Strengths and Weaknesses of Liverpool Transfer Target Christian Benteke
The chances of Liverpool signing Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke this summer seem very high, with the Reds making the Belgian their No. 1 priority in reinforcing their forward line.
While a deal may not be as close as Graham Beecroft told talkSPORT on Wednesday, James Pearce of theย Liverpool Echo explained in response that Liverpool remain interested, despite Villa's high valuation.
"Liverpool want to sign Benteke but are unwilling to pay the ยฃ32.5 million asking price and that stand-off remains," he said. "Liverpool donโt want to pay more than ยฃ25 million for the big frontman, who has two years remaining on his current contract."
He adds: "Villa have no interest in selling Benteke and are highly unlikely to accept lower than the release clause."
Brendan Rodgers in desperate need of another striker this summer, and second-choice target Carlos Bacca reportedly favours a move to AC Milan, according to Marcus Christenson of theย Guardian. As a result, it's likely that Liverpool, in an unfavourable position, will eventually meet Benteke's release clause to sign him.
What's an extra ยฃ7.5 million if you can secure your No. 1 target, after all?
The prospect of spending ยฃ32.5 million on a lower-level Premier League striker has divided Liverpool supporters, but if Benteke is Rodgers' man, there will be no choice but to get behind him come August.
So what can the Reds expect from Benteke?
Here are four strengths and four weaknesses for the 24-year-old behemoth.
Strength: Aerial Prowess
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Responding to reports linking Benteke with Liverpool back in May, Villa manager Tim Sherwood told the striker to aim higher than the Reds, explaining how his style of play jars with that of Rodgers' tactical blueprint.
"We cross more balls into the box than any other club in the league and Christian has said that he feeds off crosses," he said, as reported by Daniel Taylor of theย Guardian. "Thereโs no point going to a club where they donโt cross the ball."
The key attribute that Sherwood highlights, that is one of Benteke's strongest areas, is his aerial abilityโin terms of Premier League strikers, he is one of the best in the air.
Only four playersโWest Ham United's Andy Carroll (10.6), Burnley's Sam Vokes (8.5) and Stoke City's Peter Crouch (8.2)โaveraged more aerial duels won per 90 minutes than Benteke (7.1) last season.
Benteke dominatedย centre-back Martin Skrtel in Villa's 2-1 FA Cup semi-final win over the Reds in April, winning eight aerial duels to the Slovak's one.
He is a formidable aerial threat, but whether this is what Liverpool need is another matter entirely.
Weakness: Passing
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Over the seasons under Rodgers, Liverpool's attack has focussed on neat, passing play, particularly in tight situationsโthey are much closer to Arsene Wenger's intricate Arsenal than Sherwood's direct Villa.
This is something that the manager explained to the club's official website ahead of last season, saying: "As time has gone on, we've added penetrationโit's much better. We're much quicker with our passing, the speed of our game is better and obviously we've got quality at the top end of the field."
Unfortunately, passingโand in particular passing in close quartersโis one of Benteke's key weaknesses.
The 24-year-old averagedย 36.5 passes per 90 minutes in the league last season, with a completion success of just 66.7 percent.
Only one Liverpool outfield player posted a lower passing accuracy than Benteke last season: unwanted left-back Jose Enrique, who completed just 65.7 percent of his passes.
Strength: Shooting
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Naturally, the primary objective for Liverpool in signing a new striker this summer is to add goals to their squad, with their tally of just 52 in the Premier League last season contributing hugely to their lowly sixth-placed finish.
Benteke makes sense as a target in this regard, as his shooting ability is top-level.
Over the past three seasons, Benteke has made 251 shots, scoring 42 goals. This averages at six shots per goal.
By comparison, Liverpool's current star striker Daniel Sturridge has made 199 shots over the last three seasons in Merseyside red, scoring 35 goals. This averages at 5.7 shots per goal.
Sturridge is, when fit, one of the Premier League's very best strikers, and therefore Benteke's success in front of goal is commendable.
Weakness: Defensive Work
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"If you can't press, you can't be a part of the team. It doesn't matter who the player is," Rodgers said after relegating unfavoured striker Mario Balotelli from the squad for January's FA Cup clash at home to Bolton Wanderers, as reported by theย Times' Tony Barrett via Twitter.
Though dubious in his individual criticism, Rodgers' words underline a key principle within his attacking ideals: stemming from the all-round majesty of Luis Suarez, a Liverpool strikerย mustย defend from the front.
Does Benteke do this? Barely.
The 24-year-old made 0.4 tackles per 90 minutes on average in last season's Premier League, with this representing the joint-third-worst defensive contribution of any striker to make 10 or more appearances.
Considering this list is 41 names strong, this highlights just how poor Benteke's defensive contribution is.
To highlight the other end of the scale, Leicester City's Leonardo Ulloa averaged 1.8 tackles per 90 and Arsenal's Danny Welbeck made 1.7. The third-most tackles per 90 of any Premier League striker to make 10 or more appearances was, rather interestingly, Balotelli (1.4).
If Rodgers doesn't appreciate Balotelli's defensive work, there's no chance Benteke will meet his standards.
Strength: Power
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When outlining Sturridge as England's best striker back in February, as reported by the Guardian's Andy Hunter, Rodgers touched upon a number of key qualities.
"Heโs got everything in his game if heโs playing consistently," he said. "His goalscoring record, his pace, his power, heโs got everything and as an English striker thereโs no one better than him."
One of the intangible qualities that has made Sturridge such a success at Liverpool is his power.ย When facing up to an opposing defender, Sturridge makes a formidable opponent due a combination of pace, strength and sheer confidence.
This is also one of Benteke's key attributes, as Villa captain Fabian Delph explained in 2013, according to John Wragg of theย Express:
"Defenders must come up against this boy and think, 'he is 22, letโs try to rough him up.' But every centre-back who has tried has failed.ย Benteke is a natural monster. He doesn't do any upper bodywork whatsoever. He works on his core strength. He works on his legs.
I have never met anyone like him. When he came here I asked him whether he ate raw meat. He said, 'No, it is just natural.'
"
If Rodgers is looking to add power and a fear factor to his attack, Benteke is a wise option.
Weakness: Dribbling
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Another quality now synonymous with Liverpool's attack since the Suarez era is the dribbling ability of Rodgers' forwards.
It is why Sturridge has been such a success and one of the reasons why Raheem Sterling was favoured over Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini last season.
If the Reds are playing on the break, they need a striker capable of picking up the ball and taking it past defenders; if they are in a tight situation ahead of a resolute back line, they often need dribbling ingenuity and drive to succeed.
Benteke is much more of an aerial threat than an on-ball danger.
Strength: Contribution to Build-Up
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While his best qualities come as a spearhead to attacking moves, and particularly in the air, Benteke isn't a one-dimensional striker.
His contribution to build-up play is one of the key reasons why Villa enjoyed a resurgence following Sherwood's appointment in February, with his relationship with the likes of Delph, Charles N'Zogbia and Jack Grealish aiding a fluid attacking structure.
A deft Benteke backheel took the Liverpool defence by surprise as he found Grealish outside the penalty area in April's FA Cup semi-final, with the teenager's resulting through ball threading a dynamic Delph onto goal.
That strike put Villa ahead and on course for a 2-1 victory, and Benteke's contribution to the build-up was vital.
He is comfortable dropping deep when required, strong in terms of hold-up play when challenged by defenders and intelligent in his use of lay-offs and knock-ons.
Weakness: Movement
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One of the key weaknesses to Benteke's game is his movementโor lack thereof. He is far from the off-the-shoulder striker that Liverpool supporters have become accustomed to under Rodgers.
Miserably, Benteke was caught offside 36 times in the Premier League last season, more than any other player barring compatriot Romelu Lukaku (also 36).
Of players to have made 10 or more appearances in the league in 2014/15, only Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray (1.6) averaged more offside calls per 90 minutes than Benteke (1.4). This is seemingly symptomatic of the target man type of striker, with Lambert, Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor, Bobby Zamora, Bafetimbi Gomis and Harry Kane all also featuring in the top 10 in terms of being caught offside.
By way of comparison, Sturridge was caught offside just 0.7 times per 90 minutes on averageโhalf that of Benteke.
The worry will be that Benteke's lack of intelligent movement will jar with the fast-paced creative productivity of playmakers Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino.
Liverpool are changing their specification in terms of centre-forwards this summerโit's a bold move thatย must pay off if Rodgers is to remain in a positive position under owners Fenway Sports Group.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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