Liverpool Transfer News: Exciting Talents on Brendan Rodgers' Radar for January
No matter where Liverpool finish in the Premier League this season, everything will be linked back to former striker Luis Suarez.
The Uruguayan’s ghost is hanging over Anfield following his departure to Barcelona during the summer, as the players that the Reds acquired from his astronomical transfer kitty haven’t been able to fill his enormous boots.
Manager Brendan Rodgers brought in several talented assets in a bid to kick on from last season’s success, but his vision is yet to be displayed on the pitch. Luckily, January gives him a second chance at getting it right, starting with two big-name stars.
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Jackson Martinez
With striker Mario Balotelli firing blanks, a replacement may well be in the pipeline in January in the shape of Porto’s Jackson Martinez.
According to Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express, Liverpool are planning a £30 million bid for the Colombian, whose stock has risen considerably over the last few seasons.
Chapman wrote that Martinez has notched 72 goals in 106 appearances during his time in Portugal. Two goals in the World Cup in Brazil didn’t exactly lower his profile.
The 28-year-old may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he plugs a gaping hole in Liverpool’s current setup with the ability to find the net.
The Reds have scored just 14 Premier League goals in 11 games this season—a far cry from the side that found the net over 100 times in the 2013/14 campaign.
While Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini are undoubtedly talented, Liverpool need a player that gets into the right place at the right time, and that’s something that Martinez has made a living out of.
He’s proved as much this season, with WhoScored.com’s statistics revealing that he’s found the back of the net 13 times in 17 appearances in all competitions.
However, it’s his Champions League form that’s been particularly impressive, having scored four goals in four games this season and five in his last six—as OptaJose revealed:
The future of Martinez will all come down to a case of who will part with enough money for his services. With Liverpool’s pursuit leaning towards more of a necessity than a luxury, Rodgers is unlikely to go into the transfer half-heartedly.
A goalscorer could indeed end the Reds’ woes, but they need some solidity to match before they start thinking of a top-four place once again.
Asmir Begovic
Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has been linked with a move away from the Britannia Stadium in near enough every transfer window since he joined the club, with Liverpool among those rumoured to be chasing his signature down the years.
The Reds were reportedly in for the stopper back in 2013 but a £15 million asking price saw them miss out. However, as Football Spy reports for the Daily Mirror, Liverpool will launch a January assault to get Begovic to Anfield, with the asking price reportedly coming down to £10 million.
Begovic would be a replacement for current No. 1 Simon Mignolet, who hasn’t been at his best since making the switch from Sunderland.
That’s something that former Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall agrees with, as he said in his Paddy Power blog that the Belgian isn’t good enough for the Reds—via Anthony Hay of Mail Online:
"All I can say about Simon Mignolet is he's definitely in my top 20 of Premier League goalkeepers. And trust me, he doesn't feature very high on it. When they first bought him, I was surprised. When you think of the great Liverpool goalkeepers Tommy Lawrence, Ray Clemence, Bruce Grobbelaar, Pepe Reina—he never struck me as a player capable of hitting those standards.
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The Reds need a keeper they can rely on, and with Mignolet’s tendency for the occasional mishap, looking elsewhere wouldn’t be Rodgers’ worst idea.
Begovic is the reliable pair of hands that the Liverpool manager needs, and with his contract expiring at the end of next season, the timing is ideal.
It’s all just a case of Stoke manager Mark Hughes allowing the move to happen, as well as Begovic himself, who has often declared his happiness in Staffordshire.
A new striker and someone to solidify the back line will give Liverpool a new look and one they desperately need.
Without Rodgers acting in the January transfer window, the Reds’ 2014/15 season threatens to peter out into nothingness, with their stint in the Champions League a mere cameo appearance.
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