LFC Transfer First Look

While Liverpool's summer moves are filled with uncertainty, it seems that another 50M spending spree won't happen again. This probably means a lot more frugal purchases than we're used to and that a few fringe players may be forced out. Here I'll rummage around various leagues trying to find the answer to all our problems. Damien Comolli move out of the way! Read all the goods after the jump.

Strikers: Our number one problem throughout the whole year has been finding the back of the net. In the beginning we all attributed the issue to bad luck and agreed that sooner or later things would balance out. Spoiler alert: they didn't. It's a skill we don't have. It has become obvious that a quality player needs to be up top for Suarez to play off of. On the international stage, Diego Forlan has been that man. While it is way to early to give up on Andy Carroll, there needs to be a filler player for at least next year that can get the job done. A few candidates stick out for me. The player I would love to have is Peter Crouch, a man who in some ways is who we want Carroll to be. Contrary to his gargantuan looks, Crouch can do things other than just head the ball. He is wonderful at holding the ball up and producing smooth flick ons that would be very useful in getting us going on the counter and getting Suarez into space. He is also extraordinarily athletic and could use his height to his advantage by helping us with our little set piece defense problem. Another reason why Crouch is a viable option is because he is a winner. At Liverpool he was very useful and was on a few Champions League squads. At Tottenham he helped break a long drought from success in helping them qualify for a Champions League finish, scoring the winner against City in the most important game of the season. And at Stoke, his 12 goals have led his side to another impressive campaign. That coupled with his experience playing with Gerrard and his relative cheapness make him a very good summer option for Liverpool. If we want to dish a bit more cash out, options include Marouane Chamakh from Arsenal and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar out of Schalke 04. Two crazy wild-card possibilities are that we'll buy back Torres or that Newcastle will take back Carroll. No matter what, we need goals.

Wings: I believe that we will sell Maxi, but retain Kuyt and Downing. Even if we kept all three, we still need someone to patrol the right. NC Nole did a spotlight on Isla a little while back, and if healthy, he seems like a good buy for around 8-10 million pounds. If we wanted to spend all our money on a single player (dumb move) then Eden Hazard could be a possibility. Please don't comment saying "But he won't play for us" because I simply don't buy it. Liverpool is Liverpool. If he's the type of player we want (respectful of club history, cares about fans) then he'll sign for a certain unimaginable sum of money.

Midfield: Even though Lucas (the one who plays for Sao Paulo in Brazil) is commonly spoken about when discussing our summer, he doesn't really fit our needs. Attacking midfielder is actually last on our priority list, or almost last. What we do need in the central midfield is an experienced backup to our Lucas, preferably someone dirt cheap. This wouldn't be a world class player but maybe a Wilson Palacios or Owen Hargreaves (just kidding, Hargreaves would probably get hurt on the ride to Liverpool-poor lad). One of those rugged Italian players would also do the trick. Also, I can see Shelvey going out on loan yet again and of course we'll get the Aqua buyout.

Defense: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Goalkeeper: Although nothing is likely to happen, my happiness with Reina's form is at an all-time low. If we sold him at his max value and used the cash elsewhere would it be so bad? I know I'm probably being too crazy, but it feels like he never does anything other than spring an occasional break and fumble the ball into his own net. Just observing.

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