Forget Expensive Strikers: Liverpool Need Top Wingers

Liverpool are currently facing a shortage in their striking department.

After Robbie Keane's departure in January, the Reds have only Dirk Kuyt and inexperienced David N'Gog to field whenever Fernando Torres is injured.

Therefore, Rafa Benitez is keen to sign at least one striker in the summer.

Samuel Eto'o, David Villa, Carlos Tevez, and Roque Santa Cruz are all the bigger names rumoured to be moving to Anfield. Having any of them on your team would be a dream come true, but signing one of them would definitely limit Rafa's spending on other areas which really need to be strengthened.

Unless Liverpool have the riches of Chelsea or Manchester City, those strikers should be written off from the shopping list.

Of course Liverpool need to sign at least another good striker, but Rafa does have other alternatives—and affordable ones, I would say. Mounir El Hamdaoui, Alvaro Negredo, Luis Suarez, and even Marouane Chamakh have all also been linked with Liverpool.

To be honest, I am happy to hear those names recently, as the transfer rumours of Eto'o, Villa, and Tevez worry me a lot.

El Hamdaoui, Negredo, Suarez, and Chamakh are all proven goal scorers at their respective clubs and shouldn't cost Rafa a big sum of his transfer budget.

Some argued with me earlier about some of them being completely unknown, saying they will have a hard time adapting to English football. I've watched them play on several occasions, and I personally feel they are physically capable of playing in the English Premiership.

As long as the physical barrier can be overcome, the strikers will eventually score on a regular basis if there are good wingers to create more goal-scoring opportunities. That is the philosophy I have been holding to for a long time. Both the flank areas are where Rafa really should spend his money on.

With Liverpool doing so well with the 4-5-1 formation at the moment, they really do need creative wingers to spare the lone striker some burden. Dirk Kuyt has been marvelous at the right flank, but he could be a deadly striker when played as one, which I am always looking forward to.

Fabio Aurelio and Albert Riera have also been reliable on the left flank, but nothing more than that. I can't see them going further from there.

Therefore, the money really should be spent on flank players rather than another world-class striker.

Fernando Torres is clearly comfortable up front alone with Steven Gerrard behind him, and an extra goal scorer is only needed as a cover for Torres—someone who is reliable and consistent.

Besides that, do you think the likes of Tevez and Villa will stand warming the bench when Torres is fit and Rafa is sticking to the 4-5-1?

With the number of attacking talents in Liverpool Reserves, I am sure at least one of them will do a "Macheda" and play regularly in the first team. Daniel Pacheco, Jordy Brouwer, and Krisztian Nemeth have been doing well with the Reserves, and I am pretty sure they will do well if chances are given.

Last, I would like to note that signing another world-class striker will definitely bring joy to every fan, and the new striker will most probably shine in the red outfit.

But with the modest transfer budget Rafa has compared to the spending power of Manchester City, I feel that if a big part of the budget is to be spent on a player, the player should be a winger.