Charlie Adam has had a great season – that’s a fact that few people can deny. I’d question, however, whether he’s had the kind of season that will have Liverpool fans salivating over the prospect of his joining their squad in the summer. The Blackpool man’s rise to prominence has only really taken place in the space of the last 18-or-so months, twelve of which happened to take place in the Championship and thus can’t really be considered evidence that he has got enough quality to make it at Liverpool.

Before his time at Blackpool, Adam was a part of the Rangers set-up, where he struggled to break-in to the first-team, despite a number of different managers coming and going during his time at the club. Even if it’d be harsh to label his time in Scotland as being a complete failure, all-in-all, it was a very poor showing.

My fear, when it comes to Charlie Adam, is that were he to move to a top team like Liverpool, he’d get ‘found out’. A great deal of hype has surrounded Adam as a result of his breakout season in the Premier League – but can anybody really see him getting better? Call me a pessimist, but given his stature at the moment, the only way for Adam seems to be down.

Adam has been strongly linked to both Liverpool and Tottenham, but I don’t believe he’d make a good fit at either club. In response to speculation about his future, Adam told FIFA’s official website:

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“We’ll let the future take care of itself. I don’t make the decision about my future, the club make it and at the end of the day the club is the most important thing.”

He makes an appealing transfer target because he’s entering into the last year of his contract with Blackpool and would be available at a cut-price. There’s every chance that Liverpool could pick him up for £6-8m – but just because he’s available for cheap doesn’t make him an essential target. Liverpool shouldn’t have to settle for less quality – they should seek out the best players available and that may well mean looking outside the Premier League.

It’s not like there is a shortage of talented young central-midfielders out there. What about Standard Liege’s Steven Defour or Rennes’ Yann M’Vila?

Charlie Adam was outstanding for the first half of this season – even carrying Blackpool at times when they needed to grab a result. He has a decent range of passes, works hard and gets goals (although many of his goals this season have come from the penalty spot). The second half of this season hasn’t been quite as productive for the Scottish international. Without consistency in his game, any Liverpool attempt to sign him would be a gamble.

Up until now, I haven’t seen the evidence I need to suggest that Adam is the kind of player that Liverpool need going forward. Will Adam really help the Reds challenge for the Premier League title once more? At this stage I haven’t seen enough evidence that he’s got the quality and consistency necessary.

Read more of Harry's articles at This Is Futbol

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