All You Needed to Know About New Liverpool Signing Iago Aspas

Following Liverpool’s £7 million capture of Celta de Vigo front man Iago Asaps last week, the club’s supporters now have yet another talented Spaniard to feast their eyes on at Anfield next season.

And so to get the Reds’ fans in the mood, we are here to give them a little taster of just what to expect from their new signing on Merseyside in the 2013/14 campaign, as well as telling them all they need to know about Iago Aspas Juncal…

Vital Statistics

DOB: Aug. 1, 1987
Age: 25
Place of birth: Moana, Spain
Nationality: Spanish
Height: 5'9"
Position: Forward
Foot: Left
Transfer fee: £7m
Contract: Undisclosed, but long term
Twitter: @aspas10

Awards Season

Zarra Trophy (Segunda Division): 2011/12
Best Forward (Segunda Division): 2011/12

In the 2011/12 campaign playing as a lone striker in the Segunda Division in Spain, Aspas scored a career-best 23 goals in just 35 league outings to help Celta gain promotion back to the Primera Division for the first time in five years, while overall that season the Spaniard netted an impressive 25 times in only 38 matches in all competitions.

And on the back of his outstanding league form in front of goal, Aspas won both the Best Forward and the “Zarra” trophies that year, the latter awarded by MARCA to the domestic player with the highest number of goals in the first and second divisions.

Target Practice

2012/13: 12 in 33 (league) and 12 in 36 (all competitions)
2012/13 scoring rate: Goal every 2.75 games (league) and goal every 3 games (all competitions)
Career (2006-13): 57 in 219 (league) and 61 in 233 (all competitions)
Career scoring rate: Goal every 3.8 games (league) and goal every 3.8 games (all competitions)

In his first-ever campaign in the Spanish top flight last season, the 25-year-old made a seamless transition to La Liga, netting three times in Celta’s opening seven games, before going on to end the year with an eye-catching 12 strikes in his 33 league encounters, goals that effectively saved the Galicians from returning straight back to the Segunda Division.

As a result, come the end of the 2012/13 campaign, Aspas was left in joint-16th place in the Liga goalscoring charts alongside Real Valladolid’s Oscar Gonzalez, but ahead of the likes of Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema and FC Barcelona’s David Villa.

He Shoots, He Scores...

Encouragingly for Liverpool fans, Aspas’ shooting accuracy stats from La Liga last season would have seen him as the second-most precise marksman in the Premier League behind on-loan West Bromwich Albion striker Romelu Lukaku, but ahead of luminaries such as Tottenham Hotspur’s double Footballer of the Year Gareth Bale, red-hot Manchester United forward Robin van Persie and Liverpool’s own deadly attacker Luis Suarez.

A Striking Talent

One of Aspas’ biggest strengths is his versatility, a feature that by all accounts greatly attracted the player to Reds boss Rodgers in the first place, especially given the Northern Irishman’s insistence on all his players being adaptable enough to be able to change positions and/or formations from game to game, or even sometimes during a match itself.

Consequently, Aspas could be used in a number of different lineups by Liverpool next season, with the forward being equally comfortable operating as a lone out-and-out front man in a 4-5-1 formation, in the “hole” as a No. 9 or second striker off a fellow forward in a 4-4-1-1 setup or operating from the wide areas as an inverted winger flanking a central attacker in a 4-3-3 line-up.

And it is the latter system that the new man is most likely to find himself utilised in by Rodgers in the new campaign, where the marksman can best score and provide goals from, as his seven assists in the league last season demonstrate.

Red Mist

Former Celta head coach and a man well known to Reds supporters, Paco Herrera, once dubbed Aspas part Messi and part monster owing to his Jekyll-and-Hyde personality on the field of the play.

And in the previous campaign, this explosive aspect of Aspas’ character was seen on two separate occasions. 

The first was when Herrera was forced to substitute the player to prevent him from being red-carded.

However, the second time Aspas was not so lucky and he did receive his marching orders after head-butting veteran Deportivo La Coruna defender Carlos Marchena in the Galician derby, a dismissal that ultimately ended up costing his team the game (video above).

So a partnership up front of Aspas and Luis Suarez at Anfield next season could be one to keep opposition centre-backs and referees alike very much on their toes...

Come in No. 9…

Aspas has been handed the No. 9 shirt vacated by Andy Carroll's departure to West Ham United, and the Spaniard will be following in a long line of illustrious former Reds strikers who have also worn that same jersey in the Premier League era, including the likes of Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler and Fernando Torres.

LIVERPOOL’S PREMIER LEAGUE No. 9s
Ian Rush (1992-96): 170 games/67 goals
Robbie Fowler (1996-2001 & 2006-07): 369 games/183 goals
Nicolas Anelka (2001-02): 22 games/5 goals
El-Hadji Diouf (2002-04): 80 games/6 goals
Djibril Cisse (2004-06): 79 games/24 goals
Fernando Torres (2007-11): 142 games/81 goals
Andy Carroll (2011-13): 58 games/11 goals

What He Said...

Aspas told Liverpoolfc.com:

"

"It wasn't a tough decision at all (deciding to join Liverpool). I'm really happy to have come to a big club like this one.

"Having weighed up all my options for this window, a massive club like Liverpool was always my first choice.I am a quick and skillful player. Together we will achieve a lot of success.

"I've not had the chance to talk with the manager at any length just yet but I think that good players can slot into any role and not just one set position.”

"

What They Said...

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina said of Aspas: 

"

"I know as much as I have seen on TV and I think he is a great player and could be a great addition.

"I've been asking around and everyone talks well about him so hopefully he will be an asset for us and will be very helpful for the team."

"

Did You Know...?

The family name “Aspas” means “blades” in English, so Liverpool supporters will be hoping that their new striker provides their team with an added cutting edge in attack next season…

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