Liverpool Transfers: 5 Players Brendan Rodgers Must Sign To Stop The Rot

claimed his side could finish second in the League. However, following a disastrous 1-3 reverse to Aston Villa at Anfield of all places, many fans queried if he meant second place in the Championship. A glance at the Premier League table this morning will show you that Liverpool are lurching closer to the relegation zone than they are climbing toward the heady top two. They are a remarkable 20 points behind arch rivals Manchester United, who sit at the summit of the table, and are only seven points better off than eighteenth placed Wigan in the drop zone. Once a seemingly impenetrable fortress, the embarrassing defeat to Villa was their third at home this season and their fifth overall. We are talking about a club who has won eighteen first division championships here, a team who has won the Champions League more times than any other British side, and a team who used to finish no lower than the top two. Yet the last time Liverpool managed to place in the top two was the 2008/09 season when they just lost out to Man United. They have been nowhere near a Champions League place since. The past three seasons has seen them place 8th, 6th and 7th, and for a team used to winning silverware, that simply is not good enough. It's practically unfathomable that Liverpool only have one registered forward in their ranks - Luis Suarez. They loaned Andy Carroll out to West Ham in the summer and allowed the likes of Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy to move on, leaving them looking pretty blunt up front. If Brendan Rodgers is to put the brakes on his sides decline, he needs to open the cheque book in January and buy at least one new forward, and improve the rest of his side also. Here are five players he should sign to improve Liverpool's fortunes in the Premier League.

5. Pablo Armero

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj2ogpbYmjI Steven Gerrard's Liverpool career is now surely into its last furlong. He has been a terrific servant to the club but he can't go on forever, and the time has come at last for Rodgers to consider his long term replacement. One option is Udinese midfielder Pablo Armero. He impressed against the Red's in their encounter in the Europa League recently, and displayed his quick pace and crossing abilities. He is also a good finisher, too, which is just what Liverpool need as they are definitely lacking in that department. Rodgers may want to act fast though, as the Colombian international has been linked with Juventus recently.