Is Benteke already a bust at Liverpool?

Liverpool may have had to pay £32.5 million to secure the services of Christian Benteke in the summer but there weren't many who felt it was anything other than a very good piece of business.As the Belgian striker nears the end of his first season at Anfield, it's fair to say Benteke hasn't come anywhere close to living up to expectations.

With just six Premier League goals to his name since making the move from Aston Villa to Liverpool, the forward is in real danger of being written off as yet another expensive bust for the club. The next few months could really be make or break in Benteke's career at Anfield.



Back-to-back goals over Christmas against Leicester and Sunderland relieved some of the pressure that had been building, but it wasn't long before the familiar sight of Benteke looking frustrated as another effort failed to register. Despite playing in a team that has not been short of goals this season, beating Norwich 5-4 and Aston Villa 6-0 since the start of the year, the striker has come off the bench and not managed to break his duck. He's certainly getting the chances in front of goal, but that deadly form he showed during his three seasons at Villa Park has only been seen in glimpses during his first year at the club. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffnFLUC7qgY

One of only six players to score 10 or more Premier League goals for three seasons running, it was a sensational run of 13 goals in as many games last season that convinced Liverpool to shell out over £30 million to sign him. His incredible goal against Manchester United earlier this season highlighted just what he is capable of, but Benteke hasn't shown anything like the consistency Jurgen Klopp demands from his players. Having now fallen down the pecking order under the German head coach, the big money striker knows he is running out of chances to prove he deserves to be part of Liverpool's long-term plans.

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Never the most mobile of frontmen, Benteke made up for that with his sheer power and clinical finishing ability. While the striker remains one of the most intimidating forwards in the Premier League, that killer touch in front of goal has deserted him. With Liverpool at the time of writing as long as 10/1 in the football betting to finish in the top four this season, Klopp will be looking to make his mark on this team in the summer in order to assemble a squad capable of securing Champions League football next year.



At the moment, Benteke could be one of those players the club look to move on at the end of the season, and the 25-year-old really needs to stake his claim for a starting role when given the chance. While it remains to be seen how much of an overhaul in personnel Klopp plans to oversee in the summer, trying to recoup some of the £30-plus million they spent on Benteke could be essential to Liverpool bolstering a squad that looks a long way behind the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Spurs and even Leicester in terms of talent. But there is still time for the striker to turn things around, and that would solve a huge issue for Klopp and the club.