Liverpool Transfer Rumors: Dutch Winger Is Better Than Salomon Kalou

Liverpool has been linked with Salomon Kalou in this transfer window (from the Daily Mirror), but if Brendan Rodgers has the same funds available as Kenny Dalglish did, he should not be looking at such players.

Even if Rodgers is working under a tight budget, he should still not be considering someone like Kalou, a player who is wasteful at best.

Getting Kalou on a Bosman transfer would be very similar to getting Joe Cole on a free from the same sellers, Chelsea. Everyone knows how that turned out, and Liverpool can ill-afford even a single signing this summer that will not come good next season, even if it costs nothing.

People forget that a free signing does add up on the payroll, and if Kalou does end up as Joe Cole did, then it will still translate as a financial loss.

Euro 2012 has got off to a good start with some exciting games already. One player that is yet to feature though is 21-year-old Luciano Narsingh for the Netherlands. The Heerenveen winger has been one of the reasons for his team's success in the season gone by, where it improved from finishing 12th in the previous season to 5th this past year. 

Liverpool scouts should be looking at Narsingh, and he would not come at a huge price. Even though he is with the Dutch national squad at the Euros, his price is not likely to rocket as he is unlikely to feature.

Bert Van Marwijk clearly does not rate him, which is a mistake. Ibrahim Afellay gets into the starting lineup just because he plays for Barcelona, despite mainly making substitute appearances for the Blaugrana. Moreover, he remained mostly on the sidelines due to injury, but is getting starts more because of glamour than merit.

Last night, Dirk Kuyt was also one of the Netherlands' substitutes that came on to try to have an impact on the game.

Kuyt hardly did anything this past season, and again his inclusion was not on merit. I would love to see Narsingh get a run out in at least the last group match against Portugal. His performances for Heerenveen deserve at least a few minutes.

Let us move to the statistical side of things. Afellay, another player that has been touted for a transfer to Liverpool in the past (via talkSPORT), has contributed three goals and two assists for his team since the start of 2011, while Salomon Kalou has contributed 12 goals and four assists.

In comparison, Narsingh has contributed 10 goals and 16 assists. Statistics are provided not to imply anything or rank players, but to reveal effectiveness.

Stats should hold at least some weight while judging ,and that is one of the reasons why Gylfi Sigurdsson's move is not being questioned right now. I do rate Sigurdsson, but had he not contributed those goals and assists in his time at Swansea, his pursuit and potential signing would have been questioned by most fans. Liverpool and the ambitions of its owners would have been questioned too.      

Statistics aside, I think Narsingh still has the qualities that would make for a great signing for Liverpool. His age fits the bill of FSG's transfer policy, and I believe he would complement Luis Suarez very well. He is a little lightweight, but power and physical build is not a part of his game, nor is it a focus for Brendan Rodgers' tactics.

Luka Modric and Ramires are players that are not physically well-built either. Yet, they have enjoyed a great amount of success in the more physical English Premier League.

Narsingh has good pace, and can be used in the role in which Rodgers used Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer so effectively for Swansea last season. His dribbling and direct nature on offense are just what the Reds need.

His finishing is fantastic, and Liverpool should at least keep an eye on the Heerenveen man. If fans remember the history of Luis Suarez, they will know that his value reached over $30 million only when he went to Ajax.

Suarez joined the Dutch champions from Groningen, and is just one of many Eredivisie talents to get signed by Ajax for a fraction of the price that they would command after a few years of playing in Amsterdam.

I would definitely take Narsingh over Kalou for Liverpool, especially if they aim to challenge for the top four this season. Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge might be a better option at a little more than $20 million, but if Liverpool are looking towards players in Kalou's price range, then I would rather have the younger Narsingh.