Is Brendan Rodger’s job safe? Is Jurgen Klopp on his way to the Kop? Or is it Carlo Ancelotti? I’ve lost track. I remember last summer we were linked – in some capacity – with almost every European player who happened to have a degree of uncertainty surrounding their future. This summer, it seems likely this speculation is evolving and is going to manifest into a beast which incorporates managerial speculation, be prepared for Liverpool to be linked with just about every manager who is sacked by their club, resign from their club or leave by the respectable pretence of ‘mutual consent’.
I’m going to do my best to ignore all managerial speculation and I’ll adopt this stance for some of the more ridiculous rumours concerning players: Cavani, Marco Reus etc. If finishing 6th in the league can be positive in any capacity hopefully it will be through the enforcement of some form of limitation on these extremely decadent column fillers and the gossip enthusiasts can speculate on what colour/shape/style Balotelli’s hair will be come the start of the season instead. However, there is a certain degree of speculation that has already precipitated this summer which appears to have some substance. Ings, Milner, Benteke and Clyne do appear to be genuine transfer targets and hence it is worthwhile considering what each could bring to the team.
Danny Ings is, in my view, a very accomplished striker: he scores goals with both feet and for a relatively small player (5 ft 10 in) he is extremely good in the air. His close control appears to be a good asset and his distribution, link-up play and movement are equally strong. Ings is an intelligent footballer and I can see Coutinho and himself combining well. His record in the Premier League is also impressive, with 11 goals in 37 appearances. Considering he was playing for one of the teams that were relegated this is a strong return, and when you take account of the fact that our top scorer in the league this season was Steven Gerrard with 9 goals it illuminates our desire for goal-scorers.
If Danny Ings is to bring goals to the team James Milner would help supplement them. I would welcome Milner into our squad with glee, he is exactly the sort of player that has been missing from our midfield for too long: aggressive, tenacious, hard-working, strong in the tackle but these workman like qualities are balanced with technical capability, clever passing and an effective and threatening cross – providing a sound equilibrium to the midfielder’s game. Milner is also a versatile player and is equally capable of playing on the wings or the central areas of midfield. He offers something a bit different on the wings as he does not play in accordance with the orthodoxy but brings an energy and different dimension to the flank; in many ways he reminds me of Dirk Kuyt, although in my opinion Milner is technically better. Defensively he is strong and if he were to partner Jon Flanagan or Nathaniel Clyne on the flank, they would provide a formidableness which opponents would struggle to overcome. A midfield composed of Milner and Henderson would be energetic and dynamic, which could be the yin for the creative yang provided by Coutinho and co.
Milner’s effective crossing could be utilised efficiently if Christian Benteke was also to sign for the Reds. The speculation around Benteke has fuelled a fair amount of criticism of Rodger’s lately (like he needs anymore) as some people fail to comprehend how the Belgian could possibly fit into our system of play due to our reluctance to cross the ball into the box: we completed the second lowest number of crosses of any team in the league in 2014/15. However, I view this lack of crossing as being symptomatic of the shallowness of our squad: Rickie Lambert aside, who didn’t feature much, we currently have no strikers who would be labelled ‘target men’. This does not mean, however, that Liverpool are incapable of playing a more direct game and if Benteke were playing I believe we have players who are capable of good quality deliveries. On the other hand, this consideration also fails to acknowledge other strengths in Benteke’s game aside from his aerial prowess and assumes that he would be incapable of adapting his approach. As is often the case for tall, powerful strikers, other qualities they possess are often overlooked and Benteke possesses a great deal of strengths. His first touch and capacity to take defenders on and beat them are both impressive, as is his ability to bring other players into the game – Delph and Grealish benefit greatly from Benteke’s composure when holding the ball up. There is no reason why Benteke could not be a success at Anfield and I believe he could play within our preferred system of possession and intensity whilst, simultaneously, the system itself does not need to be one-dimensional and limiting and could show plasticity to accommodate Benteke’s qualities. The player and style of play need not be incongruous.
As well as improving our attack and midfield, quality defenders would also be welcome recruits to improve the depth of our squad. Nathaniel Clyne has had a fantastic season with Southampton and is exactly the type of defender that Liverpool could do with. He is typical of the modern day full-back: fast, excellent going forward, able to beat defenders and has a strong delivery; there is a twist with Clyne, however, he can actually defend too. Clyne is the complete full-back and in some ways actually performs like a wing-back – despite Southampton usually deploying an orthodox four-man defence. At Anfield on the first day of the season, Clyne was a continual thorn in the side of Liverpool. Not only did he score a beautifully executed goal, he persistently marauded down the right-flank posing a threat – he was one of Southampton’s best performers that day. Clyne on the right-hand side and Jon Flanagan on the left would provide us with two exceptional talents and this could aid our desire to shore up defensively.
Overall, I would welcome all of these players to Liverpool and I hope the speculation surrounding them develops into true substance which further develops into quality additions to our squad.
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