Liverpool could make three signings this month for a total of £40million that could allow Jurgen Klopp to revitalise his squad and challenge on all four fronts amidst a squad selection crisis.
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita have jetted off to Cameroon to take part in the esteemed AFCON tournament.
Takumi Minamino is yet to be declared fully fit while Nathaniel Phillips, Divock Origi, Thiago and Harvey Elliott are also injured.
Jurgen Klopp is in isolation with COVID-19 currently as are Alisson Becker, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip and after an official statement and appeal to the EFL, Liverpool have a major outbreak of cases at the club.
They have requested their EFL Cup semi-final 1st leg against Arsenal tomorrow night be postponed.
Liverpool are battling massively and their decision not to invest in their squad in the summer has come back to haunt them after Georginio Wijnaldum wasn’t replaced and a new forward wasn’t signed.
Klopp and FSG knew Salah, Mane and Keita were going to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations and as they were ones who took the decision to not renew Wijnaldum’s contract, they saw his departure coming as well yet chose not to replace him.
So, they have nobody to blame but themselves for this selection crisis but Klopp and FSG have the chance to salvage the season by signing new players this month with a few interesting options available.
Philippe Coutinho – Brazilian wants England return – Available on the cheap
The former Liverpool magician wants to return to the Premier League and not his native Brazil, according to Goal Brasil, via LFC Transfer Room.
He’s not in Barcelona boss Xavi’s preferred starting XI and while he’s 29, Coutinho could still offer something to Klopp and Pep Lijnders that the Liverpool coaches can’t get from any other players currently at the club.
There aren’t any midfielders at Anfield that can impact the game from a central role and while Liverpool have done well since Coutinho left the club by utilising Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson in wide areas, the lack of a world-class no.10 has held them back.
Manchester City have several players who can fill that role and if Coutinho’s not that player for the Reds, Liverpool should start searching for someone similar.
Adama Traore – Available for just £18m – perfect squad option down the line
I understand he’s not the most prolific player but for £18m, he doesn’t need to be. As per Football Insider, Wolves are ready to let him leave for as little as £18m which is a £32m reduction on what they were demanding in the summer.
I wrote last week that I believe Jurgen Klopp can get Traore back to his best when he got 6 goals and 12 assists in 2019/20 and if he did that, he would easily be one of the best squad players in the Premier League and that’s just on paper.
That’s before you consider what he is capable of in terms of counter-pressing, counter-attacking and his overall physical contributions to the side.
We all know how dangerous Liverpool are when they are defending corners as they break so quickly but they would be absolutely devastating with Traore, Mane and Salah on the counter.
Denis Zakaria – Available for just £6m – Liverpool have ‘enquired’ about him
This one could actually have some truth to it and it’s the one I’m most hopeful about. For just £6m, the club would be daft to not think about it. The Reds’ have reportedly ‘enquired‘ about the midfielder.
Yes, he’s a free agent in the summer but what good is saving £6m if it means Liverpool fail to win any silverware this season, show all the players they have no ambition and end the season on a bitterly disappointing note?
While the Premier League will be an uphill battle to win, there’s still some hope.
There is still around half of the season to go and if you add some real quality to the side to rotate key players and to promote competition, the change in results would be drastic.
For around £40m, Liverpool could improve their squad and bolster their attempts to win the Premier League, Champions League, EFL Cup and the FA Cup.
