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Featured: Bunch of 5s: "Premier League players who would improve us"


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Each week the Reds continue to be linked with dozens of potential new signings from around the globe; Costa Rican goalkeepers, Spanish strikers, Brazilian playmakers and Italian full backs. TLW Editor Dave Usher takes a look at five players a little closer to home who could improve the current squad.

 

Adam Lallana 

 

If there’s one player in the Premier League I look at and think “now that’s a Brendan Rodgers player” it’s the Southampton skipper. He’s the most ‘un-English’ English player I’ve seen in a long time.

 

lallana.jpg

 

The balance, grace of movement and general silkiness to his play make him more like Coutinho than Henderson, and his versatility would add to both Rodgers’ midfield and attacking options next season. I’d love to see Adam Lallana in a Liverpool shirt - even if he is an Evertonian - as I honestly believe Rodgers could turn him into an absolute superstar.

 

 

Luke Shaw

 

Unrealistic perhaps, but if you don't buy a ticket you can't win the lottery.  Good left backs don’t grow on trees and 18 year old ones who are good enough to hold down a place in any side in the Premier League are even more of a rare breed. 

 

shaw.jpg

 

Shaw wouldn’t come cheap, if he’d come at all, but given that left back is an area that definitely needs addressing this summer Liverpool owe it to themselves to at least try for Shaw. If the price were £25m and Shaw were to make the left back spot his own for the next decade or more, that would be money well spent.

 

Unfortunately Chelsea are looking for a replacement for Ashley Cole and Shaw is a Chelsea fan, so they would appear to be in pole position, especially as Chelsea can offer more money and the London lifestyle.

 

Liverpool, however, can offer him a platform to showcase his talents in the country’s most entertaining, attacking side and he’d be teaming up with several other young Englishmen who could form the heart of the national side for many years to come, so for purely footballing reasons Anfield would be a perfect fit.

 

 

Fabian Delph 

 

Villa have struggled once again this year but despite that, Delph has quietly been enjoying an impressive season. It’s taken him a few years to finally start to show the undoubted potential he had as a teenager at Leeds and he is still far from being the finished product, but he looks a player now. 

 

delph.jpg

 

He’s technically good, quick, athletic and most of all he has boundless energy. Rodgers improves players - both technically and tactically - and Delph has the kind of raw natural attributes that could make him a great fit for the Reds. 

 

He was brilliant when Villa played at Anfield and he was the best player on the pitch when they beat Chelsea last weekend (scoring a superb winning goal in the process).  Whats more, he seems ideally suited to the way we’ve been playing in recent months.  There are still question marks about him and it's far from certain he's got what it takes to make the step up to a top club, but when you look at how Rodgers has helped the likes of Henderson, Sterling and Flanagan develop their game then who's to say he couldn't do that with Delph?

 

In the current squad we only really have Henderson and Allen who can play the energetic, box to box pressing role, they won’t be able to play every week next season so adding Delph to the rotation would give us further options. And if and when we play the midfield diamond we’ve seen of late, Delph would be a great fit for that left sided tucked in role that Allen has been deployed in.

 

 

Fabio Borini

 

He’s our player already, obviously, but his future appears to still be somewhat uncertain. The current squad is a striker short as Aspas has shown nothing to suggest he should be here beyond this season.

 

borini.jpg

 

The extra games we’ll face next year due to European commitments mean Suarez and Sturridge can’t play every game even if they avoid injury, so another forward is needed, preferably one who can also play wide if necessary. That’s why Borini was bought in the first place, but he struggled initially and found himself loaned to Sunderland.

 

He’s been a revelation on Wearside and is a hero to the Sunderland fans having scored numerous goals in important games. He’s looking like a good player now, his confidence is up and he’d be an asset to us. Besides, if we don’t bring Borini back we’d only have to go and buy someone, so why not just stick with the Italian?

 

 

Ashley Cole

 

Out of left field this, and it may not prove to be a popular suggestion, but if Shaw proves to be unattainable then free agent Cole could be a good option for a year or two. At 33 years of age clearly his best days are behind him and he's lost his place in the Chelsea side to an above average right back. For a player who not so long ago was widely regarded as the world's best left back, that's quite a fall from grace. Does that mean he's finished though?

 

ashleycole.jpg

 

He still looked like he had plenty in the tank against Denmark recently and it was interesting to hear Roy Hodgson claim that Cole was one of the fittest players in the squad and graded out very favourably in the various running tests done amongst the squad. He’d add experience to a young squad, he’s won Premier League titles and a Champions League, and having been written off by Mourinho he may have a point to prove. He's the same age as Steven Gerrard, and the Reds skipper clearly still has some good years left in him so perhaps Cole does too?

 

I’m not saying I want to see Ashley Cole at Anfield next season, I still wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night thinking about the last Cole we signed on a Bosman from Chelsea; those kind of ghoulish memories don't fade in a hurry, but it is certainly worth looking into.

 

I don't like Ashley Cole, never have done. In a lot of ways he epitomises everything that is wrong about modern footballers. If I were making the decisions, I'd give him a wide berth but nevertheless a decent case can be made as to why we should look at him. The questions that need asking are 1) does he have enough left to be able to help us and 2) would he accept a reasonable salary in order to stay at the top level instead of chasing one last big pay day.

 

If the answer to both of those is yes, then he'd be a shrewd signing.

 

Dave Usher

 

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Can't help but think Fabian Delph wouldn't have been anywhere near this article if it was written last week.

 

I'd compare Lallana to a fit stripper, looks very tidy indeed but he leaves you wanting more and just not delivering it.

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Can't help but think Fabian Delph wouldn't have been anywhere near this article if it was written last week.

 

 

That's because you don't read the Premier League round up I write.

 

From Jan 31:

 

"Is it just me or is Delph starting to look like a really good player of late? I thought he was excellent at Anfield the other week and this goal was simply brilliant. Worth keeping an eye on him I think, he could be a late bloomer."

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That's because you don't read the Premier League round up I write.

 

From Jan 31:

 

"Is it just me or is Delph starting to look like a really good player of late? I thought he was excellent at Anfield the other week and this goal was simply brilliant. Worth keeping an eye on him I think, he could be a late bloomer."

That's me put in my place, I actually do read it quite regularly, didn't read that one though.

 

Personally I always find it hard to judge midfield players that play for teams who bypass midfield. Can they adapt to a club that don't think "possession is overrated"?  Nzonzi looks decent to me but again its hard to judge with the football he's being asked to play.

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Vertonghen is in my doghouse after what he did at Chelsea.  Wouldn't be going for another left footed centre half either.

 

Didn't mention Barkley as there's no way that could possibly happen.  Same with Coleman.

 

I like Clyne but I don't like him THAT much.  I'd file him in the Robert Snodgrass category, i.e. a player who I think is good but who I wouldn't want to sign.

 

Nzonzi is an interesting one as I have no idea if he's any good or not either.  He does some things that suggest he might be, but judging a midfielder playing for Stoke is impossible, even with them playing better football these days.  I'd lean towards him not being very good but I'm far from certain.

 

Could Milner play as one of the middle three?  He probably could actually, for the right fee he'd be a decent addition I guess.  Wouldn't want to see him playing wide though, unless it was as an attacking right back in certain games, but then Sterling could do that.

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I like Delph and I rate, but don't think he's any better than what we've got at the moment. Not sure what his contract situation is, but would probably cost just as much as Will Hughes I reckon. Deserves an England chance over Cleverly though. 

Caulker might be a shout. Surprised he hasn't had an England opportunity yet considering there's not much in the way of centre-backs coming through. I also rate Shaw and Lallana highly, but I reckon you'd be looking at 50 million for the pair or something crazy like that. If we could spend freely like others it would be no issue, but I don't see either happening. 

No way I'd have Cole though. Even if he took a 50% pay-cut. Absolute goon. 

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Remy would be the one for me. Supposedly got an £8mil release clause and could play anywhere in a front 3, fast, skilful and gets goals. He'd be a perfect squad player for us.

 

I like Jay Rodriguez as well, he has got some of the same attributes Borini has but I think he's the better player. He'd probably cost too much to have as a squad option though.

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In all seriousness Rodgers would work wonders with Torres. I'd take him as back up even if he is a little prick. He's served his punishment, now come home Nando.

Has Rodgers got a time-machine he's not telling us about? Torres was 30 today mate, not sure how anyone can work wonders with someone who has looked Europa League quality for a while now. The odd good game here and there isn't enough, he's finished. 

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Fernando Torres for 50p as a backup striker :P

 

Shaw (LB is our highest priority)

Lallana (He would really flourish in our system)

Lamela (Rodgers will make him come good)

Vertonghen (for his ability to play as a lb or lcb )

 

No way do I want another free cole from chelsea

sorry mate but chelsea would have to pay an awful lot more than 50p for us to take that knackered piece of shit back!

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If we are talking about making the squad stronger there are a lot, for example adebayor would be a great back up to sas as he brings different strengths and can play the technical football we like.

 

If we are talking about improving the first eleven then there isn't much out there apart from obviously lb but when enriques fit hes one of the best in the league.

Edited by JermainePennant
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Are you joking or not? I'm honestly not sure if you're being serious.

Sort of half serious. I don't think it's possible for a striker to look really good playing for Chelsea. Drogba is the only one they've had in 10 years.

 

Rodgers could make him ace again, I'm sure of that. Never gonna happen though.

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