Liverpool’s shaky 2-1 opening weekend victory over Southampton was completely undone by their 3-1 loss to Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday.
Despite spending over £100m on players this summer, many have been underwhelmed by the calibre of players Brendan Rodgers has brought in to the club. That was until Mario Balotelli arrived in a £16m deal from AC Milan.
That should go some way to ensuring Liverpool are just as impressive this season as they were last. It was also an impressively cheap transfer fee that got him to Anfield – just as impressive as TrustFord’s new Signing on Fee offer, which gives you £500 off the purchase of any new Ford car.
But Monday’s result and performance proved that there’s still some work to be done, particularly if the void left by Luis Suarez is to be successfully filled.
Last year, Liverpool’s bumpy title bid ride was hampered by their leaking defence, so Rodgers will need to address that quickly between now and Monday’s transfer window deadline.
So expect a few defensive stalwarts to be included in the SIX players Rodgers should be looking to rush through the Anfield door by Monday…
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Alex Song
The midfielder is almost certain to leave Barcelona before Monday’s 11pm deadline and his likely destination will be a return to the Premier League.
The fact he’ll be available on the cheap, or even a free loan, should get Brendan Rodgers going all out to tempt him to Anfield.
His defensive capabilities in midfield will go along way in protecting what currently looks like a shaky defence that will be expected to ship goals this season.
Liverpool will not challenege for the title or enjoy a fruitful Champions League campaign if that remains the same, so Song should be the first piece in the puzzle as Rodgers addresses his biggest problem.
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Morgan Schneiderlin
In a similar scenario to Alex Song, the chances of Southampton keeping the Frenchman beyond Monday are wearing extremely thin.
He’s told the club he wants to leave after seeing most of his team mates sold (mostly to Liverpool) this summer, and he’s upset that he’s been told he can’t follow them out of the St. Mary’s exit door.
He’ll no doubt jump at the chance to be reunited with the likes of Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren, which means trying to persuade him to come shouldn’t be a problem.
His performance against the Reds for Southampton on the opening day should have been enough for Rodgers to warrant a fairly big bid to force the south coast club to sell up.
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Micah Richards
Micah Richard’s career has been on hold in recent years while Manchester City win silverware and he goes in and out of the physio room for fun.
But his chance to finally leave the Etihad has come and it’s likely he’ll be playing for someone else by the beginning of next week.
And with Glen Johnson becoming increasingly unreliable at right-back, Richards could be seen as a cheap but more than capable replacement.
Both West Ham and Newcastle are expected to do battle for him over the weekend, but Liverpool will no doubt win that with the Champions League football they have on offer.
Richards’ next move could make or break his career, and going to Liverpool could make it, while Liverpool will need someone physical in defence to help fill the gaps currently at fault for a number of goals.
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Xherdan Shaqiri
The 22-year-old’s performances for Switzerland in the World Cup have made him one of the hottest properties in Europe this summer.
The Bayern Munich winger has mainly been linked with a move to Anfield, although Rodgers had put his interest in him on hold while he pursued further options.
But now that La Liga champions Atletico are back in for him too, Rodgers will need to turn up with an offer too good to turn down if he’s going to get the man he hopes will help provide Mario Balotelli and Daniel Sturridge with the goals to fire them to Premier League glory.
Shaqiri is expected to leave Bayern before Monday’s deadline, with him still expected to play second fiddle to Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery if he stays.
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Winston Reid
A shock inclusion but still a defender who would provide a no-nonsense approach to defending at Anfield.
Arsenal have shown huge interest in him in recent weeks and are considering a bid at the final hurdle to try and force West Ham to sell up.
Reid only has one year left on his Hammers contract and has reportedly turned down a new one worth around £75,000-a-week, which suggests he knows of interest from bigger clubs elsewhere.
The 26-year-old Kiwi has been West Ham’s best player for three seasons now and has earned a reputation of being the type of defender who will throw himself at everything and get results in the process.
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Marco Reus
Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp insists Reus is going nowhere this summer, but that’s still not expected to successfully warn off clubs across Europe hoping to tempt him away from Westfalen before Monday’s deadline.
He may cost Rodgers between £20-£25m but he’ll undoubtedly prove to be worth every penny.
However, Liverpool may need to move quickly with a bid and contract bigger than anything they’ve ever seen before, with rumours today suggesting Reus already has a deal in place to move to Real Madrid next summer.
That shouldn’t end Liverpool’s hopes, though, with the youngster thought to be looking for a move away this summer instead. If that’s the case, then Liverpool may find their efforts successful by Monday.
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