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.
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