Liverpool Transfers: 5 Summer Deals to Make Reds Title Contenders

Inconsistency is perhaps the word that can best describe Liverpool’s Premier League form this season.

Their home record is pretty much a mirror image of their unsatisfactory league form. One moment they match the Manchester clubs in terms of effort but on the other hand concede a tame draw to Blackburn Rovers.

Despite this messy situation, a trophy did find its way down to L4.

Liverpool won the 2012 Carling Cup and this helped lift some pressure off of manager Kenny Dalglish’s shoulders.

While they have shown good form in cup competitions—evidenced by their impending second visit to Wembley as FA Cup semifinalists—they are struggling to catch a break to get ahead of their rivals in the Premier League.

As the Champions League spot seems to be getting farther and farther out of reach, Dalglish has one worry on his hands.

He hasn’t exactly been successful in finding the right players for his team.

Sure, he did land Luis Suarez. But the Uruguayan is finding it tough in the Premier League because Liverpool don’t possess the quality to win week in week out.

So the task of landing the perfect quality player during the summer transfer window becomes an almighty important task. And that is where I come into the picture!

Read on to find which summer deals could propel the Reds into title contention for the next season…

Edinson Cavani

Liverpool’s major worry this season has been their lack of goals.

With only 33 goals to show on board—one less than Swansea City—Liverpool’s attacking woes ensured that they didn’t get the full haul in several of their home games.

Andy Carroll is still trying to catch up with the Liverpool way and this has left Dalglish with no other choice but to search for a talented forward who can link up well with Luis Suarez.

Enter Suarez’s international teammate Edinson Cavani.

The lanky Napoli striker is gaining in strength with each passing game. Cavani was Napoli’s leading goal scorer last season with an impressive return of 33 goals from his 47 appearances.

And he has continued his hot run into this season scoring 26 of his 37 appearances so far.

Besides, his ability to score with both feet and his head should bode well for Liverpool’s cause. His pace and tricky dribbling skills are a bonus.

Although Cavani may cost a wee bit of money, he’ll be worth every last penny of it.

Chelsea’s interest in the forward is also getting stronger by the day. So Liverpool should act wisely and snap up their man as early as possible.

Nuri Sahin

“A good midfield leads to a good attack.”

Although I made up the above statement but tried to put it across like a Shanks quote, there is some element of truth attached to it.

Liverpool’s midfield have come across like a weak one.

The weakness—largely due to Stevie G’s and Lucas Leiva’s injuries—compounded the troubles of Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson whose inconsistent performances failed to convince supporters of their worth to the team.

Especially Adam—whose Hail Mary passes have become something of folklore in footballing circles—as he failed to live up to the expectations and struggled to hold together a midfield devoid of Gerrard.

This is where Real Madrid’s Turkish midfielder Nuri Sahin comes into the picture. Sahin was one of the hottest talents on the transfer market last season.

Fresh from a title-winning season at Borussia Dortmund—that also earned him the best Bundesliga player award—Sahin signed for Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid amidst high expectations.

But not all has turned out well for the talented midfielder whose bad luck with injuries meant he could only just about manage five appearances so far for Los Blancos.

Now seemingly frustrated by wasting time on the sidelines—as he is below Ozil and Kaka in the pecking order—Sahin may look for a move away from the Bernabeu in a bid to further his career.

If Liverpool were smart, they would do well to snap up this talented boy as he is much better at passing the ball and controlling the game from the midfield position than Adam and Henderson can ever aspire to be.

Eden Hazard

Another one of Liverpool’s woes has been the disappointing performance of Stewart Downing.

Kenny Dalglish signed the former Aston Villa winger to provide service to target man Andy Carroll. But Liverpool have tasted little/nil success in their efforts to make the pair click.

Besides, Downing hasn’t contributed much to Liverpool’s goal count as he only has two strikes to his credit.

So it is clear that Liverpool need a much better winger to provide life down the flanks. And that could be Eden Hazard.

This lad’s been in the public eye for quite some time now.

The tricky Belgian winger/forward who plays for Ligue 1 club Lille OSC is a premium target for major European clubs.

His ability to dribble down the wings and make crucial passes during the game has been essential to his growth in popularity. His sheer pace will also make sure that defenders experience a nightmarish marking job.

The hype is certainly around him but only two English clubs were rumoured to have shown some interest in him—North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Though the price tag may be as high as Newcastle’s evaluation of Andy Carroll, it may be worth it considering the age of the player.

Yann M’Vila

As stated earlier, Liverpool’s midfield has been a cause of much concern.

Lucas Leiva’s injury exposed the inability of fellow midfielders to do the dirty job in a convincing manner.

And although Jay Spearing has filled in on that role in recent games, he hasn’t created an impression that a Liverpool player should be associated with.

It has come to a point that Gerrard has had to drop down from his natural position to provide cover for the back line.

Now this crisis should come to an end once Lucas is back.

But what if he is never the same again or his injury keeps him out for longer than expected?

Liverpool need not look any further than this man to combat such issues.

Yann M’Vila is a French defensive midfielder plying his trade with Rennes in Ligue 1.

And he is not your average defensive midfielder who flies into rash tackles, earns bookings and contributes little to the game (did someone say Lee Cattermole?).

To put in simple terms, he is very much the next Xabi Alonso.

Javi Martinez of Athletic Bilbao is the more talked about player these days, but I’d prefer M’Vila over him primarily because of the price difference.

Some quarters have mentioned Martinez’s fee to be in excess of £30 million while M’Vila should come for less than what the Reds paid for Downing.

Besides, Rennes’ not-so-encouraging league form will prompt him to look for greener pastures and that is an encouraging sign for Liverpool.

M’Vila is a great upgrade to Charlie Adam and/or Jordan Henderson and at 21 will be a great youth investment for Liverpool.

Mauricio Isla

What do they say? A football team is never complete without a player whose most impressive skill set is versatility.

Nah! I made that up too. But do you beg to differ on this?

These days a club would kill to have a versatile player in their ranks.

Why? Because the owners don’t need to dip into their pockets each time an important player gets injured.

If the other player can more than hold his fort in an uncomfortable position and come out with his head held high after a match, then that’s good business.

Mauricio Isla of Udinese is one such utility player. His ability to slot in anywhere in the defence, the midfield and the attack should appeal to any club planning to rope in the Chilean international on board.

Let’s just hope that Liverpool do the smart thing by snapping him up.

Conclusion

The players listed on here are by no means cheap targets.

All five combined could easily set back FSG in excess of £100 million.

Seeing as Dalglish—in my honest opinion—won’t be given another £100 million for transfer spend, Liverpool should make wise choices and ensure that they snap up at least one or two players from this list.

Rest assured, any one of these players will definitely bolster Liverpool’s title contention chances tremendously.