January Transfer Window: Five Reasons David Villa Could Go to Liverpool

So maybe it's a long-shot. Perhaps it's a pipe dream. It's one of the crazier, more popularly-discussed bits of transfer goss that's made its way around this here website prior to the January transfer window.

But there's still that inkling of possibility that Liverpool is interested and could make a bid for Barcelona striker David Villa, and Villa in turn could be interested in a move away from the Camp Nou. 

Whether you think it will happen, or even could happen, if we're talking hypotheticals, here's five reasons Villa Maravilla could take a trip to the Camp Nou. 

1. Liverpool Have Been Keen on Him Before

When it was first reported that Villa was getting ready to leave Valencia in the winter of 2010, Liverpool was one of the first clubs to express interest in bringing him on. Based on the success of the last striking hero of the Spanish national team they signed, Fernando Torres, it was a move that certainly had appeal. 

Torres, too, encouraged Rafa Benitez to sign the striker, saying:

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"If I could, I would take David Villa or David Silva to Liverpoolas a partner in attack. I wish they could come. It would be a great asset for our team.

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So it only makes sense, now that Villa is looking like he may be available again (depending on who and what you believe), that the Reds could very well take their chances. 

2. Villa Has Tougher Competition at Barça

Several rumors about Villa's transfer to Liverpool have insinuated that the striker is unhappy at Barcelona due to tension with Lionel Messi, by whom he reportedly felt overshadowed, with Valencian paper Superdeporte first publishing a story detailing the rift in early November. 

Barcelona, however, denies that a rift between Villa and Messi exists.

As Guardiola put it:

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"It is impossible to be an enemy of David, he is too nice a person. He is generous both in the way he plays football and also in his personal life. It is impossible not to get on well with him."

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Of all the reasons, this one seems like the least likely. Villa has far more appearances and goals than the increasingly important Pedro so far this year, and more than Alexis Sánchez, his next closest competition, although Sánchez has been out for much of the season so far with injury, so that could always change as his fitness improves and he returns to form.

That leaves Messi, who has just as many appearances as Villa so far this year and more than thrice as many goals. That could explain where the speculation about frustration about playing second fiddle to Messi comes from, but Villa is still one of Barça's more important strikers and has had more of an impact so far this season than at least two of the other forwards on the team so far. 

3. Spanish Players at Liverpool Would Make Him Feel Welcome

For the past several years, Liverpool has been a club a number of Spanish players have happily called home. Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres, two of Villa's teammates on the Spanish national team, have previously had successful stints at Anfield.  

Now, the likes of goalkeeper Pepe Reina (himself a former Barça man) and new left-back José Enrique are thriving, seeing great success on the pitch and being embraced by club and supporters. The presence of fellow Spanish natives who share Villa's language, culture and footballing experiences will help him feel more at home should he decide to make the switch. 

4. Andy Carroll Isn't Exactly Firing on the Mark Right Now

Kenny Dalglish's 35 million-pound buy from last winter hasn't exactly been the most successful experiment. The promising young striker flourished at Newcastle United, but since arriving at Anfield, he's hit a major drought, only scoring four league goals since his arrival and still not quite linking up well with fellow hitman Luis Suárez.  

Although Carroll has shown signs of improvement here and there—and granted, he is 22 and still relatively early in his career, so hopefully there will be room for development—club and fans are naturally growing a bit frustrated with his lack of consistency and general performance, not to mention the squad's overall lack of goals so far this season. A top-flight striker like David Villa would most certainly add firepower to the squad and get those goal totals back up. 

5. A Heavy-Hitting Player Like That Could Put the Reds in Title Contention

The Reds are still in sixth and two points behind Chelsea, but the top four is in sight, especially after the run of form these past couple of weeks—both wins over the Blues and a well-fought draw against Manchester City.

A key player like Villa could be the exciting signing the Reds need to move past cracking the top four and into possible title contention. Stagnant scores been an issue so far this season, and Villa has already outscored Luis Suárez, so imagine what the two could do together.