Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that the club will have to seriously look at bringing in a few fresh faces during the January transfer window, none more so than up front, a position that’s currently woefully short of depth.
After Andy Carroll left the club on loan to join West Ham and the Merseyside outfit failed to bring in a replacement, given that Luis Suarez is having to carry the Liverpool attack at the moment and that Fabio Borini looks set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines, a new striker is of paramount importance to the side, with Samed Yesil and Adam Morgan still too young an inexperienced to be relied upon yet.
Daniel Sturridge – The obvious first port of call should the club move for a striker in January given that Rodgers is known to be a fan of his and that he turned them down in the dying moments of the summer transfer window. His reluctance to move out on loan may be tested once more now, though, and given that he’s fallen way down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge under Roberto Di Matteo and that he would prefer to revert back to his favoured central striking position, a short-term move could be on the cards leading to a permanent transfer next summer should he impress.
Dries Mertens – Another Belgian international that’s been heavily linked with a move to England in recent times, the 25-year-old has excelled during his stay at PSV so far, to the tune of 25 goals last season and they could be tempted by an offer in the region of £10m. Comfortable playing out wide or through the middle, the pacy forward could also allow Suarez to switch to a role wide on the left that he’s done well with in the past and he bares comparison with Everton’s new man Kevin Mirallas in terms of style.
Loïc Remy – The versatile Marseille forward has struggled to force his way into manager Elie Baup’s first-team plans at the Stade Velodrome so far this season, with the French manager often preferring to place his faith in Jordan and Andre Ayew, with Andre-Pierre Gignac enjoying something of a resurgence in recent weeks. The 25-year-old international appears to have suffered from Didier Deschamps exit to take the national team post and he could be looking for the exit door sooner rather than later, even if Tottenham may challenge for his signature should he become available after holding a long-standing interest in the player.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – While Rodgers may have refuted that he was interested in signing the Dutch international just a few short months ago, and the prolific front-man may be a little out of the club’s price range, he represents a bankable return and consistent stream of goals and a viable focal point to the team’s fluid attack. Suarez is at his best when he has a fixed reference point from which to play off and around and with 53 goals in his last 55 games for Schalke, he may be worth pushing the boat out for, even if at 29 years of age, he maynot be quite the long-term solution that the manager is hoping for.
Gary Hooper – The Celtic striker has started the season in scintillating form so far this campaign and his performance away at Spartak Moscow which handed Neil Lennon’s side their first away win ever in the Champions League, during which he bagged a double, showed he’s capable of making the step up. While many may contest that being clinical in front of goal in the SPL and the Championship counts for little, the 24-year-old is certainly a realistic target, affordable and he knows where the back of the net is and you suspect he’d absolutely jump at the chance to make the move to Anfield.
Which striker would you like to see the club move for in January? Any other options that I’ve failed to mention?
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