Influencers Pick the Deadline-Day Deals Liverpool Should Hijack
Liverpool are on a roll, both on and off the field.
After a summer of stagnation in the transfer market, the return of some actual football to watch has helped remind the club's spectators that, despite the difficulties in bringing in new blood over the previous months, you should always keep faith in manager Jurgen Klopp.
Now, heading into the international break, the Reds are unbeaten at the start of the 2017/18 season.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Having seen off Hoffenheim over two legs to reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, they made a statement on Sunday with their 4-0 hammering of a beleaguered Arsenal in the Premier League.
Less than 24 hours after blowing away the Gunners, Liverpool agreed a deal to sign long-time target Naby Keita. According to Andy Hunter of the Guardian, the midfielder will not arrive on Merseyside until 2018, although the transfer is still a huge shot in the arm.
But what other deals could Klopp complete before the summer transfer window closes?
Bleacher Report asked a collection of Liverpool influencers to pick out one player not yet linked heavily to the club who they'd like to see added to the squad before the 11 p.m. (BST) deadline on Thursday.
Maxim Saakyan, LFC Fans Corner
Twitter: @LFCFansCorner/@OleOleMax
Best deal to hijack: Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City
An unhappy player receiving admiring glances from a Premier League rival? Liverpool know what it feels like to be in that difficult situation.
The boot is now on the other foot for Arsenal, who threw in a cheeky £40 million-and-£1 offer in the summer of 2013 in the hope of triggering a release clause in Luis Suarez's contract with the Reds. Their audacious bid failed, the Uruguayan striker stuck around for a further year and then wound up in Barcelona instead.
Alexis Sanchez's future with the Gunners is now uncertain ahead of the deadline. The club publicly dismissed claims the Chilean had handed in a transfer request on Tuesday, per Sky Sports.
However, Manchester City are ready to pounce should Sanchez suddenly become available. According to David Woods of the Daily Star, they are preparing a £70 million bid that also includes the sweetener of Jason Denayer moving in the opposite direction (just in case £70 million wasn't sweet enough, obviously).
Maxim Saakyan, though, would love to see Klopp step up and duke it out with Man City boss Pep Guardiola to grab a player who scored 24 league goals last season:
"If there's one player I would love to hijack it would be Alexis Sanchez. Not only would it be a great signing, but it would be a statement of intent.
"If Jurgen Klopp were to make a perfect footballer to play in one of his teams, he would make a player like Arsenal's Alexis.
"The man works tirelessly every single minute and has his moments of magic which just take the breath away from every fan.
"If he had players around him who had a similar work ethic, and a manager who loves the pressing game, we could see beautiful things happening at Anfield."
How does a £40 million-plus-£1 offer sound to you, Arsene Wenger?
Henry Jackson, This Is Anfield contributor, co-host of Podbusters podcast
Twitter: @HenryJackson87
Best deal to hijack: Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City
Chalk up another vote for Alexis, even though Henry Jackson admits scoring goals isn't a problem for a Liverpool side who've found the net 14 times in five games so far this campaign.
The only problem is, where would Klopp fit him in the forward line?
Mohamed Salah has settled quickly on Merseyside, Sadio Mane is surely Liverpool's most influential player now and Roberto Firmino is pivotal to how the German coach wants his team to play.
However, as Jackson points out, it is hard to turn down the opportunity to sign a top-class performer like Alexis, who is in the final year of his deal with Arsenal and could walk away for nothing next summer:
"My choice would be Alexis Sanchez, even though attack is the least of Liverpool's worries following a magnificent start to the season by Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
"The Chilean is rumoured to have handed in a transfer request at a beleaguered Arsenal, and in a hypothetical world, I would love the Reds to nip in ahead of Manchester City and acquire his signature.
"He is a world-class player when fully engaged, and he would add an extra winning edge to a Liverpool squad who haven't tasted too much trophy success in their careers. Quite where he would fit in I'm not sure, given the brilliance of the front three, but you can always find room for a player of his quality.
"Stealing Arsenal's best player and taking him from under the noses of City would also be a psychological blow to Liverpool's two top-four rivals ahead of a long season, which wouldn't do any harm."
AnfieldNation
Twitter: @AnfieldNation
Best deal to hijack: Marco Asensio to Arsenal
With Marco Asensio, Real Madrid appear to have hit the jackpot.
The 21-year-old is quickly building a portfolio of spectacular goals and, right now, is proving to be an impressive stand-in for the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, scoring twice in Sunday's 2-2 draw with Valencia.
When you keep lashing in long-range shots, other teams take notice. Per Neil Fissler of the Express, Arsenal want to bring the Spaniard—who has a £75 million buyout clause—to the Premier League.
According to Fissler, Paris Saint-Germain failed to lure Asensio to France, while Inter Milan were also registered as having an interest.
Although Guillem Balague has rubbished the idea of the player heading to the Gunners, Anfield Nation cannot help but wonder what kind of damage Asensio might do if he ended up at Anfield:
“The Philippe Coutinho rumours are gathering immense speed every day, and Klopp's need for an attacking midfielder stands out like a sore thumb.
"Marco Asensio has been linked with a move to Arsenal and is yet to sign a new deal at Real Madrid. If Liverpool did sell Coutinho, they would have at least £138 million (along with the £80 million that is supposedly available for Virgil van Dijk), which would probably be enough to sign the Spanish midfielder.
"A fee of £218 million still sounds about right for a man most are already saying is a future Ballon d'Or winner.
“With a similar playing style to Coutinho but with arguably more of a knack for scoring a goal, some may argue he is actually an upgrade on the Brazilian.”
Emma Sanders, Anfield Index, This Is Anfield contributor
Twitter: @em_sandy
Best deal to hijack: Shkodran Mustafi to Inter Milan
Like Wile E. Coyote's attempts to catch the Road Runner in the classic cartoons, Liverpool's pursuit of Virgil van Dijk looks set to end in failure.
Despite the Dutchman's best efforts to manoeuvre his way out of the club, Southampton's stance hasn't budged: Van Dijk is not for sale.
So, who else could the Reds target to strengthen a defence that, for too long now, has been an area of considerable weakness?
Well, journalist Emma Sanders reckons Klopp could do worse than turn his focus to Shkodran Mustafi, someone who appears to have fallen well down the defensive pecking order at Arsenal.
According to Sky in Italy (h/t Sky Sports), the German had agreed to join Inter, although he was still an unused sub for Sunday's heavy loss at Anfield.
Sanders feels Mustafi would get a lot more love were he to join Liverpool before the start of September:
"It's no secret Liverpool are in need of a centre-back to replace Dejan Lovren, who has failed to make an impact at Anfield.
"Virgil van Dijk would be the obvious first choice, but Liverpool may be forced to look elsewhere, so why not look closer to home?
"Liverpool thrashed Arsenal 4-0 on Sunday, and the Gunners' defence was a shambles. But they had a £35 million-rated Germany international watching on from the bench.
"He's currently being scouted by Inter Milan, but his experience, composure and positional awareness would be a great asset for Liverpool.
"There are better defenders out there, but Mustafi would certainly be an upgrade on Lovren and you'd struggle to get an experienced international with Premier League familiarity at a much lower price.
“And we all know Arsenal aren't afraid to sell to their rivals, too...”
Cameron Hogwood, Empire of the Kop contributor
Twitter: @CameronHogwood
Best deal to hijack: Benedikt Howedes to Juventus
Surprise, surprise. A central defender was high on the shopping list for another of our influencers.
For Cameron Hogwood, the key to helping the Reds tighten up at the back could be pairing Joel Matip with a familiar face: Benedikt Howedes.
The centre-back is seemingly on his way out of Schalke, with the Bundesliga club already rejecting an offer from Juventus. "I don't know if there'll be another offer, and I won't ask Juve if they'll call us again," Schalke sporting executive Christian Heidel told reporters (h/t Stephan Uersfeld of ESPN.co.uk).
Hogwood hopes Liverpool get involved in the battle to sign a centre-back who played a pivotal role in helping Germany win the World Cup in 2014:
"It's hard not to feel a tad guilty when touching on the need for defensive reinforcements after watching an utterly devastating Liverpool cruise past Arsenal. That said, adding another centre-back remains an undisputed priority in the eyes of most Reds.
"With a deal for Southampton's Virgil van Dijk still far from certain before Thursday's deadline, igniting a last-ditch pursuit of Benedikt Howedes could prove an inspired alternative.
"At first glance, a rumoured asking price of around €20 million marks a bargain for a World Cup winner and a man with valuable Champions League experience.
"An inevitable starter? Perhaps not. Fierce competition for Dejan Lovren and a player capable of earning a spot in the XI? Most definitely.
"He boasts the kind of leadership, versatility, experience and gloriously no-nonsense attitude designed to see him thrive in a Liverpool setup in dire need of some reliability at the back. Someone who will mop things up, without fans having to pay too much attention to his presence on the pitch. An under-the-radar, yet key contributor.
"His lack of pace often comes into criticism but wouldn't be an issue in a back four happy to sit deep and let teams come on to them—an approach taken in aid of creating gaps in which Reds forwards can make use of their counter-attacking expertise.
"If Van Dijk remains out of reach, Liverpool have nothing to lose by turning to Howedes, who, interestingly, would find himself in familiar circumstances alongside former team-mate Joel Matip."
Stephen Daly, LFC DayTrippers podcaster
Twitter: @stevosideways
Best deal to hijack: Jan Oblak to Paris Saint-Germain
At the start of the new season, Simon Mignolet appeared to be the clear No. 1 at Liverpool. Then, out of the blue, Klopp suddenly picked Loris Karius to start against Arsenal.
Neither candidate—nor Danny Ward, for that matter—has convinced supporters they are of the highest quality. Liverpool's goalkeeper shouldn't expect to be too busy in games, but they are expected to come up with the big saves in key moments.
With that in mind, Stephen Daly of LFC DayTrippers picked out Jan Oblak, an outstanding last line of defence for Atletico Madrid, as his chosen one to target.
Per A Bola (h/t ESPN.co.uk), Paris Saint-Germain have eyed up the Slovenian this summer. Oblak has a €100 million release clause, and Daly believes Liverpool should break the bank to bring him to England:
"Jan Oblak might just be the sort of player that we need and could be achievable if Jurgen Klopp was to decide that he needs a new No. 1 between the sticks.
"There’s no doubting Liverpool’s weakness in the goalkeeping department. Simon Mignolet is well, Simon Mignolet. He's an above average goalkeeper who hasn’t shown any sign that he’s capable of becoming anything more than that and definitely not at the level that you expect from a goalkeeper playing in a team challenging for honours, both at home and abroad.
"Loris Karius was brought in last summer to provide a challenge to Mignolet but a hand injury and a shaky start to his career at Anfield have left many wondering whether he really has what it takes to step up to the mark.
"While Liverpool possess a scintillating attack, there is no doubt that their defensive weaknesses are still a problem. A new goalkeeper, as well as a centre-back or two, is paramount to solving those issues, in my opinion.
"Oblak is an achievable target for a club of Liverpool’s’ stature and given the riches of the Premier League they should be able to offer him a deal that makes it worth his while, as well as being able to afford the large transfer fee that Atleti coach Diego Simeone would no doubt demand to let him leave."
Rob Lancaster is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
