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Liverpool are now serious contenders for getting back into the top four this season, after a lengthy spell out of it. Currently they’re fourth in the league but it’s extremely tight. After being top on Christmas day; some Liverpool fans would have been dreaming of winning the title. But I think dreaming is the only way they’re going to get that feeling for a long time yet. The actual squad is very thin and lacks options off of the substitutes bench. If Champions League qualification occurs by the end of the season, this will mean that the club could attract better players, with the funds anyway. Then Liverpool will have to add depth to the squad, as I think rotating the side every now and then will benefit Brendan Rodgers in the long term.
Liverpool’s squad problem has hit a massive blow with the injury to Lucas Leiva. The Brazillian is reported to be out of action for around two months. In Liverpool’s squad, Lucas is the only recognized holding midfielder. With Lucas out, you would have thought Liverpool would try and bring one in. There have been many names linked to Merseyside. In this article, I will be analyzing and giving my honest opinion on some of two defensive midfielders, a winger and a right back who have all been linked with Liverpool.
Yann M’Vila is a French international footballer who currently plays for Russian side, Rubin Kazan. M’Vila plays as a defensive midfielder and is 23 years of age. M’Vila is a tall (6ft 3) and physical midfielder who isn’t afraid of an aggressive tackle. This is an area in which perhaps Lucas needs to improve as he’s not the most physical midfielder.
As much as I like Lucas, I think the French midfielder would be a massive improvement on the Brazillian. I know M’Vila wouldn’t be brought in for his attacking features, but M’Vila is far better on the ball than Lucas, more mobile too, which would benefit the team going forward and controlling the ball deep. I’d feel a lot more comfortable with M’Vila sitting in front of our defence, which is very poor at the moment. M’Vila doesn’t abandon his position often either, so he could just sit in front of our troubled defence.
The Frenchman wouldn’t even have to replace Lucas, they could play in that double pivot role in front of the defence, Claudio Yacob and Youssuf Mulumbu are a very solid example of a decent double pivot. M’Vila and Lucas would make me feel so much calmer whilst we’re defending, as I mentioned, M’Vila could sit with Lucas doing the chasing which he does a lot now anyway, I think that’d work. 23 years old is very young too, so there’s plenty of time to improve his general play and even his attitude, on and off the pitch, which has been criticized in the past. I do think M’Vila is what Liverpool need in their team this January transfer window.
However, Fernando is a tremendous little player. Reges’ range of passing is impressive and the Brazillian midfielder hardly ever gives away possession of the ball. If we did sign Fernando, Lucas Leiva could have a massive part to play in the deal, same nationalities and that. That could just be completely wrong and have nothing to do with the deal. I just think Lucas could help Reges settle in if the transfer did occur.
Like M’Vila, the Porto midfielder is a very physical player which really helps defensively and even charging up field with ball, like Yaya Toure. Shrugging players off of the ball is something Fernando is good at and he loves a little charge forward occasionally, using his strength to his advantage. Fernando’s stamina must be very good too, as you often see him pressing high to try and win the ball off of his opponent. I’d prefer M’Vila if I had to pick out of the two, but Fernando is a tremendous little player who could be an excellent signing for Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah is an Egyptian international footballer who plays for Swiss side, Basel. Salah is currently 21 years of age and can play on either wing, but preferably on the right so he can cut on to his preferred left foot.
Liverpool had reportedly been interested in the Egyptian youngster for a number of months. According to many reports, Liverpool had a £7 million bid for Salah rejected and Basel asked for £12 million but Liverpool are reluctant to pay that for the 21 year old. But according to a reliable source, Tony Barrett from the Times, Salah is still Liverpool’s prime target for this window. So I fully expect Liverpool to bid around £10 million for Salah, as we have a very strict transfer committee. Maybe sensible is a better word to describe the committee.
Salah would add a lot to the team offensively with his exceptional speed, skill, agility and creativity. But I think Liverpool will need to bring in some solidity to the team before they can even think about buying attacking options. Liverpool have really struggled defensively this season, of course the injuries didn’t help this cause. But there should be still a high level of solidity in the defence with some experienced faces. Obviously, I would be happy if Liverpool could sign Salah and a defensive midfielder, but I don’t know how realistic that is for the January transfer window anyway. Attacking wise, Liverpool don’t really need to worry as we’ve been scoring goals for fun recently. But having options and even players off of the bench who can change a game if turned to. I’d love Salah at Liverpool.
Martin Montoya is a 22 year old right back who currently plays his football at European giants, Barcelona. Montoya has great attacking abilities in his game. Defensively, he isn’t the best. But in a way, it’s hard to tell as Barcelona don’t face many tests in La Liga. A lot less than Montoya would face in the Premier League anyway.
Again, it’s various media reports suggesting that Liverpool have an interest in the young Spaniard. I do believe Liverpool are interested in him, but I don’t think it’s major now, due to the speculation slowing down a lot. It was constant about a month ago but it really has stopped since then. Most of the attention has been aimed towards Salah. We all know that Brendan Rodgers loves a versatile player. Maybe this is why he has looked at Montoya? The Spaniard has played left back as well as his preferred right back position. The interest is obviously down to his excellent potential he has shown in the past too.
Current Liverpool right back, Glen Johnson is getting on too and it’s safe to say he’s a little off of his best at the moment. The Barcelona player would be an upgrade on what Liverpool have at the moment and with him only being 22 years of age, he could turn all of his potential into quality. Barcelona are reportedly going to offer Martin Montoya a new and improved contract after several months of speculation about the contract. So, I think this deal is hugely unlikely to go through. But, you never know. I’m extremely excited to see if Liverpool do act in this January transfer window with time running out.
