Some trepidation over January transfers for Liverpool?
Liverpool fans must be a collective of nervous wrecks with the type of football that they have been subjected to this season. What’s made more nail biting are the whole plethora of players that they’ve been linked to purchase in the January transfer window. Roy Hodgson isn’t, to many Liverpool fans, the manager that inspires majestic football or even the type who has well laid plans that will soon come to fruition. Maybe that last statement was slightly unforgiving and that the January transfer window will present the opportunity for Hodgson to bring in players who will reflect his ideology more coherently.
All we have are previous events and decisions to inform us of the sorts of players that will likely be turning up, kitbag in hand, at Anfield over the January period. The first player signed by Hodgson, but instigated by Rafa Benitez, was Milan Jovanovic who operated originally as a striker, but has been finding himself on the wing and more recently the substitute’s bench.
His second recruit was Joe Cole, who has been a disappointment after the potential he displayed at West Ham and Chelsea. But players such as Cole, after being injury stricken, require time to adjust and gain match effectiveness, he seemed a brilliant acquisition but has yet to produce. We’ll grant these two mentioned signings as unsuccessful so far.
The most notable signings during the summer were Christian Poulsen, Paul Konchesky, Raul Meireles and Fabio Aurelio. Poulsen was obviously an attempt to fill the void left by Javier Mascherano and not a very successful one by all observations. The loaning out of Alberto Aquilani absolutely baffled me, he was bought for £17 million and looked to be a player of quality, much of the same mould as Xabi Alonso, who could sit, dictate play and free Steven Gerrard. Liverpool will ultimately lose the player to Juventus, who will no doubt grasp at the option to make his loan permanent.
Meireles, for me, appeared a decent signing after having watched him during the World Cup for Portugal, he has a perpetual engine and while he may not be as technically gifted as one may wish, he still could act as decent defensive midfielder. The abundance of destroying players is probably the one downfall of Liverpool, as without Fernando Torres firing they lack goals and creativity.
This attacking deficiency should have been identified by Hodgson during the height of summer and given recourse to remedying. But thankfully for Hodgson, life is full of chances that present themselves to be either made the most of or squandered in haste. January is this chance to placate the fans and sign some truly superior players who will fabricate the kind of football that Liverpool requires.
There are so many reports day after day of tenuous calibre linking players to Liverpool that fans must either receive them with delight or utter dismay. How apprehensive are you over Hodgson having January to buy what he deems as adequate for the club? Will he mould a resurrection of fortunes or leave the club floundering languidly from game to game?
To read more articles of mine follow me on Twitter or RSS Feed.
Football News 24/7
“the January transfer window will present the opportunity for Hodgson to bring in players who will reflect his ideology more coherently”
If Hodgson had his hands on the purse strings alone, then I’d agree, but he hasn’t. NESV & Comolli have a rather large say in matters.
Lets not forget the atmosphere Hodgson had to endure with Beavis and Butt-Head in the summer before NESV took over as well, I very much doubt he had free reign to “give recourse to remedying”, ie, sign the players he really wanted to.
IOW, Hodgson has had to make do with what he was restricted to make do with, and that is what he’ll have to do in the January window as well. We’re not in the CL so there’s no rush for the owners/Comolli/Hodgson to make hasty buys.
I doubt very much we will get big money signings in the January window and if we don’t, we can’t honestly lay the blame for that at Hodgson’s feet.
(btw, Aquilani was rubbish, suited to girly Italian football. If we get our money back on him I’ll be more than happy)
I would like to see, around Feb/March time, the owners coming out and saying they have £50m to spend. That will keep our big players with us and bring in a few more very big names. This season is all about consolidation and a top 4 finish with what we’ve got.
YNWA
Reply
1. Roy Hodgson should be sacked. He isn’t anywhere near good enough – never was and never will be.
2. I feel sorry for Jovanovic. He was coveted by huge clubs due to his performances up front. He comes to Liverpool, a club with only one striker, is repeatedly played out of position (when he plays) and is then called a flop. I guess that’s the problem of having a manager with no idea. Jova has a right to be angry.
3. If you think the owners should come out and say how much they will spend in the summer then you are an idiot! No in their right mind, other than City, would do that as it only serves to put prices up.
Reply
For the comment above what are u talking about mate! Aqaullani rubbish behave. He would walk in the current squad effortlessly. With people like poulsen in the squad.
We need wingers that are going to beat a man and put in a decent cross
. Also a good left and right back to give competiton to jonshon and a woeful konchesky.also before that stop playing players out of postion. Eg jono. Who is a centre mid. Not a right midfielder.
Reply
Lee Reply:
November 11th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
@~# you on about aqua man was awful and he wouldn’t get in the squad raul and Lucas seem to be doing fine and we have Kelly for our rb and tbh konchesky is doing a decent job we need wingers and strikers that’s it you tool.
Reply
Ahmed Reply:
November 14th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Roy out, Kenny in till end of the season and then re-evaluate the situation.
summer clearance, Johnson, Pulson, Babel, Lucas, Konchesky.
In: Van Der-Veal, Coentrao, Mario Marin, Matta, Wright-Philips and Llorente
Reply