Liverpool Transfer Scenarios: 10 Moves Fans Would Make If They Ran the Club

Life as a Liverpool Football Club fan and writer continues to be tough as the club faces a true rebuilding period in both their image and identity on and off the pitch.

Recent events such as the Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra racism row have done nothing but embroil the club owners, manager, fans and players in even more of a frustrated place.

The transfer policy has many and all of us the most confused as major amounts of money are being thrown this way and that, but the results are just not coming—even after all that expenditure.

So now I take a look at it from a broader scope while trying to think and figure out just what we fans would do if we controlled the club in its current state of affairs looking forward.

Give me your opinions and your brutal honesty in the comments section for that is what this club needs right now. Enjoy. 

Bring Back Xabi Alonso

Alonso was the heart and soul of the Reds midfield behind Steven Gerrard.

From his long shots to his excellent field vision, he was the quiet mastermind behind the best of Rafa Benitez's time at Anfield.

His departure can almost singlehandedly be blamed for the Reds slumping to a seventh place finish in Rafa's final year.

Most importantly, he still loves the club. Honestly he seems more attached to Liverpool than he possibly ever will be to Real Madrid and that proves he would be more than a welcomed returning hero.

Buy Javi Martinez

Liverpool need a young defensive midfielder that can blossom at the club. I am not pulling punches at Jay Spearing when I say he is not good enough; it is just the simple truth.

Spearing will never be good enough to make Liverpool great again. The club needs to build on solid fundamental and win-minded talent, and Athletic Bilbao youngster Javi Martinez is just that.

The young Spaniard also comes from the same pedigree training that produced Xabi Alonso.

Sign a Veteran Poacher

Liverpool have talent in their attack, but most of it is far from coming of age. There are multiple older poachers and veteran goal scorers that are worth a possible one- or two-year contract to bridge the gap and allow time for the youngsters to grow.

Possible players include Didier Drogba, Alessandro Del Piero, Filippo Inzaghi and Raul.

All four are currently listed as possible Bosman transfers for the summer of 2012. Drogba would possibly love to stick it to Chelsea. Del Piero and Inzaghi would more than likely look at the move as neither is likely to want to stay at the league of their current club if they are not offered new contracts at the end of the season.

Lastly, former Real Madrid great Raul has proven that he still has it in Germany and could be a great single-season signing that would not only give a veteran presence to the training ground but bring a legendary winning mentality to the dressing room.

The Reds need goals from inside the six-yard box and all of these players know exactly how to be there to provide such efforts.

Sign a Versatile Left Forward Like Lukas Podolski

German international forward Lukas Podolski is a wild card, but could be worth it. I'll admit we have seen worse failures for what his price tag could entail.

Sports Illustrated claims that FC Cologne has resolved their current situation with their star attacker, but he is still likely to move on in the summer and Arsenal have been the primary club looking at him.

Liverpool need a class and quality left-sided forward, winger or striker and Podolski has been seen as versatile enough to do all three at times.

Yes he was largely unproven for his time at Bayern Munich, but some players mature more slowly and come into their own later in life. Just look at Antonio Di Natale at Udinese if you want proof of that.

Find Dirk Kuyt's Long-Term Replacement on the Right

The right side of midfield has been a problem for some time at Liverpool. While the Reds have one man that was great on the right-hand side in the past in Steven Gerrard, the captain has been moved to a more centralized role in recent seasons. Gerrard had some of his best seasons out wide right, as it allowed his crossing ability to be further exploited.

However, Dirk Kuyt has been the primary guy to fill the void over the last few seasons despite not being a natural winger. Under Rafael Benitez, Kuyt transitioned to a right midfielder as Fernando Torres made his mark as the Reds' solo striker.

Now the plan has completely changed and as Kuyt starts aging, the Reds need that right side secured for the long term with a natural right-side attacker.

Jordan Henderson has potential, but he is not world class. A move for a player such as Eden Hazard would be great, but he will not likely be a real possibility unless the Reds reclaim European action this season.

A more possible target could be CSKA Moscow's Keisuke Honda or perhaps someone such as Manchester City's Adam Johnson if he can be prised away for the bonus of playing time.

Either Give Jonjo Shelvey a Go or Loan Him out Again

Jonjo Shelvey proved he had loads of potential during his short loan spell to Blackpool in the later stages of 2011, as it earned him the 2011 Young Player of the Season in England.

He looks to be a great asset to the future of the squad, but as for now he is on the fringe at best with the run in starting.

With the Reds looking to keep their strongest lineup in every match, he is not likely to see a lot of playing time in the coming four months. He could be better served going to a strong Championship side or lower-level relegation-fighting team in order to get experience.

Consider the Sale of Luis Suarez

A few months ago this would sound like heresy. However, the stink that Luis Suarez's racism scandal has brought on the good name of the club and now the fans, owner and manager are more than should be tolerated.

Kenny Dalglish has always been a manager that was about the club first and has attempted to instill that in his players. However, it apparently did not take for Luis Suarez.

Suarez humiliated most, if not all of the Liverpool entirety around the globe when he refused to shake the hand of Patrice Evra when he told Dalglish he would and put the issue to bed once and for all.

I am not taking away any blame from Evra as he played his fare share in the debacle that the latest Manchester United vs. Liverpool derby, but he is not the one that has done the damage to the club's global image.

Unless his apology can rebuild some of the lost trust of the world of Liverpool fans, the club might see its best long-term interests served by offloading the player in the summer. They need to show where they stand on the topic at hand before it costs them major sponsorships and global support in the long run.

Bring Back Fernando Torres

This has been a debate for most of the season at different times, although Torres rubbished the idea in the media.

In some ways a return to Merseyside might be a better thought than remaining in his Chelsea funk that is likely to see him offloaded in the summer for a cut price anyway.

Liverpool need a world-class striker and despite recent form, that is exactly what Torres is. Before he left the Reds last January in 2011, he looked to be returning to form under Kenny Dalglish. However, he quickly changed that thought when he made his huge move to Chelsea.

A year and a few weeks removed from that, he still has scored more goals in his last Liverpool half-season than he has for Chelsea. Most likely, he would have much more effect in Kenny's system with Steven Gerrard and Craig Bellamy in support of him than he ever will with selfish Daniel Sturridge as a striker partner in London.

Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas also seems to have little desire to work with the striker as the return of Didier Drogba is likely to see El Nino return to the Chelsea bench.

Give Andy Carroll Until the Summer to Prove Himself and If Need Be, Sell Him

Most people have already written Andy Carroll off. While yes he was never worth £35 million and probably never will be, his ability does exist.

In the last few games before Luis Suarez returned, Andy Carroll finally started to show signs of life that were reminiscent to his old Newcastle days.

Carroll's main problem has been a lack of confidence from a lack of first-team action as he has resorted to a sluggish character that is more apt to mope than get stuck back in.

When given a run of games, he does improve, but more often than not he does not see a long enough time on the pitch to rebuild any kind of confidence.

He should have started the Manchester United game as the formula Kenny Dalglish had was seeming to work despite an unlucky stroke against Tottenham. Upon being benched in favor of Suarez's full return, he never was given the chance to impact the game until to late, and he is truly not a super sub.

Think Class and Cost Effectiveness When We Buy

The final point I have to make is that while the Reds have splashed serious cash over the last year since the arrival of Fenway Sports Group at the helm, it has not always been spent in the most cost-effective ways for the club or for talent.

With well over £100 million invested in player capital over the last 12 months, you would think of some pretty big names to fill out that pay.

However, these are the names associated with that expenditure: Andy Carroll (£35m), Luis Suarez (£22.7m), Jordan Henderson (£20m), Stewart Downing (£20m), Charlie Adam (£7m), Alexander Doni (£2.5m) and Craig Bellamy (free).

Honestly, the only name that fits in that price range truly is Suarez. The club needs to think better about the cost and ability of players aside from their nationality as only two players are not from England, Scotland or Wales.

The implications of the Financial Fair Play regulations should hopefully make clubs like Liverpool be a little more careful with how they spend huge amounts of cash. 

Conclusion

I am sure there are a million other opinions on all of this from my fellow Liverpool featured columnists and the rest of the Reds fans out there.

Please add any and all thoughts in the comments section so we can thoroughly enjoy this debate.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out more on Bleacher Report and at the links below. You can follow me on Twitter @thedailyatz and Facebook, or visit my website.