'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQf/2gAIAQEAAAAAgyn/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oACAECEAAAAH//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAEDEAAAAF//xAAeEAABBAMAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMEEgAFIQYRgv/aAAgBAQABPwBt6PF11igwpbFmjInWyBXEG3PYlbtu9TgpgbHYuAJsxPHm2iSwgmmjrVPoVXP/xAAYEQACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwECMv/aAAgBAgEBPwB15Rg//8QAFxEBAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwABMv/aAAgBAwEBPwATptz/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The January transfer window has been concluded with clubs making some great moves in order to improve their team. Even teams as strong as Manchester City and Barcelona broke their transfer record to purchase Aymeric Laporte and Philippe Coutinho, respectively.
However, some clubs didn’t strengthen and one such club is Coutinho’s former employers, Liverpool. While the Merseyside outfit began the window with a bang—thanks to the purchase of Virgil van Dijk—they lost Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.
Liverpool didn’t spend the money from Coutinho's sale to get a replacement. Jurgen Klopp also overlooked certain areas where he should have signed reinforcements. Here are players they should have looked to sign
#5 Mateo Kovacic
When Coutinho left Inter for Liverpool, the Italian giants signed Mateo Kovacic to replace him. Tt didn’t take the Croat a long time to settle down as he became a fan-favourite at San Siro. Soon after, he too left for Real Madrid, where he is currently one of the rotation players.
Whenever Kovacic plays, he leaves the Madridistas mesmerized. There are very few players in the world that have the ability to surge vertically like he does. During those unbelievable runs, he goes past players like they were ants in his path.
Had Liverpool signed him, they would have had a player who is potentially better than Coutinho and with similar abilities to burst forward.
#4 Alisson
Liverpool’s goalkeeper problems are well protracted, to say the least. Ever since Pepe Reina’s decline and eventual departure, Liverpool have failed to replace the Spaniard. Simon Mignolet was bought with much hopes and expectations, but he failed to live up to the same.
Right now, according to Jurgen Klopp, Loris Karius is the first choice goalkeeper of the Reds. When one looks at his movements in front of the nets, they begin to wonder as to how he became a goalkeeper in the first place.
This also shows the place of Simon Mignolet as a goalkeeper. As a result, Liverpool needs someone who they could rely on in front of the goal—and Roma’s Alisson is just that. When a player is linked with Real Madrid, it shows a lot about their calibre.
#3 Timo Werner
This one will definitely get on the nerves of RB Leipzig. The German outfit are already upset at Liverpool for using Naby Keita’s release clause to sign him next summer, so signing another Leipzig star would only further infuriate both the fans and the board.
Right now, Liverpool have one of the finest attacks in the world. The trio of Roberto Firmino, Mohamad Salah, and Sadio Mane always score goals for the Merseyside outfit. However, they don’t have a proper replacement for Firmino should the Brazilian be unavailable. And Timo Werner could have filled that void as he is someone who not only scores goals but also helps his team-mates with his intelligent hold-up play.
#2 Dani Ceballos
This might have looked very easy on the paper, but one can never really say for sure as to whether the Los Blancos would have let go of him. Nevertheless, there is no such thing such as ‘not for sale’ because a club can always come up with offers that the other can’t refuse.
Dani Ceballos was a star for Real Betis. He played some beautiful football last season and actually made the third-most dribbles in the league last season, behind only Lionel Messi and Neymar. After a wonderful U-21 Euros, where he was awarded as the best player of the tournament, Real Madrid snapped him up.
However, he hasn’t made a mark in the team yet and is among the players that have played the least amount of minutes. As a result, he is someone who needs to play a lot more in order to be on the plane to Russia.
At Liverpool, he would get that. Also, his traits are very similar to that of Coutinho as he loves to dribble from midfield and disrupt the opposition defence.
#1 Kalidou Koulibaly
While Liverpool might have signed Virgil van Dijk, they still have a lot to strengthen in their backline. The Dutchman has the ability to take Liverpool to new heights with his abilities as a footballer. However, defending is a matter of teamwork and Van Dijk alone can’t do anything about it.
As a result, he needs a partner in defence in order for Liverpool to succeed. For that, Kalidou Koulibaly would have been the perfect fit for the Merseyside outfit. The Senegalese is 1.95m tall and is an astute reader of the game.
He is also a great passer of the ball and can set up the tempo from deep. Liverpool fans would have breathed easy with the duo at the heart of the defence.
