A summer of revival expected at Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp would be looking to make changes in the Liverpool team next season

The summer is still a couple of months away, but the transfer rumours are in full swing for the mighty Reds. It is going to be a busy summer for Liverpool FC as the current gaffer Jurgen Klopp finally gets to assemble the team of his choice.

There are rumours of many Germans/Bundesliga players in touch with Liverpool and this hardly comes as a surprise considering that he is a German national. With Liverpool missing out on the Champions League spot 5 times in the previous 6 years, their brand name has been diluted considerably and this transfer window is of utmost importance for the club. Although the Scousers have labelled all the transfer windows as ‘crucial’ since the inception of FSG’s management, this one can be properly justified.

Jurgen Klopp will be overseeing the transfers for the second period during the summer and the rumours of an exodus tell us that he is not impressed by many players signed during the previous regime.

Christian Benteke and Mario Balotelli appear to be the sure shot casualties, Kolo Toure and Martin Skrtel could be nearing their end of LFC careers whereas names of Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge are also coming up in the rumoured exit list. A big surprise considering that these two are the pillars of the current setup.

A rather quiet January transfer window saw a solitary reinforcement in the form of Marko Grujic, that too for the next season. He was allowed to rejoin the Red Star Belgrade till the end of the current season. Steven Caulker was brought in for the remainder of the season on loan and does not look good to be a part of the 2016-17 reds squad. Joel Matip from Schalke has also signed a pre-contract after the winter transfer window enabling him to join LFC for free next season onwards.

Heading into summer, the major areas of concern for Liverpool look to be the goalkeeping, left-back and centre midfield positions.

Goalkeeper: The goalkeeping standards need to be upgraded at Liverpool which is not secret by any means. Simon Mignolet, despite his superb shot saving skills is prone to mental lapses.

Ter Stegen
Ter Stegen is looking for regular first team football

Links to German GKs like Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Timo Horn or Loris Karius indicates the fact that Reds are looking at the best goalkeeping market which has earlier produced the likes of Oliver Kahn, Jens Lehmann and Manuel Neuer.

Also read: Marc-Andre ter Stegen unsure about Barcelona future amidst Liverpool interest

Left-back: The defence is also a bit shaky for the reds but the signing of Joel Matip could mean that the centre-back position might not be a priority. The precedence, therefore, seems to be for a new left-back for Liverpool.

The fullback currently linked to Liverpool is Jonas Hector. Klopp is a big admirer of the youngster, so Alberto Moreno could see a much welcome competition for the spot should the reds go ahead and sign him. Their other eye is on the Leicester youngster Ben Chillwell should they decide to inject more English blood into the squad.

Centre midfield: The midfield is a very critical area for LFC. Losing captain Steven Gerrard left a big void for them, which they still haven’t been able to fill. With Jordan Henderson performing inconsistently after his injury, James Milner not vocal enough on the pitch and Joe Allen seemingly lost in the abyss; Emre Can appears to be the only efficient midfield option for them.

As of now, Ilkay Gundogan and Mahmoud Dahoud are linked with the reds for the centre midfield position but with Manchester City and Pep Guardiola into the fray, Gundogan signing for LFC looks difficult for now. However, how the links to Dahoud turn out remains to be seen.

Honourable mentions: Mario Gotze is heavily linked with a reunion with Jurgen Klopp. But considering the plethora of attacking midfielders to choose from it is not quite evident where Mario Gotze can fit.

Mario Gotze
Msrio Gotze has only 16 appearances this season for Bayern

If he is brought indeed, it could bring curtains down for one of the current attacking midfielders (though the departure of Roberto Firmino looks improbable). Also linked with LFC is a youngster named Ousmane Dembele who has been identified as a priority signing for the reds if grapevine is to be relied upon.

Jurgen Klopp is known for converting talent into world class players as is evident from his time at Borussia Dortmund.

No doubt, as fans we are hopeful of a marquee signing waiting to happen this summer, but the track record of Jurgen Klopp points us to expect more of Marko Grujic type signings – youngsters waiting to be unleashed.

Klopp has already announced that he wants his team to be ready before the Euros, so the Reds can expect the signings to be done fairly early in the window. What remains to be seen is the players who will be pulling up the famous Liverbird next season. In all aspects, Liverpool look set for an exciting summer at Anfield.

Quick Links

Edited by Staff Editor