5 attackers Liverpool can target to complement the fab three

The Fab Three have been glorious for Liverpool this season
The Fab Three have been glorious for Liverpool this season

Liverpool has been having a barnstormer of a season, scoring goals for fun and implementing manager Jurgen Klopp's high-octane, heavy-metal gegenpressing style to the letter.

Despite being a long way off the runaway Premier League champions Manchester City, the Reds have been almost as good in the goalscoring stakes as Pep Guardiola's Cityzens and are the only team to have scored 4 goals against the Sky Blue juggernaut in a single game in the league this season.

It is in the Champions League, however, that Klopp's heavy metal football has borne the biggest fruit as the Reds have been the tournament's leading scorers and will be looking to put the finishing touch to an incredible cup run by beating holders Real Madrid to win the tournament come May 26 in Kiev.

A huge reason for the team's goal rush has been the fab three of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and the main man, Mohamed Salah. The trio has scored 87 goals between them in all competitions.

However, the team's bench does not offer the scoring prowess of the fab three and a goalscoring attacker will need to be bought in the summer window.

Getting the right type of player would not be easy (or cheap) but will be absolutely needed if the Reds are to achieve the long-held ambition of finally winning a Premier League title.

Here are five forward-thinking options Klopp could look to choose from in order to make his attacking arsenal even more awesome:

Also Read: Potential replacements for Coutinho at Liverpool


#5 Nathan Redmond (Southampton)

Chelsea v Southampton - The Emirates FA Cup Semi Final
Redmond has been bad this season but can improve under Klopp

It would be pretty pointless these days to make a list of potential targets for Liverpool without including a Southampton player, such has been the one-way traffic from St Mary's to Anfield in the last couple of years.

With the Saints precariously close to the drop, Klopp would be fancying the chance to pick up an English winger for a fairly reduced price.

Like the archetypal English winger, Redmond possesses speed, agility, and an unerring work-rate but again, like the archetypal English winger, he does not score enough, his decision making is poor and his understanding of the game is rudimentary a best.

Redmond would represent the kind of challenge Klopp relishes most; getting the best out of a middling player. His pace would certainly help stretch defences that sit deep and he could be a good replacement in the event that Mane or Salah pick up injuries or are unavailable for whatever reason.

The 24-year-old has been abysmal this season with one goal and three assists but there is clearly talent there as attested to by Guardiola and Klopp could be the one to turn the former Norwich winger around.

His price would be dependent on if Southampton avoid the drop or not but he could be a great bargain signing for the Reds in seasons to come.

#4 Samu Castillejo (Villarreal)

Castillejo would add some much needed flair to the Reds
Castillejo would add some much-needed flair to the Reds

Continuing with the theme of flaky young players who could leave you drooling one moment and screaming for blood the next, the Spanish version of Redmond (only left-footed) could be another interesting option for the Reds.

El Fideo (The Noodle) as Castillejo is affectionately called due to his skinny body shape and ability to wriggle from tight spaces has for long being seen as a long-term prospect for La Furia Roja but rather than going the same way as Marco Asensio development-wise, he seems to be towing the Bojan Krkic line.

Very similar in style and temperament to Angel di Maria, he is a winger who is not so big on pace but has electric dribbling abilities with an eye for a good cross and can be deployed in any space behind the main striker.

His brilliance at beating his defender is similar to Salah's but while the Egyptian has delivered into a better finisher and player, Castillejo still frustrates with his decision making. He would be right up Klopp's alley house in terms of being not-so-expensive and being young and willing to grow.

His ability to function effectively on either flank means that he can act as a replacement for either Mane or Salah and his crossing ability would be perfect for Firmino or Dominic Solanke to get on the end of.

Like Redmond, Castillejo has been below-par this season with 3 goals and 5 assists in all competitions for Villarreal but his willingness to improve combined with his abundant natural talent make him ideal for what Klopp is building.

#3 Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

Hazard fits the Liverpool mould of buying potentially world class players
Hazard fits the Liverpool style of buying potential

A Hazard at Anfield would be brilliant and if Chelsea's Eden is out of Liverpool's price range, then Thorgan would be just as good.

Possessing the exact same skill set as his elder brother, Thorgan’s explosiveness, dribbling, close control and low centre of gravity will make him an excellent replacement.

Like his big bro, he can also play anywhere behind the main striker or even function as a false nine if need be, a role he has performed creditably well.

Klopp would be delighted to have this type of player as his understanding of the German football ethos of unity and the team over the individual is central to what he has built at Anfield since he arrived in 2015.

Thorgan is a player who is just on the cusp of becoming world class himself and given that he is two years younger than his brother, the Anfield giants will be the biggest beneficiaries when he finally explodes into the world-class player he has been threatening to become.

He has hit 10 goals in all competitions this season for the Foals and would undoubtedly cost the Reds a pretty penny.

#2 Julian Brandt (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)

Brandt would be perfect for Liverpool's pressing style
Brandt would be perfect for Liverpool's pressing style

Given that the manager is German after all and has made no secret of his desire to get in players who have played in his homeland, it makes perfect sense that the young Brandt should be on Liverpool's radar for next season.

The fresh-faced and innocent-looking 22-year-old has lit up the Bundesliga with his pace, dribbling skills and confidence and in German football circles, is being seen as the right-wing complement to Manchester City's Leroy Sane for Die Mannschaft.

The latest right-footed winger to emerge at the Bay Arena (following in the footsteps of players like Andre Schurrle, Heung-Min Son, Karim Bellarabi amongst others), Brandt is very comfortable playing on either flank or just behind the main striker and would make a great foil for a Liverpool side that is always looking to get the upper hand and press the opposition into giving the ball away.

Having performed creditably in a similar gegenpressing style under former Leverkusen manager Roger Schmidt, Brandt would not be fazed by the demands of being a forward on either flank in Klopp's preferred 4-3-3 formation and given his relative youth, Liverpool could get to see the best of the youngster if signed.

His stats for the season are not too shabby with 11 goals and 3 assists in all competitions so far for the Werkself (Company Team) as Bayer Leverkusen are known.

He recently signed a contract extension to remain at the Bay Arena till 2021 so his potential transfer fee would most definitely have increased but if the Reds are willing to do business, he would be perfect for the team.

#1 Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund)

The American has been coveted by the Reds for a while now
The American has been coveted by the Reds for a while now

A player who has been linked many times to the Reds, Pulisic’s career has been on an upward trajectory ever since he made his debut for German side Dortmund in January 2016.

The 19-year-old like most players with his type of physique is a diminutive player blessed with skills, pace, close control and the ability to make things happen.

Possessing pace for days and a style of dribbling that relies more on speed than body movement, his biggest strength has to do with his use of space as unlike the more inventive flair-heavy wingers like Neymar, Pulisic is more like an elite athlete as he relies more on beating his opponent at a rapid pace.

His blitzkrieg-running style where he is always looking to take the ball forward at all times is a match made in heaven for Liverpool's forward-pressing style of play and he should slot seamlessly into the team if purchased.

He could help the Reds transition effectively from defence to attack and will make the team an even bigger threat in counter-attacks. As a still growing 19-year-old, he has struggled this season with a paltry tally of four goals and five assists in 31 Bundesliga games which is a fair reflection of just how poor BVB has been this season.

Given the huge amount that Barcelona paid to sign Ousmane Dembele from Dortmund, Liverpool will have to pay something in the region of €100 million+ to get the youngster's signature.

Also Read: 5 of the worst Liverpool signings in the Premier League era

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Edited by Raunak J