Five Players Liverpool Should Look to Sign

Reports started emerging as early as April that FSG were ready to splash the cash in this window. With fourth place secured and Champions League football on the horizon, this must surely be truer than ever – it looks as though Klopp will be backed to the hilt, and it is vital that he spends the money wisely. The squad is not in bad shape, but they were probably operating at close to full potential to finish where they did last time out: three to five astute signings could transform Liverpool into title challengers.

1. Benjamin Mendy

It is inevitable that a lot of these sort of articles are floating around at the moment – it is the off-season, after all, meaning all we have to go on is transfer rumours! However, not one of them seems to list a left-back as the number one target. For me, replacing Milner should be the top priority. Although he has been relatively solid defensively, any genuinely gifted winger has caused him serious problems. Even more problematically, he has been ineffectual as an outlet going forward: his lack of attacking instinct combined with the fact he is right-footed meant that many a promising attack was brought to a grinding halt when the ball reached Milner on the left. It doesn’t take a genius to assess the first eleven and mark out the central midfielder filling in at left-back as the one that most needs replacing. Benjamin Mendy fits the bill. He would undoubtedly be costly, but Monaco have already shown that they are not totally unwilling to sell their assets: Bernardo Silva recently moved to Manchester City. If he could be lured to Anfield, he would be worth the money; his defensive contributions would undoubtedly be an upgrade on Milner, but the biggest impact may well be in the attacking third. He returned a solid five league assists last campaign, as well as four in the Champions League – if anything, these numbers sell short what he brings to the attack. He is fast, direct, strong and has one of the best deliveries in Europe. I can’t see it happening, but if I were in charge of Liverpool’s transfers then this is where I’d be throwing the money.

2. Virgil Van Dijk

This one might be dead in the water, but I’m holding out some hope on it. As discussed in a previous article (http://jamesmartinblogs.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/van-dijk-dutch-ado-about-nothing.html), there are viable alternatives if the deal has indeed fallen through – nonetheless, he was identified as the prime target for a reason. His aerial prowess is extraordinary, he is strong in the tackle, and he is very comfortable with the ball at his feet. In short, he possesses all of the key attributes to perform well in Liverpool’s back line; parallels have inevitably been drawn with the Lovren deal, but this would be different. There is a reason so many of the top clubs are after Van Dijk: at Celtic and then at Southampton, he has consistently shown his class. To be honest, the list could end here and I would consider it a pretty successful transfer window – the attack is already one of the most potent in the league, and with Van Dijk and Mendy shoring up the defence the team would look very strong indeed.

3. Mohamed Salah

As good as the current attack is, it could still use some reinforcement. It would be fair to say that Mane was the most consistent threat in Liverpool’s front line during the last campaign: when he was absent through injury or the African Cup of Nations, the team looked significantly worse-off. What made Mane so dangerous? His pace and directness, combined with his unpredictability. There is nothing worse for a full-back than a skilful player sprinting out you, who could at any given moment dart infield or accelerate past you down the line. Liverpool could do with such a player on both sides of the pitch. In some ways, Salah is not the obvious choice: he too occupies the right flank, and he too is at risk of being absent for the AFCON once every two years. However, his attributes as a winger fit the bill perfectly. He loves to cut inside, which is almost a prerequisite for Liverpool’s fluid front three, and he certainly has the necessary raw pace. In any case, Mane played off the left at Salzburg: he could take Coutinho’s place, with the playmaker dropping back into the midfield three where he briefly showcased his talents at the end of last season. The Brazilian feeding through-balls for one of Mane or Salah to run on to is a tantalising thought, and one which will surely make opposition defences terrified. Salah actually functioned as a striker for some of his time at Roma, contributing in part to his hugely impressive goal and assist returns: if he is provided with the chances, there is little doubt that he will take them.

4. Alexandre Lacazette

The hypothetical money is certainly starting to run out by the time we reach this far down on the list, but as it’s hypothetical I’m going to go right ahead and keep on spending it. In fairness, Lacazette might represent fairly good value – he said his farewells at the end of the season and the club seems resigned to selling him, and in recent times Ligue 1 does seem to have offered some of the best value from the top five leagues. He would of course still be costly; he has some of the best attacking returns of any striker over the past few seasons, and is an established forward. France’s staggering crop of talent coming through at the moment means that Lacazette is currently very much on the fringes of the national setup, however: with the upcoming World Cup he needs to impress on a bigger stage in order to force his way into the squad. Liverpool could offer him that stage – there are already good options up front, hence why Lacazette finds himself fourth on the wish-list, but the Frenchman would represent an improvement on all of them. Of our existing squad, only Sturridge can match him for natural finishing talent and striker’s instinct: his pace is sadly not what it once was, however, and Lacazette offers speed in abundance. It would be a wrench to demote Firmino and Sturridge to the bench, but depth is what is needed to compete effectively in both the league and the Champions League.

5. Naby Keita

I know, I know, I’m getting greedy at this point! Naby Keita was one of the best central midfielders in Europe last season, truly establishing himself amongst the elite with his performances for RB Leipzig. Why, then, is he down in fifth on the list? Essentially, it’s just a matter of where the squad needs to strengthen. Liverpool already have an array of central midfielders; the team would benefit from an upgrade, but it can’t be considered the top priority. Can, Wijnaldum, Henderson and Coutinho (if the long-term plan is indeed to drop him deeper) are all good established players in that position, and that’s before mentioning upcoming talents such as Grujic and, further down the line, the likes of Pedro Chirivella. Of course, none of these players function in the exact same role as Keita – indeed, that ‘role’ is extremely hard to define as the Guinean is something of a unique talent. Nonetheless, it illustrates that the big cash might be better spent elsewhere for the time being. If money is going spare, however, then he would undoubtedly be a huge asset to the team!

It would be frankly miraculous if the club pulled off all of these transfers – it would represent by far and away the best window in the club’s history. Just two from the list would be very good business: for me the defenders have to be prioritised, but any one of the players mentioned would be a very welcome addition to the squad. The Salah deal looks like it might be done soon – this is a promising sign that the club is very much moving in the right direction.

Van Dijk: Dutch Ado About Nothing?

In their quest to find ever more creative ways to lose out on transfer targets, Liverpool recently released a statement apologising to Southampton and withdrawing all interest in Virgil Van Dijk. This is widely reported as a result of threats by Southampton to prompt a Premier League probe into the club’s approach for the player: he was allegedly ‘tapped up’. This is the commonplace but banned practice of approaching a player before receiving permission from their club – personal terms were reportedly fully agreed with the Dutch centre-back, but the Saints had not even given Liverpool permission to open talks. This is undoubtedly farcical and hugely embarrassing; fans have been left outraged, and to an extent rightly so. However, the anger can be roughly grouped into two categories: that directed at the individual failure of this deal, and that directed at the systematic failures within the club’s transfer policy of which this incident is endemic. The latter category is the more justified, although needs to be qualified. In the former category, the response has been excessive – losing out on this particular deal is not significantly damaging to anything except the club’s pride.

Let’s start with the incident as a self-contained problem. In this respect, frustration and a little wry amusement are the extent of the emotions that seem justified on the facts. Virgil Van Dijk is undoubtedly an excellent central defender, and having been identified as a top target most fans were very eager to see him come to Anfield. However, the prices being thrown around were steep – a bit of overpayment would probably have been reasonable in order to secure such a high priority target, but this will be discussed later. There are other centre-backs available - who one has to imagine the club have been keeping tabs on - who would likely represent better value for money. Koulibaly is a name regularly mentioned. He comes free of the ‘Premier League proven’ tag that seems to add millions on to any deal, and is just one of many viable alternatives. If the Van Dijk deal would really have set the club back sixty million pounds, which seems quite substantially in excess of his objective value, being forced by our own incompetence to look elsewhere is hardly the end of the world. The impact it will have on the club’s next campaign should be negligible: provided the vast sum we didn’t spend here is invested in another identified centre-back, which seems inevitable, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Indeed, some recent reports have suggested that the money could still be used on Van Dijk – this would only add to the farce, but the fact that the deal could still be on the cards demonstrates that the only genuine cost to the club is fairly substantial embarrassment.

However, as an indicator of wider systemic problems within the club, there are legitimate concerns about this failed deal. As mentioned earlier, Liverpool exhibit great reluctance to pay above their perceived value of a player: this is admirable in principle, but in practice sometimes makes it hard for the squad to be strengthened as it needs to be. The policy is not completely wrong, as many have been compelled to suggest in the wake of the Van Dijk saga, but it needs some flexibility. For young talent, it is very sensible; there is a large unknown factor in such purchases, namely development potential. If the club consistently paid over the odds for these younger players, the net loss would be staggering – for every Coutinho there are five Samed Yesils. Instead, the risks are kept limited and the potential rewards are substantial: one need only look at the fact that Coutinho was acquired for £7 million to see the truth in this. However, when looking to buy established players, there needs to be some wiggle room in the FSG policy. To their credit, they have placed a world class manager at the helm who has guided us back into the Champions League. Having done that, investment in the squad is needed – they are in principle prepared to provide it, but the strict rule about not paying over their valuation for a player is ironically at risk of making their money go to waste. If they won’t bite the bullet and pay the asking price for established players who are all but guaranteed to make an impact, less good players will be pursued in the search for ‘value’. This leaves the club at risk of regressing: it would be disastrous for the club to fail to build on their return to the European elite once again. Established stars inevitably come at a premium: this needs to be more effectively factored into Liverpool’s transfer model for the club to really kick on.

In this respect, the outrage over the failed Van Dijk deal is therefore understandable. It has brought to the fore the problems that we all suspected were there with Liverpool’s approach to transfers, and it has highlighted the need for adjustment. Hopefully FSG, and those in charge of transfer policy on a more day-to-day basis, heed this warning sign: if they do so, and do so rapidly, then it may well have been a good thing that Southampton embarrassed us over Van Dijk. In any case, the individual failure to capture him is far from the end of the world – I do still want him at the club, but there could well be cheaper alternatives that represent better value for money. In this sense, one can really sympathise with FSG: the quest for value for money is at least theoretically in the club’s best interests. However, it is by definition hard to find; sometimes the club needs to look past individual bad value and look to the value of bringing a big asset to the football club. The squad is two or three big signings away from being title challengers, or even major players in the Champions League: if we overpay a little bit now for a Van Dijk, a Salah or possibly even a Lacazette, significant rewards will be reaped.

- Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Liverpool: The Summer So Far

Alright guys? It’s been a while! Since my last article I’ve completed my AS exams, decided on a university course, begun work on my UCAS application and been to a Taylor Swift concert, but more importantly Liverpool have made five major signings. Firmino, Clyne, Milner, Ings and Bogdan have all been brought in – the speed of the club’s business is certainly admirable, but do the new players represent astute purchases?

Let’s start with Firmino. Most of the Liverpool fan base was more taken aback than anything else when it was announced we’d signed him; the rumour had the same feel as a Sanchez or Shaqiri link, it seemed too good to be true. This was particularly the case as Manchester United had also been strongly linked – it seemed almost inevitable that once again a big talent would turn us down in favour of our rivals. Once the shock had died down the elation kicked in: for the first time in ages, Liverpool made a signing that managed to unite virtually every fan. Firmino is an exciting young talent, whose recent development has seen him earn a regular spot in the Brazil team. His flair and creativity alongside an eye for goal is exactly what Liverpool needed – I for one can’t wait to watch him combining with compatriot Philippe Coutinho in Liverpool red. The price tag did raise some eyebrows – surprisingly, the move represented the biggest transfer in Bundesliga history – but with no Champions League to offer, it’s no shock that Liverpool are having to pay big to attract big names. So long as he can replicate his Hoffenheim and Brazil form in the Premier League, Firmino is bound to be a big hit.

Nathaniel Clyne, too, is an excellent addition to the squad. Liverpool were in dire need of a right back; the amount of times Rodgers resorted to playing Can there last season demonstrated this. Glen Johnson was released in the summer (hallelujah) and Manquillo’s loan is reportedly going to be terminated, so the team really was in need of a first-team level right sided full back. In Clyne, they have got one of the best performing Premier League full backs of last season – defensively solid, he also offers a threat going forward. This makes him ideal for Liverpool, and I have every confidence he will succeed where his fellowSouthampton signings did not. At first reading, 12 million seems like a snip for a player of his quality. However, it must be taken into account that he did only have a year left to run on his contract. Even so, the sum is a reasonable amount to pay for such a talented player: as with Firmino, I must admit to being fairly surprised that we managed to secure him ahead of other clubs. At just 24, hopefully he’ll enjoy success at Anfield for years to come.

James Milner is the first of the new signings that has proved seriously divisive. While most are in agreement that picking up an experienced Premier League player on a free was a shrewd piece of business, the level of impact he’ll have on Liverpool’s performance in the coming campaign is very much up for debate. Some have painted Milner as the most criminally underrated player in history, professing that he will single-handedly return Liverpool to its former glory, while others have suggested that he may struggle to even make the starting eleven! In reality, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle ground. I have been known to criticise Milner before – indeed, he has been the butt of many a joke both in my articles and on Twitter. However, this was largely due to the contrast between himself and his former teammates – when surrounded by exotic, skilled foreign players full of flair and creativity, a man whose talents lie in hard graft and pressing can seem laughable. And yet these are the very talents which Liverpool require; the success of 2013/14 was built around a high pressing, high intensity game, and Milner can bring that back to the centre of our midfield. Although not the most exciting of our additions, Milner is sure to contribute a lot next season.

It’s very hard to judge the signing of Danny Ings at the moment, as currently the fee Liverpool will have to pay Burnley in compensation has not yet been agreed. The two clubs are hopeful of reaching an out-of-court agreement, but if current reports are to be believed then a tribunal is looking more and more likely due to Burnley’s attempts to hold out for 8 million pounds. If the final figure did end up close to that amount, it has to be said that it’s a big gamble of a purchase. Ings established himself in the Championship (alongside Sam Vokes) in the 2013/14 season, and did fairly well in a very average side in Burnley’s single season in the Premier League, but as yet he has not proved himself to be of Liverpool quality. At about 4-5 million, it is definitely a gamble worth taking – he clearly has talent, at 22 is likely to improve further, and he’s decent backup for when Sturridge inevitably gets injured. However, any more than that represents a big outlay for a player who, let’s face it, has hardly set the world alight thus far.   

Finally we come to the man himself, Adam Bogdan. This is by far the most heavily criticised signing the club has made – the keeper who lost his place at Championship side Bolton (admittedly after injury) hardly seems like a signing of Liverpool quality. However, personally I think it’s a decent addition. Admittedly this is partially because the prospect of the Bogdan chant (to the Batman theme tune) being sung on the Kop is a very funny one indeed, but there are other reasons. Firstly, we got him on a free. Secondly, his wages are likely to be low. Thirdly, he proved during his time in the Premier League with Bolton and again versus Liverpool in the cup this year that he has quality – as a back-up to Mignolet, there’s nothing wrong with him whatsoever. He may even offer competition for the number 1 spot – he’s certainly better than Brad Jones at any rate. Whilst we probably could have done better, it is by no means a catastrophic transfer.

To sum up, I am very satisfied with the signings the club have made so far. Three of them directly bolster our first team and the other two are solid back-up: all five will help us have a better campaign than last time out, and hopefully see us push for at least fourth once again. It is also pleasing to see that Liverpool are making additions to the youth side – Bobby Adekanye of Barcelona, Joe Gomez of Charlton and Allan Rodriguez (supposedly close to signing) of Internacional all come with big reputations. If we keep strengthening at every level in this fashion, we can hopefully secure success not just now but well into the future. Here’s to the new season!

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Not again… Suarez Saga Version 2.0

This feels all too familiar. The moment Suarez sank his teeth into Chiellini, Liverpool fans everywhere knew what was coming. It’s nothing new- the only real difference to last time is that instead of Real Madrid being the front-runners to take Suarez from us it’s Barcelona. I was tempted to just dig out my article from last time and tweak it a little- it all still applies. Much like last time, everyone seems absolutely convinced Suarez will be off to Spain. But will he?

In short, I have no idea. The only people who have even an inkling of where Suarez will be playing his football (or, more accurately, serving his suspension) next season are the Liverpool transfer committee, and sometimes I’m dubious as to whether they have a clue either! Either way, all is not lost. Contrary to what jealous fans of other Premier League clubs will tell you, Liverpool are by no means a ‘one man team’. Yes, Suarez contributed a vast amount of goals and a sizeable number of assists in the last campaign, but other players also did exceptionally well over the course of the season. Indeed, Daniel Sturridge was second top scorer in the Premier League! If we are to lose the best striker in the league, it is certainly a nice consolation to have the second best ready to step up.

It’s not like we’d be giving Suarez away for free either. If Barcelona (or anyone else for that matter) are to secure the services of Suarez, it will cost them a lot. A conservative estimate of the fee Liverpool might receive for Suarez is £60million, and to be honest he’s probably worth a lot more than that. Armed with this money to spend on top of the rumoured £40million that FSG made available at the start of the window, Brendan Rodgers can make Liverpool’s already excellent team even more formidable. A large investment is needed to sure up our main weak point from last season: the defence. If we can bring in some top class full-backs and centre-backs (no, I’m not talking about Dejan Lovren)  as well as maintaining our attacking flair then it is not unreasonable to suggest that Liverpool are in an extremely strong position to win the league this season. Of course, when losing the 3^rd best player in the world, it is easier said than done to ‘maintain attacking flair’, but just one good signing would ensure we still have a front line that strikes fear into opponents’ hearts. We have been heavily linked with both Shaqiri and Sanchez- imagine Sterling, Coutinho (or Lallana, if we must) and one of Shaqiri or Sanchez in a three behind Sturridge. Tasty.

But all this conjecture is pointless if, as nearly everybody seems to have now written off as a possibility, Suarez stays put. I even saw a ‘Goodbye Suarez’ video posted on YouTube the other day- he’s not gone yet! Everyone got themselves worked up into a similar frenzy last year; you get the feeling that it’s only a matter of time before some moronic fans start their ceremonial burning of Suarez shirts. Liverpool are under no obligation to sell Suarez unless a release clause is met, and even then nothing is set in stone. The club essentially admitted that Arsenal’s insulting bid of £40million plus 1 pound did in fact trigger a clause, but they ignored it anyway. Despite all of his controversies, Liverpool won’t be eager to get rid of their prize asset; unless the price is right, then it’s safe to say that Suarez won’t be going anywhere.

To sum up, whether Suarez goes or not is not only beyond our control but also, in the grand scheme of things, not that big an issue. If he stays, then we have the privilege of having a world class striker playing for us for the majority of the season, and he will doubtless help us to push on and challenge for the title again. If he goes, then we’ll have plenty of money with which to strengthen the squad, which will also undoubtedly stand us in good stead to launch another title challenge.  Either way the club benefits, so let’s all just relax and see how events unfold.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

West Brom 1-1 Liverpool: Post-Match Analysis

Yesterday, Liverpool were hosted by West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns. Despite looking in control for large periods of the match, Liverpool were unable to hold their 1-0 lead, and ended up taking just one point away from the game after drawing1-1.

Liverpool didn’t start quite as brightly as usual. West Brom were clearly fearful of getting hit on the counter-attack, so didn’t commit many men forward. This made it tough for either side to create any chances, leading to a cagey opening 20 minutes. Eventually though, Liverpool’s supreme attack was able to break the deadlock- Luis Suarez produced a lovely cross after some great trickery on the edge of the box, resulting in a simple tap-in for Daniel Sturridge.

This opened the game up a little. Our failure to strengthen in defence in January means that our back line is still very vulnerable, and the Baggies proved this. They produced multiple half-chances, and though they didn’t really test Mignolet in the first half it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The trend continued after the break, with both sides looking like they had the potential to score. Suarez came close to the doubling LFC’s lead, denied only by a good 1-on-1 save by Ben Foster. Gareth McAuley also came very close for Albion; his headed effort was kept out thanks to one of the saves of the season from Simon Mignolet. Just as Liverpool seemed to be getting into their rhythm and shutting West Brom out of the game, disaster struck.  Kolo Toure, who was only in the team due to an injury to Mamadou Sakho, attempted a ridiculous pass across his own back line. Presumably he didn’t see Anichibe lurking nearby, as his pass went straight to him. Anichibe was then left with the task of smashing the ball emphatically past Mignolet, which, to be fair to him, he did very well.

This defensive error is by no means an isolated incident. Throughout the season, the defence has looked very shaky, and it has undeniably been costing us points. We were all gutted when Liverpool failed to sign Konoplyanka on deadline day, but the more worrying issue is this: why were we trying to sign a winger? Other than Sakho, all of our centre-backs are sub-standard. Flanagan has proved himself to be better than we first thought this season, but he is by no means a player one would associate with a Champions League club. Cissokho has been dire all season, although to be fair to him he actually performed quite well against West Brom. In short, we need an overhaul of the defence, and whether it is the fault of FSG, Rodgers or Ayre, we aren’t getting it. The current squad is by no means beyond finishing in the top 4, but our lack of defensive signings has certainly made it harder. If we can still reach it, hopefully a positive multiplier effect will ensue- better players will want to join us as we have Champions League football, so our team will improve, resulting in us doing even better. On the other hand, if we don’t manage to get in the top 4, we risk losing our key player, Suarez, without whom we will really struggle.

Anyway, back to the match. After the shambolic concession of the equaliser, Liverpool, as one would have expected, pushed harder in attack. Sadly though, they lacked their usual attacking potency. Sturridge was operating in a wider role than usual, which made him quite a lot less effective, and by his standards Suarez was having a bad game. Sterling was our best attacking player, but even his pace and quick feet weren’t really able to create anything threatening. Matters weren’t helped by the amount of times West Brom fouled our players to prevent a promising attack. In spite of our efforts to force the issue and get a winner, the game finished 1-1.

Overall, the result is a really disappointing one. Fortunately Tottenham also dropped points at Hull and Manchester United were beaten by Stoke, so the loss didn’t allow our rivals for 4^th place (other than Everton) to gain on us too much. We are also still only 3 points adrift of Chelsea, who today go to City. It is clearly by no means a season-ruining result, but the players will need to be at their best even in the ‘smaller’ games if we want to maintain a proper challenge for 4^th place or higher with the squad we have.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

BR’s Transfer Tactics- Are Foreign Signings the Right Approach?

This summer transfer window, Brendan Rodgers has got to work quickly.  Kolo Toure has already been signed (he officially joins the club on July 1^st), the deal between Iego Aspas and Liverpool looks to be effectively complete, and we also appear to be closing in on signing Tiago Ilori. Aspas is an exciting young Spanish talent who plays in the wide forward role for Celta Vigo, whilst Kolo Toure (Man City) and Tiago Ilori (Sporting) are both central defenders. They all look to be good acquisitions, but should Rodgers be searching closer to home for new players?

Kolo Toure is by no means an inspiring signing, but he is a sensible one. He came to Liverpool on a free, having run out of contract at Manchester City. It is unlikely he will get regular first team action, but he is a very experienced centre-back, and his presence in the squad should put pressure on the likes of Martin Skrtel (and potentially Tiago Ilori if he joins) to perform well in order to fight for their place in the team. The only issue with the deal is Toure’s relatively large wage demands, believed to be about 70k a week, which is a lot to be forking out to a player who isn’t even getting first team action. He will have a positive impact on the club, even if it is just giving the other centre-backs a metaphorical kick up the backside, but the money we’re spending on his wages could have been better invested elsewhere, possibly on a young, homegrown talent with lots of potential.

However, there is a problem with ‘buying British’ in the football world. English players that have really made a name for themselves tend to be hideously overpriced, and an equivalent overseas talent cam often be acquired for half the fee. Brendan Rodgers appears to have taken this into account, and we know he is good at spotting up-and-coming foreign talents based on Coutinho’s instant success at the club. This means that the only feasible way of signing English players is taking a gamble, and buying a player who has gone relatively un-noticed by pundits, potentially someone from the lower end of the football league. A prime example of this tactic paying off is Norwich’s signing of full-back Russell Martin. He started his career at Wycombe (where I watched him a lot, as I used to have a season ticket there), then moved to Peterborough. Norwich then took him on loan for a season, as a sort of trial run. He impressed them, and they then proceeded to buy him the following season. He is now a regular in the Norwich first team, and is one of their better players. It’s a risky tactic, but buying young players who have slipped under the pundits’ radar can prove very effective.

With Aspas and Ilori, the situation is slightly different. They are both young and upcoming talents, and Ilori in particular is not very renowned. Aspas has attracted a large amount of praise and attention from Spanish pundits, but until very recently was practically unknown in England. In these cases, it is pointless to try and buy an equivalent British player. Aspas is going to cost approximately 9 million, and for a player who has attracted so much attention in the top division of Spanish football that is very cheap. An English wide striker who had shown a lot of talent in the Premier League would most likely set you back at least double that. It’s the same story with Ilori. He is relatively unknown, but has still been capped 4 times this year for the Portugal under-20’s. The rumoured fee is around three-and-a-half million. Swansea signed Danny Graham for that sum in 2011, even though the forward had only scored 38 goals in almost 100 appearances for Watford in the Championship. This goes to show that unless you are looking to make a gamble on a really obscure talent, it’s not worth buying English players. As a general rule, those who have managed to make a name for themselves are massively overvalued by their club (looking at you, Tom Ince and Blackpool), forcing Premier League clubs to look to the foreign market. It’s sad in a way, as the top division of English football is now swamped with foreign talent, which isn’t how it should be. However, the Premier League clubs can’t be blamed for looking abroad in order to get better players for cheaper prices, and so far in this transfer window Liverpool appear to be doing so very effectively.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013