1. Kyriakos Papadopoulos
Schalke 04 Centre back 21 Greece
This is a rumour that surfaced some weeks ago but seems to have slightly quietened down in recent days. The young man certainly commands a very big reputation and is regarded as a real prospect both in Greece and Germany. There are stories aplenty about the behaviour of this young man which say a lot about his confidence and potential. At EURO 2012, the day before Greece played Poland in the opening game of the tournament. Papadopoulos lost his temper when he found out he wasn't in the starting XI and claimed the Greeks would lose without him! At just 20 years old you can imagine that a lot of the more experienced players were laughing at his claims - they were apparently met with a fierce and burning stare. He made his Olympiakos debut at the tender age of 15 too - a league record in the Greek top flight. I'm also guessing you've all seen the video of
Papadopoulos staring down Samaras like a potential murderer. If you haven't watched it before then watch it right now - it's hilarious.
Would he fit?Yes - Although Papa is not the quickest defender in the world he is extremely strong and would cope well with buffeting strikers such as Kenwyne Jones and Andy Carroll. Something else that Papa isn't is tall - he stands at just 6ft, not exactly a giant for a centre back, even I'm 6ft! But he makes up for this lack of height with a great amount of power in his jumping. Papa's biggest strengths are his aggression, strength and power. At 21, he is still inexperienced at the very top level despite his forays into the international scene and top flight Greek and German football - although one could counter this by suggesting his Champions League experience makes him quite well off for a 21 year old defender. All in all Papa is one of the most highly sought after centre backs in Europe and Liverpool signing him would be a real coup. Particularly as he's only 21 and making a profit on him in the future shouldn't be too difficult if he continues his current rate of improvement.
What do you think? Should Rodgers go ahead with any of these signings or have you read any different rumours? Let us know in the comments section below?