How would Liverpool fans rank our summer signings…?
Back in November, we ranked the success of our eight summer signings (not including on-loan Divock Origi) on the basis of their Liverpool success at the time…
In reverse order, we went for – Lovren, Balotelli, Markovic, Manquillo, Lambert, Moreno, Can, Lallana…
Four months later, we thought we’d do it again – and there’s been some significant changes in our order.
Have we got it spot on, this time around?
8) Rickie Lambert
Lambert is sadly not the long-term solution to our striking situation, although he gives his all every time he steps onto the pitch. As a substitute for tired legs, the ageing Englishman has done his job, and he should be congratulated for turning down a January deadline day move to Aston Villa so he could remain with the club he loves. The 33-year-old has notched three goals in total, and at £4m – it wasn’t a huge risk anyway.
7) Mario Balotelli
The Italian has scored some crucial goals for us (notably against Besiktas and Spurs), but his overall contribution, for whatever reason, has not been what we’d hoped for. Balotelli’s been in hot water for social media misdemeanours, been accused of a lack of effort, disobeyed team penalty orders, and come under intense fire from his manager and captain in the media. It’s difficult not to have a soft spot for the controversial forward, who’s undoubtedly been harshly treated by a hyena-like media, but it’s also difficult not to find him frustrating at times. Perhaps the main reason for his spot in 7th spot here though is the fact that his strengths and attributes really do not match our’s, which is not really his fault – but has created serious doubts over his future nonetheless.
6) Dejan Lovren
Lovren’s first few months of the season were shoddy, and he was fairly pulled out of the firing line as a result. The Croat spent some times on the sidelines waiting for an opportunity, but he’s come back into the equation over the past month, as Brendan Rodgers always claimed he would. He’s been decent, since. Not outstanding, but decent – and his effort, will, and the fact he’s wearing a red shirt will keep Liverpool fans supporting him through thick and thin. Plenty of Liverpool players have resurrected stumbling Anfield spells at the past, and the £20m Croat could too.
5) Javier Manquillo
As a loanee, Manquillo has done everything that could have been expected of him. The young Spaniard has always been reliable and consistently decent defensively in his right-back role. He doesn’t offer strong end-product, so hasn’t been used much since we switched to a 3-4-3. Manquillo is a reliable substitute, but he’ll probably fall down the pecking order when Jon Flanagan returns.
4) Lazar Markovic
Markovic has jumped up massively in our estimations since November. The Serb barely played in late 2014, but was superb versus Sunderland at the start of the calendar year, scoring a crucial winning goal – and he’s been an effective attacking force at either right or left wing-back since. The young Serb is versatile, has fantastic feet and devastating pace – although his end-product needs to improve. It’s important to note that he’s only just turned 21, and he’s got all the natural attributes (and willingness to work) to enable him to fulfil his talent.
3) Adam Lallana
The tricky playmaker was rated as our best summer signing back in November, but it’s fair to say he’s been overtaken since by two extremely exciting youngsters – who are ranked at no.1 and no.2 now… Lallana has bagged a respectable five goals in all competitions, and enjoyed especially excellent performances in victories over Manchester City, Swansea and Leicester City. Injuries have perhaps prevented him from totally living up to his £26m price-tag, but his versatility and technical nous makes him suit our system and ethos perfectly, and he’ll be here for years to come.
2) Alberto Moreno
The likeable Spaniard was a superb summer signing. Moreno’s only 22-years-old, and could feasibly start at left-back or left wing-back for at least the next five years. On the left of the 3-4-3, Moreno’s defensive and offensive talents are maximised. He has an absolutely terrific engine, is feisty, and runs tirelessly with and without the ball. His wonder-goal against Spurs way back at the start of the season gave us a teaser of what he can do, and if he carries on progressing at his current rate – another senior Spain call-up can’t be too far away.
1) Emre Can
None of the other summer signings come close to the barnstorming German, do they…? Can’s got it all. His physicality and size makes him a true Premier League powerhouse already, but it’s the fact that he combines it with wonderful technique and a strong passing range that has got fans truly excited. What’s more – he’s showing true leadership qualities despite being just 21-years-old… At £10m, we plucked a real gem last summer – and the only surprise is that we managed to get him so cheap. What’s perhaps most impressive is that he’s performed so well in an unfavored centre-back position. When he eventually moves into the midfield – there really is no ceiling for Can’s talent.
