Rafa should look to Madrid to complete his summer spending

Football FanCast guest columnist Jordan Harper feels Rafa should look to bring Van der Vaart to Anfield, even it means having to cash in on the likes of Ryan Babel.

Watching Glen Johnson flying down the right wing at will was a welcome sight and bodes well for the future. Finally we have that outlet within our team, a bit of variation in attack and suddenly we have a weapon to combat those resolute defences. It is the reason why Rafa was prepared as much as he was to obtain the services of arguably one of the best attacking full backs in the League.

As I walked away from the ground last night we were talking about Johnson's contribution going forward and somebody turned round and made a rather apt comment that was along the lines that Johnson showed in 90mins, what we have all been crying out for Ryan Babel to do on the left wing for two seasons – a little harsh maybe, but in many ways it rang true.

The left wing at Liverpool has been something of a curse and we have never been able to find someone to replace John Barnes. It certainly would make us a totally different proposition if we could have someone on the left who is equally adept at replicating the kind of attacking prowess that Johnson showed. Babel cannot do it, Riera seemingly prefers to cut inside, therefore Rafa really should look to move quickly in order to get this resolved – Van der Vaart is a name that has been linked with us today and if I were Rafa I wouldn't hesitate in making a move.

Obviously a potential stumbling block is what funds we do have available and whether we can afford the 7million Euros that Madrid are after, but I don't know why we don't attempt to cash in on Dossena or Babel in order to fund it. As much as I have wanted Babel to succeed at Liverpool in particular there must come a time when you say enough is enough and accept that his style of play just doesn't suit ours. He is never really going to get the opportunity upfront; therefore surely we would be better off selling him and utilising the funds elsewhere?

Van der Vaart is a hugely talented player as you can see from the footage below and is the latest Dutchman set to move from the Bernabeu. Madrid have failed to give him a squad number for the season, therefore he is open to moves and hinted that despite interest in other countries, it is the Premier League where he wishes to ply his trade. I just believe that his arrival on the left hand side could give us some alternate width and make us a far more complete outfit going forward and, at 7million Euros, he hardly represents much of a gamble. Having Van der Vaart on the left to complement Johnson's surges on the right would certainly bring the variety we so desperately need and make us a more complete outfit going forward.

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