Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has admitted the Reds
must splash the cash on finished-product players,
after captain Steven Gerrad plans to quit the club at the
end of the season, Information Nigeria understands.
Liverpool have seen former defender Jamie Carragher
retire, talisman Luis Suarez depart for Spain and
Gerrard confirm that he is leaving the club he joined at
a young age.
Exacerbating the disaster sees the Reds unable to
match last season’s remarkable feat that saw them
come close to winning the English Premier League title,
and a return to club’s football most prestigious
tournament, the Uefa Champions League.
The Merseyside club sit eight on the Premier League
log this season, and have already been eliminated from
the Champions League.
Rodgers, 41, is heaping pressure on owner John W
Henry and his Boston-based Fenway Sports Group to
invest more on readily-made players, amid the club’s
policy of signing young players and turning them to
World Class stars, that saw them lavish £113m on
signing Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Lazar Markovic,
Mario Balotelli, Alberto Moreno, Emre Can and Divock
Origi after the sale of Suarez.
“A large part of our squad is young players but there’s
no doubt that if you want to take steps forward, you
need to sign ready-made players,” said Rogers.
“The model at the football club is clear in that the
owners want to bring in young players in order to
develop and create them into world class players.
“Of course, that can be a longer and more difficult
process. It is certainly something I know the owners
look at. They know that not every player can be a
developer.
“If you’re going to keep progressing, you also need
those ready-made players.”
The gamble of Balotelli hasn’t paid off as Rodgers
might have expected. The Italian striker isn’t suited to
Liverpool’s pressing game, and it’s no new story that
the Irish manager prefers Sterling as the main-striker in
his team.
Gerrad’s imminent departure is most certainly a
setback, but not a disaster as it may seem. The club
must now spend big in the transfer market for his
replacement.
Unfortunately, Adam Lallana, Lazar Markovic among
others have been unable to match the impact of Suarez.
Alexis Sanchez would have been a like for like
replacement but the Chilean decided to join Arsenal.
Liverpool will ostensibly not be participating in the
January transfer market. With Daniel Sturridge close to
first team action, Rodgers has enough ammunition to
see the season through. The summer transfer will
mostly likely be the busy period for the club.
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