By Joe Hale
After the weekend’s win against Spurs, we’re finally starting to prove what we are capable of, with Suarez again having an incredible match, and being a nuisance as usual, and the likes of Coutinho showing great potential, with some of the through balls he has played in the past few matches being sublime. However come the summer, it is no secret that we need to strengthen our team, if we really want to start pushing for the Champions League places again.
Here are a few of the players we have been linked with as of late:
Mamadou Sakho – PSG
The French 23 year old centre back has fallen behind Alex and Thiago Silva at PSG, and has hinted that he wants out, however there is growing interest in him, not only from English clubs like Arsenal, but apparently Barcelona and Real Madrid have been keeping an eye on him too, proving he has the potential there. With Carragher retiring, a supposed rift between Skrtel and Rodgers, and Coates not being able to really make his mark, a centre back will be one of our main priorities this summer, even more so with interest in Agger too.
Stefan De Vrij – Feyenoord
The 21 year old centre back who currently plays for Feyenoord has been personally checked by Brendan Rodgers, and fits the FSG model perfectly, as he is a young player with plenty of potential, but also he shouldn’t cost too much, which is very important, bearing in mind Liverpool have overspent a lot of money in recent years, something that they will be trying to do is get better value for money.
Xabi Alonso – Real Madrid
Still a legend at Anfield that would be welcome with open arms if he wanted to return. Apparently Rodgers is very keen, and contract talks have stalled at Real Madrid. A deal for Xabi would be incredible, but nothing is impossible.
Christian Eriksen – Ajax
Another player that would fit in to the FSG model again is Christian Eriksen, who has refused to sign a new contact at Ajax, and is expected to be playing in the Premier League next season. There was interest from Manchester United, until they bought Shinji Kagawa, and Arsenal, until they bought Santi Cazorla, and now it looks like we are only against Spurs in the chase to sign him. There is hope that Danish international teammate Daniel Agger will try and persuade Eriksen to make the move.
Alexis Sanchez – Barcelona
After Sanchez’s very expensive move from Udinese to Barcelona, he has failed to really live up to expectations at the Catalan club, and may be available, especially due to debt that the Spanish giants find themselves in. However he might still cost a lot of money, due to the fact they paid so much for him.
Balazs Dzsudzsak – Dynamo Moscow
It was revealed that both Liverpool and Inter Milan moved for Dzsudzak right at the end of the January Transfer window, however Dynamo Moscow refused to do any business. However his agent Jozsef Vorosbaranyi said ‘My client really likes Moscow, but he wants to move to one of the major European leagues’ leaving the door wide open for another chance to sign him.
Keisuke Honda – CSKA Moscow
Honda is a name that we have been linked with before, and with the Japanese international’s deal at CSKA Moscow ending in the summer, it could be the perfect chance for Liverpool to grab him. As a guide to his ability, he currently keeps fellow teammate Shinji Kagawa out of his preferred position in the national side. Also the signing of Liverpool’s first Asian player would see incredible numbers of kits sold, and other advertising paths that would bring Liverpool much more money.
What do you think of these targets, would they be able to cut it at Liverpool? And how realistic are they? Do you think you could be a better manager? If so, you might not want to be selling that old Xbox 360 and FIFA 13, as you can put yourself in the footsteps of Brendan Rodgers and become the Liverpool manager.