Being a Liverpool fan is hard and especially in the recent past. The heartbreak of 2013/14 season, the defeats in the League Cup & Europa League final in 2015/16 and the embarrassing 6-1 defeat to Stoke City under Brendan Rodgers in Steven Gerrard's last Premier League game are enough to put my point across.
The optimism surrounding Liverpool's chances of winning the Premier League title had gone down a notch in recent years and rightly so as the Reds couldn't manage to finish in the Champions League spot in 6 out of the last 8 seasons!
However, with the arrival of a certain German manager by the name of Jurgen Klopp, the optimism and the famous Anfield atmosphere is returning to its very best.
Last season, despite a slump in form in the early parts of 2017, Liverpool finished 4th with 76 points and the best record against the top 6 with 20 points out of the possible 30 while also remaining undefeated (5 wins & 5 draws).
Based on the evidence so far, there are reasons to rejoice for the Liverpool fans and a genuine Premier League title race could be on the cards this time. But for that, the Reds need to add depth with quality.
That process has already started with Mohamed Salah joining from Roma for £36.9m. The addition of the following five players can surely help Liverpool's quest to end their hunt for the ever-elusive Premier League title.
#1 Jonas Hector
The left-back position has been one of major concern for Liverpool for years. John Arne Riise is arguably the last player to have made a significant impact in that position for Liverpool for a prolonged period. After his departure in 2008, the likes of Fabio Aurelio, Jose Enrique and most recently Alberto Moreno have come in and shown flashes of brilliance but failed to cement their spots due to varied reasons.
James Milner was a more than able left-back last season despite operating in an unfamiliar role. However, his need to cut back to his right foot often slowed down the game and he couldn't provide the necessary width Liverpool needed to stretch the play and make space when opposition teams defended deep.
Plus the fact that he is not a fullback by trade cannot be ignored as he has been exposed by quality wingers.
With Champions League football on the horizon, Liverpool need an improvement over Milner and preferably someone with experience while commanding a reasonable fee. There are very few top left backs available these days but Jonas Hector of FC Koln can be a very good solution for the Reds.
The 27-year-old has plenty of experience playing in the Bundesliga and is also Germany's first choice left back, having made 33 appearances since his debut in 2014. He was also part of the German squad that won the Confederations Cup 2017.
The Reds are also linked with Benjamin Mendy of AS Monaco and Andrew Robertson of Hull City. The former will command a huge fee which Liverpool may be reluctant to pay as they need to invest heavily in other areas and the latter is 23-years-old with just a year's experience in the Premier League.
From where I see it, Hector looks like the perfect solution and his current market value is a nominal £17m
#4 Naby Keita
If Liverpool sign Naby Keita, they'll break the record for the most expensive African player signing for the third time in the space of almost a year and the record for the club's most expensive transfer for the second time this summer.
Naby Keita was part of the official Bundesliga Team of the Season for 2016/17 with 70% of the voters including him in their teams and only Robert Lewandowski with 75% got more votes than Keita.
The 22-year-old is an energetic, agile and skilled midfielder who can drive the team forward and is also equally adept at helping out the defence. He completed 83 take-ons last season which is more than any other midfielder in Europe's Top 5 leagues! The Guinean also scored 8 goals and provided 7 assists in 31 league games.
Leipzig is adamant that they won't sell their star player but Jurgen Klopp is keen on bringing the player to Anfield. As per rumours, the deal could happen as the player who is represented by Sadio Mane's agent, is also keen on moving to Anfield. The Reds will test Leipzig's resolve with a hefty bid but it might take something above £60m to land the coveted player.
There is no doubt that Naby Keita will improve the Liverpool midfield massively.
#3 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Signing Chamberlain makes a lot of sense for Liverpool. Firstly, he's English and will help Liverpool's homegrown quota Secondly, he's versatile and last but not least, he's quick and hardworking - a combination Jurgen Klopp loves.
Chamberlain is entering the final year of his contract at Arsenal and is not keen on an extension as per reports. The 23-year-old wants assurances over his role and playing time rather than a raise.
The England international has been linked with a move to Liverpool for several months and there seems to be some truth in it and if Liverpool truly want him, then a fee between £20m-£25m should do the trick.
Chamberlain will not walk into the team with the already existing competition for places but he could prove to be a very good winger to rotate with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah as the Reds will be participating on four fronts this time around. Ox can also play in a deeper midfield role or even as a right wing back which gives Klopp a lot of tactical flexibility.
Klopp has a history of nurturing young players into superstars and with the proper guidance, Ox can join the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan among several others.
#2 Sergio Rico
Signing a keeper is definitely not on Liverpool's priority list and for good reason. Last summer, Klopp signed Loris Karius as a long term solution for the goalkeeping position but an injury he suffered in preseason was followed by an unimpressive string of performances when given a chance.
However, Karius is still only 24 and Klopp will not give up on the player easily.
Then there is the curious case of Simon Mignolet. The Belgian received a lot of criticism throughout his Liverpool career but being dropped for Karius when he hadn't put a foot wrong seems to have done the trick.
Mignolet returned to the starting XI in December and was Liverpool's undisputed No 1 till the end of the season. He was a player reborn when he was given a second chance. Mignolet was surprisingly commanding in the box while dealing with crosses and saved Liverpool vital points in the race for Top 4.
Finally, there is also Danny Ward, who helped Huddersfield Town gain promotion to the Premier League.
It seems unlikely that Liverpool will sign another goalkeeper unless something drastic happens and one of Mignolet or Karius leaves. In the event that happens, Sevilla's 23-year-old Spanish International keeper, Sergio Rico, could serve Liverpool well.
Despite his age, Rico has played 139 games for Sevilla with experience of playing in European competitions and he could arrive without causing a severe dent in Liverpool's transfer chest.
#1 Virgil van Dijk
As confusing as this seems, a move for Virgil van Dijk could still happen but it could drag till the end of the transfer window.
A few weeks ago, Liverpool issued an apology on their website ending any interest in the player following Southampton's complaint about allegedly pursuing the player behind their backs. Although it looked like Liverpool missed out on a player Jurgen Klopp wanted, the saga is still not over.
This is not the first time that such incidents have happened in football. Back in 2012, when PSG were pursuing Thiago Silva, they too issued a public apology to Milan, however, Silva ended up a PSG player in the same transfer window. Who's to say that something similar cannot happen with Van Dijk?
Other clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City who were previously keen on the Dutchman have been put off by the fact that the player is keen on playing under Jurgen Klopp. It is clear that Van Dijk wants to leave Southampton but he has been very professional about the whole incident so far.
Southampton are keen on keeping their captain but a hefty bid from Liverpool in the range of £70m can still sway their mind and in the worst case scenario, a transfer request from van Dijk could help Liverpool's cause.
Also Read: 5 commom mistakes every big club makes in the transfer window
