Esteban Cambiasso (Leicester City)
His signing for Leicester City last summer appeared destined to end up like Edgar Davids’ trip to Barnet or Socrates’ delve into non-league, i.e. badly. No disrespect to the Foxes but they hardly represented the glamorous sides that the midfielder has previously played for, the likes of Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and Argentina. However, he has been their player of the season, and guided them to safety in the Premier League. The Echo point out that his signing could be like that of Gary McAllister in 2000, should we go for him.
On reflection, the parallels are uncanny. Both players have been two of the finest technical players of their eras, and now, heading into their twilights, they’ve spent time trying to help a team at the lower end of the table. Like Leicester, we have plenty of young players that could do with his guidance. He’s been up to the task at the King Power, why would Anfield be that different for a man that has played in the Bernabeu and San Siro?
He has proved he has the quality, the motivation, and the desire to still play at the highest level for another couple of years. He has adapted his game in same way that Scottish playmaker did 15 years ago. Signing the 34-year-old would be short-term, but McAllister won five trophies in two seasons. We’d take that.
Pedro (Barcelona)
The Echo suggest that by offering more game time, we may be able to persuade the winger to come to Merseyside, having struggled to get into the Barcelona team since the arrival of Luis Suarez. He has skill in abundance, and can score some wonderful goals – which is something that Rodgers would be foolish not to consider – but is he a leader?
Like Milner, but on a slightly more glamorous scale, his efforts go largely under the radar, with the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar ahead of him. And like Milner therefore, his influence would be leading by example. He brings a wealth of experience of working with some of the world’s biggest names every single day at La Masia. He is not the kind of leader that will be wearing the armband, but he could lead some of our players to the top of their game.