Liverpool: Who The Reds Should Go For and Who They Should Part With This Summer
Liverpool spent a total of £57.8 million in the January transfer window, all on two players, and Reds fans couldn't have been more delighted. For the first time in a long time, Liverpool spent big in a transfer window, and fans can't wait for the new owners to do it again.
Former Ajax captain and £22.8 million man Luis Suarez has played 27 minutes for Liverpool and scored one goal to the delight of the Kop. The £35 million rated Andy Carroll is still a few weeks away from his debut as the Reds new No. 9, but fans are already confident he'll be a star.
January also brought with it a certain exit, and it was one that Reds fans weren't all together thrilled about.
While the Reds are concerned with overtaking Tottenham and Chelsea to finish the season back in the Champions League, it's fun to imagine who will actually be playing for the club when next season rolls around.
So, who will Kenny Dalglish—who hasn't been offered the manager's job full-time just yet—bring into the fold, and more importantly, who will he ship out?
The outgoing list only includes players on this season's Premier League squad.
1. Maxi Rodriguez
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Maxi Rodriguez came to Liverpool last January on a free transfer from Atletico Madrid, and he was really all Rafa Benitez could get given the cash-strapped situation Liverpool was in, all thanks to former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
His first half season with the Reds produced some inspiring play on either wing, but since then, he's simply missed too many open chances—I'm still baffled at that Chelsea miss—and looks for far too many fouls.
Maxi still has two and a half years on his contract, so the Reds could even make a bit of a profit on him.
Just don't hope for a big one.
2. Joe Cole
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Joe Cole is another one who came in on a free transfer, but unlike Maxi Rodriguez, he has still yet to produce any magic. He was brought in by Roy Hodgson, and most Liverpool fans would probably want him gone for that reason alone!
Perhaps I'm being too harsh on Cole since he has had some injury struggles, but I never really saw the need for him, and I definitely still don't. Besides, we have enough English players without him.
We're paying too much for him to be as ineffective as he has been, but now with youngster Jonjo Shelvey, who is injured and out for three months, maybe Cole will step up and earn himself another year with the Reds.
But even if that happens, I'd still go for Shelvey's youth over Cole's Premier League experience for next season.
3. Paul Konchesky
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Ugh, another reminder of Roy Hodgson's doomed reign at Anfield.
Now, I don't think it was all Hodgson's fault, but he certainly did nothing to help himself.
Starting with Paul Konchesky—yes, the Reds needed (and still do) a definitive left back, but Konchesky never got going with the Reds and was immediately replaced upon Kenny Dalglish being named interim manager.
What does it say about you when the manager wants to play his right back, who is often criticized for not defending well enough, at left back instead of you?
Dalglish likely ended Konchesky's Liverpool nightmare three and half years early by loaning him out to Nottingham Forest for the rest of the season.
Mark Hughes and his old club Fulham apparently want him back, and I say let 'em have him. The Reds still need a left back by trade, not just someone who can play left back, but he'll never be that player.
4. Maybes: Davi N'gog, Christian Poulsen
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David N'Gog has been a back-up striker for the Reds for a few years now, and he did what Ryan Babel never could—score when he was called upon.
He likely won't see much playing time the rest of the season though, except in the early rounds of the Europa League, and so he may want to leave or Kenny Dalglish may want to offload him.
But with Ryan Babel finally leaving—as much as I hate to say that—in January, N'Gog is again the only back-up striker for the Reds.
The problem is now with Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll.
The Reds can finally rotate the squad and play several formations, and Dirk Kuyt can also play as a striker and is tougher than N'Gog. Liverpool didn't have this flexibility with Fernando Torres.
Christian Poulsen is another one of Roy Hodgson's old boys who he thought could be a Red (much like himself), but unlike with Konchesky, Dalglish has seen something in Poulsen. The Dane still hasn't won over the Reds faithful, but he has had some good outings in Red, especially under Dalglish.
N'Gog seems a little more surplus than Poulsen, but depending on who Dalglish buys this summer, they both may be gone.
5. Who's Coming In? Charlie Adam
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The Reds were a hair—or a few million pounds—away from nabbing Charlie Adam from Blackpool in January, but even with a transfer request from his captain, Ian Holloway wouldn't budge. Understandable because Blackpool will need their talisman if they are to stay in the Premier League.
Whether they do or not doesn't matter because Adam will be gone in the summer, and hopefully Liverpool can beat Tottenham to him. Adam's agent claimed his client was "desperate" for a move to Liverpool last month, and Harry Redknapp's powers of persuasion are starting to get old. The scales are tipped in the Reds' favor by the looks of it.
Adam would certainly look good in Red next to Steven Gerrard.
6. Anyone Who Can Play Left Back Please!
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Liverpool hasn't had an established left back since John Arne Riise (hey, is he availble?) was inexplicably allowed to leave for Roma in 2008. Fabio Aurelio is too often injured, but needs to be kept purely for his dead-ball proficiencies. Emiliano Insua was loaned out last summer and isn't coming back.
Glen Johnson has been quite exceptional on the left side, though now it looks like he'll be deployed more as a winger in front of three center backs.
Kenny Dalglish may not want a left back if he decides that this three-man back line is what he wants to stick with, but it's not something you want to be caught without.
The Reds have been linked with Wigan's Maynor Figueroa, while Luis Suarez's former Ajax teammate Urby Emanuelson was stolen out from under Dalglish last month. The Reds could also bring back Stephen Warnock and hope his second stint on Merseyside brings with it more glory.
7. Will The Reds Need a New Keeper?
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Well this would just be awful.
Eh...it's not all that likely to happen, but Pepe Reina didn't exactly put the Reds' minds at ease while discussing Edwin Van Der Saar's retirement during an interview with a Spanish radio station.
Reina is one of the best keepers in the Premier League, and that is a hard thing to find, but I still don't think Sir Alex Ferguson is arrogant enough to go after Liverpool's keeper. Reina said in the interview he wants to be challenging for the top honors, but even so, I think he'll be a Red for a long time coming.
But if the worst were to happen?
Is Australian Brad Jones ready to take the big job? Other than that, a good keeper is hard to find. One who has reportedly been on Manchester Untied's radar, should they steal our keeper, is Atletico Madrid's 20-year-old David De Gea, who has displayed excellent skill and poise at such a young age, and you know there's more to come.
Or if not, maybe Kenny Dalglish is just arrogant enough to go after Everton's Tim Howard.
8. Can We Get Some Width Over Here?
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It's a well-documented fact at this point—the Reds lack width.
Liverpool doesn't have any true wingers in the side, unless you count Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly, who are actually full backs that Kenny Dalglish has decided to play as wingers. They've done well in recent games, but still, it would be nice to have a real winger.
Ashley Young has been on the Reds radar for some time now, along with his Aston Villa teammate Stewart Downing. Young can also be a second striker, which is never a bad thing, and Downing is used to playing on the left, Liverpool's weaker side.
Spanish playmaker Santi Cazorla is also rumored to be on Dalglish's list, and given that he can play on both sides of the pitch and has explosive pace, he certianly could add a lot to Liverpool.
As long as whoever the Reds get means they no longer have to rely on their central midfielders or defenders to get all the crosses in, it's a good signing.
And seeing as Andy Carroll is a beast of a striker at 6 foot 3, the Reds need those crosses.
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