It seems as if every calendar day, Liverpool are linked with a new player. Most recently, the Reds have been strongly linked to Newcastle United left-back Jose Enrique. According to the Daily Mail, the Merseysiders have agreed to a £10 million deal to lure the defender to Anfield. Enrique was also being chased by Chelsea and Arsenal. The Gunners, who lost Gaël Clichy to Manchester City, were is dire need to strengthen their back four. Enrique is one of many signings made by manager Kenny Dalglish in an attempt to return to the “top of the perch” and qualify for Champions League football.
Earlier this summer, Dalglish was able to land four new players for Liverpool including: Charlie Adam, Alexander Doni, Stewart Downing, and Jordan Henderson. The question remains, are these players good enough to get Liverpool into the top four next season?
Charlie Adam
Out of all the players Liverpool landed this summer, Charlie Adam was the best buy. Last season, Adam enjoyed a brilliant debut season in the Premier League. Unfortunately, he still could not keep Blackpool from relegation. In 36 games in 2010-11, Adam scored 13 goals, a great goal-to-game ration for a midfield player. What does Adam bring to Liverpool? Adding Adam gives Liverpool an excellent left-footed set piece taker with seemingly unlimited range and power. He also has the ability to stretch defenses with his accurate long balls.
Alexander Doni
Despite already having one of the world’s best goalkeepers in Pepe Reina, Liverpool added former Roma shot-stopper Alexander Doni to their payroll this summer. Good move? I would say, yes. Doni is a solid keeper and would be a great insurance policy if Pepe Reina was to get injured during the course of the grueling Premier League campaign. Doni has not been a first team regular since the 2008-09 season, but the Brazilian still managed to play in 19 games for i Giallorossi last season.
Stewart Downing
After losing out to Manchester United on signing Aston Villa winger Ashley Young, the Merseysiders shifted their attention to Young’s partner in crime, Stewart Downing. Downing, who was voted Villa’s Player of the Season in 2010-11, appeared in 44 games for the Birmingham-based club, scoring 8 goals. There is no doubt that Downing is a solid player, but is he worth his transfer fee, which is rumoured to be around £20 million? Probably not. You can make a case that Liverpool could have landed Juan Mata for approximately the same fee. Surely Mata would have been a better buy, especially since he is four years younger than Downing, 27.
Jordan Henderson
Henderson, Sunderland’s two-time Young Player of the Year (2009-10, 2010-11), also reportedly transferred to Liverpool for around £20 million. This signing seems a bit strange due to the fact that the Reds had been targeting Charlie Adam since the January transfer window and because of the emergence of Jay Spearing in central midfield. In his 75 career games at Sunderland, Henderson has scored a meager 5 goals.
Conclusion
Though Liverpool have added some talented players, they still have not overtaken the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, or Tottenham Hotspur. If Arsenal lose Fabregas and Nasri and Spurs lose Modric, Liverpool may just crawl their way into the UEFA Champions League in 2012-13.
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