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A Champions League final and qualification to Europe's top competition next season points towards a relatively successful season for Jurgen Klopp and his team. However, the trophy drought continues for the team as they have been failing to capitalize on the momentum they build for themselves. A fourth-place finish may be solid but it is hardly ideal for Liverpool, who are still chasing their first ever Premier League trophy.
Now that the team has a pronounced philosophy to follow and a team which is very much a Jurgen Klopp team, it should ooze quality and bring rewards. Even though it is failing to get the trophies, it surely is a unit built to challenge and push. Liverpool has one of the most sounding attacking trios in world football, in the form of Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino.
However, behind them, the quality doesn't really have the same aura as their attack. The midfield does have great players in the form of Naby Keita and Virgil van Dijk has made Liverpool more competent defensively, there are still ways to go. So, who are the 5 players that can change Liverpool's fortunes? Let's find out.
#5 Jamaal Lascelles: Newcastle United
A left-field shout, but Jamaal Lascelles has been one of the most underrated footballers from last season. He was a rock in the Newcastle backline and could possibly be that influential with Liverpool.
Lascelles played every game that he could last season, missing 5 of them due to injury. In those 5 games, Newcastle lost 4 and drew one, conceding 13 goals. The defensive capitulation in Lascelles absence shows what a clutch player he is and how much he has grown.
The 24-year-old has come leaps and bounds in the past few seasons and has a lot of room to still grow. A manager like Jurgen Klopp is the perfect manager to help players like Lascelles truly unlock their skill. If he slots in beside VVD, or even if he is back-up for Matip, Lascelles would be one of the best bets for Liverpool to deepen the flaky defensive positions in the team.
A footballer who has been playing in England all his career, this won't be an uncomfortable shift for Lascelles. He is bound to become a fine player, and Liverpool must ensure that he becomes this player under their team.
#4 Allison Becker: AS Roma
Alisson has been the number one for Brazil in Russia ahead of Ederson Moraes, a man who won the Premier League with Manchester City. That should say a lot about the raw talent that the Roma man possesses. The 25-year-old is a sure bet, but may just still be a risk. He has a fair amount of experience already and looks like the most likely member to join Liverpool this summer.
Alisson has an impressive 22 clean sheets this season while maintaining almost 3 saves a match. These stats must make Jurgen Klopp salivate, considering he needs a player like Alisson marshalling the back of Liverpool.
He has fair amounts of quality for a player his age and has space for it to grow. That can happen if he gets the right environment to grow, so joining something like Liverpool can do exactly that for him. He can flourish in the Red's system, provided he chooses to join. His 50 million+ valuation may be a bit off-putting but established quality demands more money.
#3 Jonathan Tah: Bayer Leverkusen
The tone of this list will be relatively defence-heavy, and we set that by talking about Jonathan Tah. A tank in the defence, Tah is an inexhaustible player that can do the heavy duty in defence for as long as you want him to. He is a sound tackler that can pick his spots and not be reckless.
Having played almost every game for Bayer Leverkusen last season, Tah's end season saw him miss games due to injury. Otherwise, he usually plays the entire 90 for his team. A quiet yet stern presence, the 22-year-old defender has already shown how effective he can be in a team against all kinds of oppositions.
Tah can partner VVD perfectly at the back. Both are versatile CBs and can interchange with each other and have different roles. One can provide cover, while the other chooses to be a stopper and vice-versa. He has the physical build and gifts to succeed in the Premier League if given the chance.
Klopp is known to be a sucker for young German talent and could probably shape Tah's career in more ways than one. If Tah was to become a Red, both he and Liverpool would reap massive rewards from it. He has a 30 million valuation, but if Liverpool were ready to buy van Dijk for 75, 30 shouldn't be a big issue for them.
#2 Xherdan Shaqiri: Stoke City
The only player to emerge out of Stoke's horrendous league campaign with credibility has been Xherdan Shaqiri. A versatile winger, he has always been considered too good for Stoke, and he may just finally leave the Potters.
If he has to leave, Liverpool may just be the perfect destination for him. A team with no quality on the wings beyond their two star players, Shaqiri may just be the most important signing that Liverpool could make.
Klopp has created a great attacking system, but there is no depth on the wings. There are no quality players that can believably be stuck on the wings if Mane or Salah were to get injured. This is why getting Shaqiri becomes important.
Oxlade Chamberlain and Gini Wijnaldum have become great central midfielders, and they should stick to that role. In the interim, the signing of the Stoke man is imperative. Shaqiri contributed 8 goals and 7 assists to that shambolic Potters team.
If given an organised system, he is capable of doing so much more damage. As he is just about to enter his prime, Shaqiri must make the switch to being a Red, as he can truly blossom into an extraordinary player in the careful Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp set-up.
#1 Jan Oblak: Atletico Madrid
The only true world-class players in this list, Oblak is easily one of the best goalkeepers in football right now. The Atletico Madrid man is a star in the goalkeeping department of the La Liga, alongside stars like ter Stegen and Keylor Navas. A goalkeeper of his quality will, without a doubt, succeed in Liverpool.
An old-school goalkeeper, Oblak doesn't let flash dictate his image, but his effectiveness and accountability do the talking for him. Considering he has already established himself as one of the best at the age of 25 years old, Oblak has a long career at this level of football ahead of him.
What we saw from the last few picks in the list are players who have limitless potential, but may just fail on a level that Liverpool competes at. However, Oblak is a Champions League finalist and a Europa League winner. He has accomplished that by being the first-choice for one of Europe's strongest teams.
He also has the room to grow into an even better goalkeeper and may just be the best goalkeeper that Liverpool could sign. However, Atletico's high valuation of him could see the Merseyside club pay anything between 60 million to 85 million for the keeper. If Liverpool is ready to spend that much, there is no reason for them to not do so for someone like Jan Oblak.
