Liverpool’s Important Summer Transfer Window

Liverpool haven’t yet sealed the league title – but they’re already guaranteed Champions League football next year, for the first time since Rafael Benitez’s final season in 2009/10.

This means Liverpool can already start planning their summer transfer activities – assured of a bigger budget, and certain to play at least six more top-level matches. This season Brendan Rodgers has boasted an excellent starting XI, but next season he’ll need a deeper squad. Here’s how Liverpool might look to re-shape…

Goalkeepers:

Simon Mignolet still needs to improve, but has established himself as Liverpool’s number one. This means Pepe Reina won’t return from his loan at Napoli, so Liverpool need to recruit a back-up goalkeeper. Brad Jones is a popular member of the squad, but he’s not the required standard for a back-up goalkeeper for a Champions League side.

Purchasing a back-up goalkeeper is a curious task, especially when your first-choice is only 26 with his best years ahead of him, and Liverpool might consider recruiting a player with greater experience considering they’ll probably have a young squad next season. A move for Julio Cesar (currently in the odd position of being on loan from QPR to Toronto despite being Brazil’s number one in a World Cup year), a European Cup winner, wouldn’t be crazy – although he has two years remaining on a typically huge QPR contract.

KEEP: Mignolet, Jones (as third-choice)
RELEASE: Reina
TARGET: Julio Cesar

Full-Backs:

Glen Johnson hasn’t entirely ironed out his defensive errors but continues to be a first-choice pick, while Jon Flanagan has been the surprise success story of the season, becoming a fan favourite with his feisty tackling.

Both Johnson and Flanagan can play on both sides, but prefer the right – which means there’s a need to recruit a proper left-back. Jose Enrique hasn’t been convincing under Rodgers, and isn’t entirely popular in the dressing room, while loanee Aly Cissokho has been terrible and won’t be retained.

Real Madrid have two fine left-backs, Marcelo and Fabio Coentrao, who might like the idea of guaranteed first-team football for (probably) a league champion. A more interesting signing would be Wolfsburg’s Ricardo Rodriguez, earning a great reputation for his goalscoring and crossing ability – although a good World Cup performance with Switzerland might see his price rise.

Youngsters like Andre Wisdom, Jack Robinson and Martin Kelly (although 24 next week) can act as cover.

KEEP: Johnson, Flanagan
MAYBE: Jose Enrique
YOUNGSTERS: Wisdom, Robinson, Kelly
RELEASE: Cissokho
TARGET: Coentrao, Marcelo, Rodriguez

Centre-Backs:

It’s worth underlining how poor Liverpool’s defensive record has been this season, at least in the context of past winners – they’re on course for more goals conceded per game than any champions since Derby in 1974/75.

This is partly because of injuries, but it’s still difficult to know if Rodgers has worked out his preferred backline. Mamadou Sakho is a fine defender, and Daniel Agger still makes the most sense for this system, but Martin Skrtel is increasingly risky in the box, while Kolo Toure was a stopgap signing and Sebastian Coates hasn’t made an impact.

A reasonably young player capable of playing immediately is the best bet. Leverkusen’s Ömer Toprak is still only 24 but has been a Bundesliga regular for three years, part of that under former Liverpool skipper Sami Hyypia. Thiago Ilori should return from loan as a back-up.

KEEP: Sakho, Agger
MAYBE: Skrtel
YOUNGTSERS: Ilori
RELEASE: Toure, Coates
TARGET: Toprak

Central Midfield:

Not too many concerns here. Steven Gerrard has been inspirational in his deep-lying position, Joe Allen is a Rodgers favourite and offers a useful tactical alternative, while Jordan Henderson has been superb in his box-to-box role and Coutinho appears best in a deeper position, where his tackling qualities are obvious.

Lucas Leiva’s situation is a little more complex – he no longer has an obvious position within the side. Although a useful defensive alternative to Gerrard, Lucas has been troubled by injury – and with Gerrard likely to feel the strain of more matches next season, Rodgers might look to recruit another holding midfielder. Bruno Soriano of Villarreal is a little too old at 29, but is a wonderfully talented footballer who might be tempted by a better contract having spent all his career at the Yellow Submarine. Alternatively, a Premier League option like Morgan Schneiderlin of Southampton would be a surer bet.

A more creative option higher up the pitch wouldn’t go amiss, either. Ivan Rakitic has been constantly linked, and is simply an outstanding playmaker that would be perfect for Liverpool’s football.

KEEP: Gerrard, Allen, Henderson, Coutinho
MAYBE: Lucas
SELL/RELEASE: none
TARGET: Soriano, Schneiderlin, Rakitic

Attack:

Liverpool’s strong suit. Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling have all been superb this season, while the pace and versatility of Fabio Borini will be more useful second time around.

Victor Moses has made little impact and will leave, while Iago Aspas was a peculiar signing but could prove useful as a squad option – although the likes of Suso and Luis Alberto, if recalled from loan, offer more long-term promise.

What Liverpool might need, however, is a Plan B striker – preferably someone who offers an alternative to Suarez and Sturridge. Rodgers was keen to sell Andy Carroll, but his approach for Clint Dempsey suggests he wouldn’t mind something slightly different upfront.

The newcomer would need the right mentality to be a back-up, though – no-one will be displacing Suarez and Sturridge. Oriol Riera, an old-fashioned central striker starring at Osasuna would be a low-cost punt, while Pierre-Michel Lasogga of Hamburg is much younger but stylistically perfect – this feels like a position where Rodgers can afford to take a gamble.

KEEP: Suarez, Sterling, Sturridge, Borini
YOUNGSTERS: Suso, Alberto
MAYBE: Aspas
RELEASE: Moses
TARGET: Riera, Lassoga

In truth, Liverpool attempted to do something similar last year, strengthening late on in the transfer window to provide squad depth. It didn’t work, partly because the new signings played poorly, and partly because Liverpool didn’t need them thanks to excellent first-team performances and relatively few matches.

Nevertheless, Liverpool’s squad needs strengthening in almost every position, and while there’s a plethora of talented youngsters ready to take the strain, expectations will be high next year and Rodgers will need a couple of experienced back-ups too.