Breaking Down the Areas Liverpool Must Strengthen in the Summer Transfer Window
As we have all no doubt experienced in our lifetimes, shopping in the January sales can be risky.
There are great deals to be had, of course. However, you can also end up making rather unnecessary purchases, spending money on items that are destined to sit in storage before eventually being jettisoned.
The same risks apply to Premier League football clubs during the midseason transfer window.
Liverpool have experienced both sides of the coin in the past. In January of 2011, for example, the Reds signed Luis Suarez from Ajax...as well as Andy Carroll from Newcastle United.
This year, Jurgen Klopp couldn't be tempted to spend anything straight after Christmas. Not a penny.
However, it wasn't for a lack of trying.
"It is not that we don't want to bring players in. We do. But the thing is, the players we want because we think they help us, the clubs don't sell. It is not about money in this situation, it is the winter transfer window," Klopp said after the home loss to Swansea City, per Andy Hunter of the Guardian.
So while the German will work with the same squad for the remainder of the season (minus naughty boy Mamadou Sakho), he'll also be planning ahead for the summer, too.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report has picked out five positions where Liverpool should look to strengthen, as well as offering up potential names they could target.
Goalkeeper
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Let us start with the last line of defence, and a goalkeeping conundrum that Liverpool have struggled to solve in recent years.
Simon Mignolet rather summed up his Anfield career in the game against Chelsea on Tuesday. Badly caught out by David Luiz's long-range free-kick that broke the deadlock, he somewhat made amends with a fine penalty save from Diego Costa in the second half.
The Belgium international has faced questions over both his kicking game and also the ability to cope with crosses.
Loris Karius was signed last summer to provide competition, but the addition from Mainz failed to take his opportunity when promoted to start in the Premier League.
All this leaves Klopp caught between two goalkeepers, neither of whom he can fully rely upon right now.
Potential Target
Karius is still just 23, a mere baby when it comes to the position.
However, as David Preece wrote in the Guardian: "Goalkeeping is the one area where familiarity breeds anything but contempt."
The man between the posts must be trusted by those playing in front of him. Chopping and changing leads to an air of uncertainty that can spread throughout a team.
If Klopp looks outside his current squad in the summer, Joe Hart should definitely be considered. If he's still not wanted by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, Liverpool could pick up an international-class 'keeper on the cheap.
Left-Back
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Klopp pulled a rabbit from his LFC cap when converting James Milner into a left-back.
The player has made a relatively smooth transition to the role, becoming the regular starter ahead of previous incumbent Alberto Moreno.
The CIES Football Observatory even ranked Milner as the joint-second best full-back in Europe's top five leagues, level with Bayern Munich's David Alaba and only just behind Alex Sandro of Juventus.
But is a right-footed midfielder, one who is also now 31 years of age, the long-term option for the role?
Moreno, meanwhile, has caught the eye this season...with his choices of hairstyle. The Spaniard has started just two Premier League games, leading to him becoming a cup specialist.
Potential Target
Milner's switch was made easier in the first half of the campaign by Liverpool's fixture list. Without midweek European football, he had time to learn the job on the training field.
Klopp insists left-back isn't an area of concern, too. "It's not at the top of our list of things," he said, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo.
Still, Liverpool were previously linked with Ben Chilwell. A switch last summer hit an unusual stumbling block, per Dave Maddock of the Mirror. He told the Anfield Wrap podcast (h/t Jordan Chamberlain of Empire of the Kop): "What I've been told, and I don't think it's that much of a secret, is that his dad's a bit of a nightmare."
Chilwell stayed put at Leicester City, even signing a new contract, but has featured sparingly for the struggling Foxes this season. At 20, he could be the long-term solution to eventually replace Milner.
Centre-Back
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Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip are now reunited at the heart of Liverpool's back line.
The duo look to be the strongest centre-back pairing among Klopp's current options, even if defensive deficiencies have undermined the Reds at different times this season.
But could they do any better? The answer to that question should nearly always be yes.
Ragnar Klavan filled in during Matip's absence through injury/international clearance issues, while Joe Gomez—now back in action after an injury-hit 18 months—is a 19-year-old with huge potential.
Liverpool, though, are not chasing back-up options—they need a defensive rock. Lovren hasn't suggested he's the option to build around at the back, while Matip's injury history is a concern.
Potential Targets
If at first you don't succeed, try again. Liverpool have already raided Southampton once for a centre-half, but could they repeat the trick in the summer?
Lovren cost £21.51 million in 2014. Virgil van Dijk, who has excelled for Saints since joining from Celtic, would surely cost substantially more three years later.
Former captain Steven Gerrard believes the Dutchman would be an ideal addition. He told BT Sport (h/t Chris Davie of Metro.co.uk): "Who I think we need, I would go and try and bid for Van Dijk from Southampton."
Another name to perhaps consider: Jonathan Tah. Klopp knows plenty about the Bayer Leverkusen defender having come up against him in the Bundesliga.
Central Midfield
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Whether they end up in the Champions League or the Europa League, Liverpool look likely to be playing in Europe next season.
The extra demands of midweek fixtures put a strain on any squad. Strength in depth is crucial when you're fighting on so many fronts—and the Reds just don't have it right now.
"Out of the top six, Liverpool's is probably the sixth best squad or the sixth best team. But they are where they are because of the manager and no Europe," former defender Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports after watching his old club lose to Southampton in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.
Klopp is willing to turn to youth; Ovie Ejaria featured in midfield in the club's EFL and FA Cup runs (albeit it was more a quick jog in the latter of those competitions).
But while Georginio Wijnaldum has started to prove his worth after joining from Newcastle, the summer could be the time to strengthen in the middle of the park.
Potential Targets
Borussia Monchengladbach's Mahmoud Dahoud has long been linked with Liverpool. Per the Sunday Express (h/t James Benson of the Daily Star), the Reds even hoped to pushed through a deal in the January window.
No such move materialised, but the Syria-born midfielder is seen as a top prospect. He's represented Germany at under-21 level and already experienced Champions League football with his current club.
The ideal addition to Liverpool's crop would be a ball-playing midfielder, someone with the passing ability to help open up opposing teams when they pack plenty of men behind the ball.
Up Front
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Klopp raised eyebrows when he parted with £35.02 million to bring in Sadio Mane from Southampton last summer.
Saints have squeezed plenty of cash from Liverpool in recent years, but Mane looks to be worth every penny the Reds coughed up.
He scored nine goals before heading off to represent Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations. It is no coincidence that without the forward in January, Klopp's side struggled badly to find the net.
Roberto Firmino is just one behind Mane's tally in the Premier League, with the Brazilian becoming Klopp's first-choice centre forward.
Firmino is in front of Divock Origi, who continues to frustrate and delight in equal measure, and Daniel Sturridge, who has shown little of late to suggest Liverpool should keep faith beyond this season.
Potential Targets
Speed kills, so the road safety campaign states. It also causes major problems for defenders.
Bayer Leverkusen's Julian Brandt isn't quite as fast as Mane, but Sam McGuire of Football Whispers explained to Sky Sports why he could be ideal for Liverpool.
"He [Brandt] is a goal threat from a wide area and clinical in front of goal for someone of his age. He is comfortable playing anywhere behind the striker and more importantly, he looks to get beyond the striker," he said.
Borussia Dortmund's Christian Pulisic is another talked-about target, although Klopp might opt to find a player to feature more centrally instead.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a pie-in-the-sky suggestion. Moussa Dembele is a more realistic target, but could the Liverpool boss find a hidden gem? According to Eco Diario (h/t Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo), the club enquired about Real Madrid's Mariano before the window closed.
