibe, and I like Ibe. It also appears that Liverpool have already negotiated a deal for out of contract player James Milner who will be leaving Man City in the summer. He would bring precious winning experience and versatility that would be invaluable to our team. His main position is winger but I could see him excelling in a wingback role as well, or even in center midfield.

Striker
Cavani or Jovetic or Higuain or Lacazette, and Ings in. Balotelli, Borini and maybe Lambert out.
Liverpool need a new striker. Suarez was not adequately replaced and as a result Liverpool have only scored 47 goals in 34 games, while last season we had scored 94 in as many games. Balotelli was a risk but most of us knew it would fail. Liverpool need to go big this summer or they will endure another goal shy campaign as Sturridge is out half the time with broken nails or paper cuts. Edinson Cavani is my choice for striker, but it is quite a long shot as PSG bought him for 50m and are in no need for cash. Gonzalo Higuain is next on my list and is a more realistic target for Liverpool. Higuain has done good at his time at Napoli over the past 2 years, but not brilliant. I believe he would do very well at Liverpool, he has the same style as Suarez which would possibly help his teammates sync together like they did last season. Higuain wouldn't be cheap either but I think 30m would do the trick. The most realistic of the three is Stevan Jovetic, but even he is a bit of a long shot because I am sure Manchester City will not want to sell to a rival, especially if Milner ends up signing for us. Jovetic is quite similar to Higuain but injuries and stiff competition have kept Jovetic from getting enough playing time to truly prove himself, though he certainly has shown us glimpses of his talent. I would be happy with any of these three strikers. Last of the superstars would be Lacazette of Lyon. The Frenchman has been linked with all the top European sides this season as he has been scoring for fun. He has pace and a special eye for goal and is also able to play in any advanced position. Competition for him will be fierce but I would be very happy if Liverpool signed him. Now on to Danny Ings, who will undoubtedly look to move in order to have another season of the Premier League after Burnley look like being relegated. Ings has shone despite Burnley's troubles and Liverpool are long time admirers of the young English player. He is also out of contract in the summer so he is free, so a move totally makes sense. I believe that every striker besides Sturridge should leave this summer. Balotelli has been trying hard lately but just isn't what Liverpool needs. Liverpool have been trying to get rid of Borini almost as soon as they signed him 3 years ago and I expect him to leave in the summer as he got almost no playing time this season. Lambert is a tough one. His transfer was an emotional one as he was a boyhood supporter of Liverpool finally playing for the team he loves. His style isn't really suited for Liverpool but he offers a Plan B and has no shortage of passion. If Liverpool get a good offer I say sell but I wouldn't mind if he stayed for another season, especially if we qualify for Europa League.

Here is what my dream team would look like for the 2015/16 season.


Here is what will most likely happen.

Will will be Liverpool's attacking reinforcements?

In a recent press conference Brendan Rodgers admitted that the difference from last season to the current season has been the number of goals. Suarez left and Sturridge was nursing his injuries 90% of the season. Liverpool took a chance with the signing of Balotelli but it just didn't work out. Lambert has done okay when called upon but he is not quick enough to suit Liverpool's high pressing game. Don't get me started on Borini. Rodgers even called on contract rebel Raheem Sterling at times to play as center forward, a role which he performed admirably, yet it is clear that he is not the long term solution for that position.

In the conference Rodgers admitted that they will look at a large number of players during the summer to help them in attack. There have already been countless strikers linked recently with a move to Liverpool, so let us take a look to see if they would be a good fit.

Memphis Depay

Obviously the young Dutchman is not a striker, but he is an attacking player for sure. I previously wrote about how Depay would fit in at Liverpool as we already have so many young wingers/attacking midfielders. While he would be coming in to stiff competition for a place in the starting lineup I now believe that he would be an upgrade to the current squad. He is an extremely creative and exciting player, I would describe him as a mix between Hazard and Coutinho, though he still has work to do of course. He has scored over 20 goals for PSV this year, helping them win the Eredivise. He can score goals and he knows how to win at only 21 years old. Sign him up.

Possibility: 6/10

Stevan Jovetic

Recent reports are linking Liverpool with moves for two of Manchester City's players. We have already known of Liverpool's interest in bringing in James Milner when his contract expires this summer, but now Jovetic is supposedly interesting Liverpool too. The 25 year old Monteneran has endured an injury ridden 2 years at City yet has shown glimpses of his talent during this time. City will undoubtedly look to offload at least one striker this summer as they currently have Aguero, Bony, Dzeko, Jovetic, and Negredo (currently on loan at Valencia), and it might be Jovetic if they receive a good offer. Jovetic hasn't scored hundreds of goals but he is still young and all he needs is an injury free season to get his career back on track. I find his style of play to be similar to Suarez's with much improvisation and invention. It is a bit unlikely but I would welcome Jovetic to Anfield.

Possibility: 4/10

Christian Benteke

The 24 year old Belgian was an instant hit in the Premier League with Aston Villa but suffered a second season slump which continued into this season. Injuries have kept his goal numbers down but in recent months Benteke has again shown his class as he is almost single handedly dragging Villa out of the relegation zone. He has scored against Liverpool for fun as our defenders just can't seem to deal with his physical presence. At 24 he still have many years of playing and improving left, but the question is, does he fit Liverpool's style? He is big and physical and a great striker of the ball but he is not quick and a fantastic passer of the ball. I fear that he would play similar to how Lambert has for us this season, which just doesn't seem to be a great fit. He is a great player but I don't see him succeeding for Liverpool. Plus he's an Arsenal fan, so there's that.

Possibility: 2/10

Radamel Falcao

There are so many questions surrounding the Colombian right now and none will really be answered until the summer. Reports say that talks have already begun between Falcao and Liverpool, but I don't trust them. It appears that Man U are still deciding if they should keep him or not, but my gut tells me that he won't stay. There are few clubs that can pay his enormous wages and Liverpool have become weary of paying huge wages to players in recent years. I believe Falcao would do better at Liverpool than he did at Man U, but I don't seem him being our savior either. He would cost a fortune to buy and it is just too much of a risk.

Possibility: 2/10

Danny Ings

Signing the Burnley striker certainly wouldn't solve all of Liverpool's troubles up top, but it certainly would help. He is only 22 years old and has been Burnley's top scorer, impressing in his first season in the Premier League. Ing's current contract expires in the summer and it now appears that his team will be relegated, which means Premier League teams will be eyeing his situation closely like vultures. He is quick and hard working, creative and can score goals even when his team is struggling. I believe he would be a great acquisition with minimal risk as he would be a free transfer. I can see him playing deputy to the often injured Sturridge next season and doing a bang up job of it. Liverpool will have much competition for his signature but they should make Ings a priority.

Possibility: 5/10

From looking at the possibilities that I assigned each striker it is clear that it is unclear as to what Liverpool are thinking for the summer transfer window. There are many others that I haven't mentioned such as Lacazette or Immobile, but these deals seem very unlikely. We still have more than a month before the window officially opens so there is plenty of time, though hopefully Liverpool have learned their lessons about the consequences of leaving things late. If it was me in charge of transfers then I would sign Depay, Ings and Jovetic (or another striker of his caliber like Lacazette). After a season of more failure than success from the players signed last summer I hope that the Liverpool hierarchy begin to get their acts together and spend serious cash on seriously good, established players. We have the basis of promising youth players, now let's get a world beater!

Mass Exodus out of Liverpool

There has been reports that Liverpool are preparing a massive overhaul of their squad by getting rid of as many as 10 players in the summer. Here we will discuss who should go if Liverpool are ready to wield the transfer ax, beginning with the most obvious.

Steven Gerrard
The captain will be missed but after his lackluster performances this season I agree that it is time for him to move on when his contract expires this summer. You will be missed Stevey G.

Glen Johnson
Liverpool were smart not to extend his contract further as Johnson has become a liability in defense, as most of our defenders currently are. He is too slow and too lazy. His marauding runs forward will be remembered but it has been some time since he has been able to do them.

Mario Balotelli
It was a pure gamble to bring the controversial Italian to Anfield, he is a quality player after all, yet he just didn't fit Liverpool's style and never got going. Liverpool under Rodgers press fast and high up the pitch, something that Balotelli was never interested in. Liverpool will take a financial hit for his sale, but his negative attitude and massive wages need to be passed on elsewhere.

Fabio Borini
Liverpool have been trying to get rid of Borini for two years now but the kid doesn't seem to take a hint. He received multiple offers in the Premier League last summer and his native Italy want him to. He isn't a bad player but it seems as though he doesn't have the cutting edge that is needed to succeed at a big club. I was really pulling for Borini from the start but its time to move on, I expect Origi to take his position next season.

Kolo Toure
The Ivorian's contract expires in the summer. At times it seemed as though he was our best defender this season but Rodgers has lost patience with him, even shouting at him after the loss to Arsenal. He simply is not quick enough to be an effective defender. He needs to be replaced with a competent defender.

Sebastian Coates
The Uruguayan's contract has one more year but Liverpool clearly don't rate him as he is on loan at Sunderland, where he can't get a game it should be said. He is a good defender with potential but injuries have stopped him from developing and his pace is too slow for the Premier League.

Iago Aspas
His was a shrewd acquisition that came as a surprise to fans. He was behind SAS in the pecking order last season so rarely got on the pitch. He was given chances but seemed out of his depth in the Premier League so he was loaned to Sevilla, where he hasn't gotten many more games. His goal return for Sevilla has not been terrible though despite his lack of playing time. He seems to fit in much better in the Spanish league.

Javier Manquillo
The young Spaniard has one year of his 2 year loan spell from Atletico Madrid left but it appears as though Liverpool want to send him back early. He hasn't started a game in a very long while, since Rodgers switched to a back 3. Manquillo isn't good enough at attacking to put him in the wingback position and so he rarely makes the bench anymore. He hasn't been bad for Liverpool, but he hasn't been good either. A mediocre player that has been given his chance and found wanting.

Dejan Lovren
It appears as though Liverpool signed the wrong Southampton defender. Lovren has been a liability at back while Southampton have conceded the least amount of goals this season. Lovren cost a whopping 20m and it will be difficult to find anyone who is willing to pay half of that, but if Liverpool do they should take it and run. I would have loved to see Lovren do well for us but I have lost my patience. There is a possibility of him staying as a second chance, but only if nobody wants him.

Rodgers out?

Liverpool has been through a bit of a roller coaster ride since Rodgers took the helm three years ago. His first season was bad but finished on a high note as the team began to accept his philosophies. His second was outstanding as Liverpool nearly won the title if not for a few unfortunate errors. Then Rodgers had to rebuild his team once again as Suarez left for Barcelona and the Reds struggled to integrate the hosts of new players they signed in the summer. It seemed as though Rodgers' team was back as they stormed up the Premier League table to be within a shot of finishing in the top four and in the semifinals of the FA Cup and so fans once again hailed Rodgers as their savior.

Now Liverpool are out of the Cup and it seems as though the top four challenge is over after defeats to Arsenal and Manchester United in the last month. Now the question is being asked if Rodgers is still the right man for Liverpool right now. Liverpool fans, including myself, have been patient over the years of Liverpool's struggles and many of us still believe that Rodgers is the man for the job. But there is something else going on in Europe that might be enough to cause the owners to part ways with Rodgers. Highly rated manager of Borussia Dortmund, Jurgen Klopp, is now available for hire.

After seven years with Dortmund Klopp has announced that he will leave the German side at the end of the season and looks to get right back to work as soon as possible. It appears to be a match made in heaven, a match that might be too good to turn down. Klopp has spoken of his admiration for both the Premier League as well as saying he is a fan of Liverpool in recent years so it is not unreasonable to link Klopp with the Liverpool job. Klopp's Dortmund defied the odds to win the Bundesliga twice and reaching the final of the Champions League during his time as manager. His team played with pace and high pressure, making stars out of underrated and inexpensive players. Sound familiar, it should because the same could be said of Rodgers' Liverpool, with less success it should be said.

Fans that oppose the appointment of Klopp will surely cite Dortmund's 2014/15 season as a reason not to hire the German. Dortmund were at one time in danger of relegation at one point. Klopp, much like Rodgers, turned things around to an extent and has brought them in the top half of the table, still not great but better than it could have turned out. Their team suffered similar afflictions as Liverpool with their top goalscorer, Robert Lewandowski leaving for bitter rivals Bayern Munich last summer and they failed to adequately replace him. This coupled with an extremely leaky defense led to their troubles. It must be asked if Klopp is capable of shaping up Liverpool's defensive woes if he was unable to do so while at Dortmund.

It is still unclear the path that Liverpool with take. Will they give Rodgers another season to solidify this new team or will they start a new era with a new manager, with Klopp being just one qualified candidate. I for one am torn. Rodgers has led Liverpool out of the darkness and has brought some good times back to Liverpool, including the Champions League. But with no trophies in 3 years, a top 4 finish looking unlikely, and a failure to perform well against top teams, it may be time for Liverpool to move on to bigger and better things. Let me reiterate, I am a fan of Brendan Rodgers. What I am saying is that I am a bigger fan of Jurgen Klopp. I have faith that Liverpool's owners and managers will make the right decision on Liverpool's future, and I await that decision with anticipation, as I do with all news pertaining to my beloved Liverpool.

Who is going where?

I love to make predictions. I have predicted many football matches on this blog in the past. I would like to take this opportunity to test my skills of predicting transfer activity. We still have a ways to go before the summer transfer window opens on June 1 but there has been constant transfer rumors flying, as there always is. So here are my predictions of some of the biggest deals I think will happen this summer.

Samir Nasri- Sold to Inter FC
James Milner- join Liverpool on a free transfer
Micah Richards- joins Southampton or Newcastle on a free transfer
Alvaro Negredo- makes loan move to Valencia permanent
Paul Pogba- sold to Manchester City for about 60m
Kevin de Bruyne- sold to Manchester City for 25m
England international to Manchester City, maybe Kyle Walker, John Stones or Ross Barkley
Nathaniel Clyne- sold to Manchester United for 20m
Morgan Schneiderlin- sold to Arsenal for 15m
Javier Hernandez- sold to Lazio or Southampton for 10m
Dani Alves- free transfer to PSG
Danny Ings- free transfer to Liverpool
Fabio Borini- sold to Swansea City for 8m
Mario Balotelli- staying at Liverpool
Carl Jenkinson- sold to West Ham
Charlie Austin- if relegated, transfer to  Newcastle
Memphis Depay- sold to Manchester United for 25m
Angel di Maria- sold to PSG for 40m
Tom Cleverly- sold to Everton for 8m
Andre Ayew- free transfer to Newcastle
Radamel Falcao- loaned to Juventus
Edinson Cavani- sold to Manchester United 40m
Javier Pastore- sold, hopefully to Liverpool :)
Andre-Pierre Gignac- free transfer to AC Milan
Neil Lennon- sold to Everton for 8m
Fabian Schar- sold to West Ham for 8m
Dybala- sold to Inter

Sterling, Coutinho, Lallana, Markovic, Ibe...and now Depay?

It would appear that Liverpool will be going head to head with Manchester United for a number of transfer targets. Nathaniel Clyne seems to be leaning towards the Red Devils while it seems that another target, Memphis Depay, appears to prefer a move to the Reds. After watching Depay tear it up at the World Cup for the Netherlands I would say that any team would be lucky to have him.

Now its time to contradict myself; Liverpool is not the place for Depay at the moment. It would appear that almost every top EPL team have an excess in the attacking midfielder department, and Liverpool are no different. Liverpool have Sterling, Coutinho, Lallana, Markovic, Ibe, and now they are bidding for Depay? Not to mention there is also the likes of Shinji Ojo and Jerome Sinclair who are rising stars as well through their loans in the Championship. Does Depay overcome the likes of Sterling and Coutinho? For a player that is still untested in a top league and team it is hard to tell if he can, and if he does, will he be enough of an upgrade to really make a difference?

Reports say that he will cost in the region of 23m pounds, and money is not growing on trees at the moment at Anfield. These funds could be used to strengthen in areas that actually need to strengthen, which is almost every other position. At right back we have Glen Johnson departing (oh what a relief it is), and Manquillo not impressing (his current loan will last until the end of next season) and so I believe the position we need to strengthen the most in is at right back. Clyne is the best option but not too likely but Daryl Janmaat is another great option as well.

Another position that needs another player coming in to fill is in center midfield. With Can being deployed mostly as a center back the midfield is already pretty scarce and with Gerrard leaving it will be even more so. We will have Henderson, Lucas and Allen with Can able to fill in too. There has been a lot of talk about who can replace Gerrard and the truth is that they need someone to replace him as a midfielder, and not so much as Captain Fantastic. There are many names that have made it through the rounds but in my opinion the best candidate would be Miralem Pjanic. He actually reminds me quite a bit of Gerrard due to his marauding runs in the final third and could add some needed creativity in that part of the pitch. Another midfield deal that seems to be nearing completion is a move for soon to be free agent James Milner. Signing the England international would be a major coup for Liverpool as he has true winning experience and able to play in almost any position be it winger, fullback or even striker.

Lastly we need to revamp our striking department. Sturridge needs to have a top class striker to either partner him or serve as deputy because he breaks a nail every month which rules him out of many matches. That role was supposed to be fulfilled by Mario Balotelli but anyone who has been paying attention knows that gamble didn't pay off. The other strikers haven't impressed either this season with Lambert only making late substitute appearances and Borini only making the bench on rare occasions. Liverpool need to drop the Italians (Balo and Borini) and bring in a top class striker to do what they have failed to do. Rumors on this front have been scarce with Danny Ings being one of the only realistic targets being talked about. Ings will also be a free agent come the summer and so presents a very low risk option for Liverpool. I like this kid a lot, he has been Burnely's best player, scoring quite a few goals despite being on one of the worst teams in the league. He is young, English, free, fast, hardworking...he's a perfect fit for Liverpool. The problem again is that he is being fought over by Liverpool and Manchester United. And so the fight between the two most decorated clubs in English history continues, and I hope that the Reds of Merseyside are able to win this transfer tug of war this summer, setting them up for a real push for silverware and a top four spot next season.