From the moment he was first installed, it seemed like new Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers was intent on getting rid of nearly all of his strikers this summer.
Dirk Kuyt has gone, as has Craig Bellamy, and now Andy Carroll has left on loan to West Ham. That means the only senior forwards left at Anfield are Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini. Sure, they have youngsters such as Daniel Pacheco (21), Samed Yessi and Adam Morgan (both 18) but that’s hardly going to cut the mustard this season.
It’s perplexing, almost unfathomable even, that new manager Brendan Rodgers seems so ill-prepared for the season ahead.
In December last year, Luis Suarez was banned for eight games for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. If Liverpool’s unstable striker finds himself suspended again this season, or injured, then who is going to step up and fill the void?
They somehow missed out on attacking midfielder Clint Dempsey on the final day of the transfer window, with the American plumping for a move to Tottenham instead amid reports Liverpool’s owners refused to sanction the deal. Why didn’t they secure the deal? He managed 23 goals in 46 appearances for Fulham last season and can easily be played up front. Earlier in the summer they missed out on the signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson who also chose Spurs instead, a player who Rodgers knows at first hand can be so lethal. The Anfield club also missed out on a loan deal for Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge, who ousted Fernando Torres from the starting XI for a period last season.
With three forwards moving on this summer, Liverpool simply HAD to replace one of them, and they haven’t. If Suarez befalls another lengthy layoff, Liverpool may be left left to rue the players they let go.
Another alternative is signing an emergency out of contract striker, such as former player, and current free agent Michael Owen. Despite playing for hated rivals Manchester United, he’d still be welcomed back with open arms right now for a poetic end to his playing career, warming the bench and making cameos when required.
But Liverpool shouldn’t have to rely on this – why Brendan Rodgers hasn’t signed a new forward is very odd indeed.
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1 Comments
Look, it’s not baffling at all. Rodgers was told they’d be signing another 1 or 2 forwards and was either shafted or badly let down by the board or FSG. He would never have let Carroll go otherwise. From the Guardian:
I’ve been given as much confidence as I can possibly get that we will have someone to come in,” the Liverpool manager said. “I’ve said all along that I have Luis Suárez and Fabio Borini as front-line strikers and the young lads like Adam Morgan are getting experience but between now and January I need more than that. Hopefully tomorrow we can do some work and get something complete because we certainly need it. I am hoping for one or two. We need one, that’s for sure.”