Liverpool Transfer News: Reds Making All the Right Moves in Summer Deals?

Liverpool came into this summer's transfer window on a serious upswing. After a disastrous start to last season, the Reds orchestrated a masterful turnaround under new interim (now full) manager Kenny Dalglish. From January on, the Reds were one of the hottest clubs in the Premiership, charging up the tables before landing safely in sixth place and establishing themselves as an up-and-coming club for next season. 

But, as part of that, Dalglish decided that the roster needed a bit of strengthening. So, the newly certified full manager began a wild buying spree, snatching up some of the best talent on the market and throwing the Reds into the ring for some of this summer's big name transfer targets, hoping to get the club over the hump and back into European competition next season. 

As we move towards the halfway point of this summer's transfer window, has Liverpool actually accomplished that goal? Have they turned themselves into real contenders in the Premiership with their moves, or has Dalglish simply been spinning his wheels? 

The Reds' first big signing of the transfer window was quite the doozy. 21-year-old midfielder Jordan Henderson, the prized starlet at Sunderland, was grabbed for £20 million in a move to Anfield. Henderson is just the kind of player Liverpool needed; young, talented, and laden with potential. He has the skills to make an immediate impact and the potential to be the heir apparent to Steven Gerrard. 

From there, Liverpool continued their pursuit of midfield help. They've set their sights on Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing, but have managed to also grab Blackpool attacking midfielder Charlie Adam for a reported £9 million. 

They shored up their goalkeeping by grabbing Roma backup Doni, and have been hunting for help in their back line, as well, looking at everyone from Jose Enrique of Newcastle to keeping their own young corner defenders. 

But, do these moves really improve the Reds' chances? 

In a word: yes. Liverpool have been making all the right moves so far this offseason, both in who they sign and who they shop from their current roster. They were looking to get younger and deeper at virtually every position on the field, but particularly in their midfield. In grabbing Henderson, who has serious star potential, and an explosive attacker in Adam, Liverpool have done just that.

Adam gives Dalglish serious versatility and scoring as either a wing, a central midfielder (his likeliest position while Steven Gerrard continues to recover from his injuries from last season), or even as a spark plug off the bench when Gerrard returns.

In Doni, they have a keeper who is capable of stepping in and maintaining a high level of play in goal should something happen to incumbent starter Pepe Reina, and while he lacks some of Reina's talent and consistency, he's much more reliable than Roma gave him credit for. 

But, at the same time, Dalglish can't rest on his laurels at this point in the summer. To complete his master plan, a new wing, be it Downing or Juan Mata, the Valencia starlet who will cost close to  £20 million to land, but has tremendous upside and potential, will have to land at Anfield. 

On top of that, Dalglish must wheel and deal to get the salaries of fringe players Alberto Aquilani and Christian Poulsen off the books. From there, he needs to sort out his midfield, which runs as many as five deep in the center (Lucas Lieva, Raul Meierles and Jay Spearing are all still very much a part of the roster at Anfield), and potentially deal at least a couple of those talented players to help recoup some funds. 

At this stage of the game, though, Dalglish and Liverpool have done little wrong. They've addressed the areas that needed to be addressed, they've been shopping the extraneous players they shouldn't keep, and remain in the running for some top talents along the left wing. 

They're not a finished product quite yet, but as of now, the Kop faithful have plenty of reason to be encouraged. The Reds are showing that they're capable of splashing cash, and with the talent coming into the roster, they figure to contend for a Champions League berth next season. While they're not quite capable of contending for a Premiership title at this stage, they have the talent to finish in the top four, and the future is certainly bright for the Reds going forward.