This summer’s going to be an absolutely crucial one for our short and long-term future…
FSG, Brendan Rodgers (if he’s still in a job as we expect him to be…) and this mysterious transfer committee have to make correct recruitment decisions, or we’re going to fall further and further behind the top four.
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Do we keep Raheem Sterling against his will or cash in on the young winger…?
Probably the biggest dilemma for the club. It’s blatant that the youngster doesn’t want to be at Anfield, but the club are refusing to be bullied into selling (via Echo). But why not…? It’s not looking like he’ll renew his deal (via the Standard), and with two years left on his deal – his transfer value will continue to plummet – although his performances in the second half of this season wouldn’t have helped either. So if we do decide to sell, we have to replace Sterling – or at least reinvest the money wisely and trust that Jordon Ibe maximises his potential.
Do we buy a new backup for Simon Mignolet, or buy someone actually capable of replacing the Belgian…?
Mignolet’s double-edged season will cause serious questions to be asked this summer. Based on the first six months – he needs directly replacing, but based on his form since Christmas, we only need a new backup stopper as Brad Jones’s contract isn’t being renewed… We think we should sign a strong keeper who will be an upgrade on Jones and challenge Mignolet, rather than someone who’ll expect to be given the no.1 jersey.
Does Jordan Henderson get the captaincy?
Henderson’s the heavy favourite to be given the full-time captaincy now that Steven Gerrard is leaving for pastures new. The current vice-skipper did a more than decent job when filling in for the iconic no.8, but long-serving Martin Skrtel has the right to stake a claim for the role as well. Truthfully, nobody will be able to replace Gerrard – but the key will be to bring in some experienced leaders to bolster the squad, as the vacuum created upon Gerrard’s departure will be huge.
Do we make our marquee signing a centre-forward or a central midfielder…?
Realistically, we won’t be able to sign two players this summer for over £30m, especially without the financial boost Champions League football would have delivered. We badly need a top notch central midfielder to replace Gerrard, while a new striker is clearly a priority as well – considering Sturridge’s injury problems and the impotence of the rest of the current batch. Christian Benteke has been heavily linked (via Independent) – as has Arturo Vidal (via the Metro) – but can we really afford to sign both…? Perhaps if we sell Sterling, the answer is yes. We really need at least these two to reinforce our spine.
How many Bosman free transfers should we pick up…?
There are some very decent players available for nothing this summer, but we’ve been stung by the lure of the Bosman in the past. Andriy Voronin, Philipp Degen and Milan Jovanovic to name but a few… This time around though, the likes of James Milner, Sami Khedira and Luiz Adriano are available upon the expiration of their contracts in June. We’ve been heavily linked to the former (via Telegraph), while Danny Ings is also apparently an option (via Daily Star). If we are moving for freebies though, surely we should move heaven and earth for German World Cup winner Khedira and goal-crazy Brazilian Luiz Adriano – who’s been scoring for fun in Ukraine for Shakhtar. It’s vitally important to sign players who’ll improve the first-team, rather than those who’ll just bolster squad numbers and fill the already large wage bill.
