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Role of Rickie Lambert
FSG typically look at signing young players who can be developed into better players and if required be sold at a good price after a few years. The only exception has been Kolo Toure who was signed on a free transfer last season. Rickie Lambert would not fit into this profile.
By signing only younger players, the team lacked experience and the maturity to play at the top level. Hence the transfer policy needs to be altered slightly to have a balance of young talented and experienced professionals.
As per media reports, the transfer fee for Lambert would be around 4 million pounds with add-ons. He is also on relatively low wages. In financial terms this would not mean a very big investment as the fee and the wages would be around 8 to 10 million pounds over the course of two seasons. The down side would be the selling value would be negligible.
In pure footballing aspects Lambert should fit in quite well. His record at Southampton has been quite impressive. He has managed to score 106 goals in 207 games for Southampton in the various league games. In the Premier League, he has managed to score 28 goals and has contributed 15 assists in 75 league games. Only Suarez, Gerrard , Rooney and Lambert have managed to have two double digits in both the assists and the goals column in the league this season. He has hardly missed any games during his Southampton career which is quite a tribute to his fitness.
He’s probably never got the recognition for what a really good footballer he is. He is probably seen as a traditional big number nine, a typical British striker, but he’s one of the most accomplished footballers I’ve seen. Look at his touch and the different types of goals he scores; he is a terrific player – Brendan Rodgers on Rickie Lambert
Earlier in the season, Rodgers had showered praise on the English striker. As Rodgers had said, Lambert is quite sound technically. Despite his physique , Lambert is not a striker in the mould of an Andy Carroll or a Peter Crouch , who are used predominantly to win headers in a direct style of football. Lambert has been a part of a Southampton team which primarily relies in a style involving passing along the ground.
Lambert is also pretty impressive in his set-pieces. He has managed to score quite a few goals from direct free kicks and is a regular penalty taker at Southampton. His impressive number of assists over the two seasons show he is quite a good team player as well. In the absence of Suarez or Gerrard, Lambert can be a good option for set-pieces.
Another aspect which can have a positive impact about Lambert is he does not have to face the pressure a younger player has to go through. The expectations of moving to a big club would definitely be there, but at his age, Lambert would have nothing to lose. This would most likely be his biggest move in his career . His experience would play a big part in settling him down.
Overall at a low transfer fee and relatively low wages , Lambert would be a good bargain for Liverpool. Being a Liverpool fan, passion and committment are two aspects which Liverpool fans can look forward to from Lambert. If the transfer does go through it could also help in attracting Adam Lallana to Liverpool. The signing would also show that Liverpool have learnt the right lessons from their previous transfer window by moving in quickly for players.
