Liverpool Transfer News: Christian Benteke Move Questioned by Jamie Carragher

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes new Reds signing Christian Benteke is a "devastating" striker who shouldn't be compared to mega-flop Andy Carroll when lining up for Reds boss Brendan Rodgers. However, he questions whether the striker can fit in with the manager's plans.

In fact, the Sky Sports pundit suggests Benteke would have been a "great" signing for Premier League champions Chelsea, a team who play far more physically than the Reds.

Carragher indicates the powerful Belgian "can be devastating and infuriating in equal measure," as written in his column for the Daily Mail:

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My worry at Liverpool is, will he be suited to the short, sharp and incisive passing game that Rodgers favours? Brendan wants his side to play through teams, rather than getting the ball into him from wide areas, a fact Tim Sherwood pointed out as soon as Liverpool’s interest became public.

Parallels have already been drawn with Andy Carroll and people have pointed out that Rodgers wasted no time in getting rid of him but that decision had nothing to do with the fact that Carroll was a big man. It was purely down to him lacking pace and movement.

Those are qualities Benteke does not lack but his biggest problem at the moment, where a lot of Liverpool fans are concerned, is that they know him.

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Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Interestingly, Carragher suggests Liverpool fans have reacted better to the signing of Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim, a player he thinks "95 percent" of supporters have never watched in action.

He believes the popularity of both will be determined by their goal tally; an assertion which isn't true of Firmino, who can prove to be far more than a creative type for Rodgers' men. He is an underrated worker and someone who will compete for the ball more readily than many would expect of a productive Brazilian.

Benteke's arrival comes with huge pressure, not least because Liverpool had to pay £32.5 million for his services, reported by BBC Sport.

Any striker brought in is destined to play in the shadow of Luis Suarez, a man whose absence remains conspicuous for the club.

OptaJoe highlighted Liverpool's attacking decline since the Uruguay international moved to Barcelona:

Although Benteke has scored 19, 10 and 13 goals in three respective seasons with Villa, he has proven to be lethal in bursts. This was emphatically underlined last term, which saw him score three goals in all competitions before Mar. 3, then 12 during the rest of the campaign (not including a goal for Belgium), per WhoScored.com.

NELSON ALMEIDA/Getty Images

While he contributed massively to Villa remaining in the Premier League, his inability to find the net during the opening half of the season also played a key role in the Midlands side facing the threat of relegation.

Former Villa boss Paul Lambert, who oversaw Benteke's poor start to the season, believes the former Genk striker will be a huge success at Anfield, reported by Sky Sports:

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I think he is going to do great. Christian phoned me yesterday and I had a good chat with him. I am delighted for him, he has got a move to a really big, big club. I hear reports that he can only score from cross balls. Well, Christian Benteke will score for Liverpool.

The chances they create, he will score and, as Christian said yesterday, he is very good with his feet. I knew that anyway from signing him and I think he will be a terrific signing.

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B/R UK's Jonathan Johnson recently discussed whether he is worth the hype:

Benteke could form an effective partnership with Daniel Sturridge, a man who Liverpool desperately need fit and firing if Champions League football is to be attained.

However, it's likely the new signing will spend plenty of time up front by himself, with two bombing wingers and creative midfielders working behind him.

Like all big-money strikers, Benteke's reputation is built on whether he hits the back of the net. The Kop should eagerly await a double-figure return in his first season with the club.

Although supporters may be split over his acquisition—not least because of his inflated fee—Benteke's Premier League career is defined by hitting plenty of goals in a poor team and without excelling across an entire year.

But this can be countered by Rodgers, who is more than equipped to help the 24-year-old find greater consistency at the top level.