Is Liverpool about to have a January squad shake-up?

Liverpool has endured a mixed start under new boss Roy Hodgson. They currently sit eighth in the Premier League table eight points behind fourth place Manchester City.

Hodgson had criticised the quality of his squad when he first arrived at Anfield but more recently has been more supportive of his players.

Poor

The quality of the players in the current Liverpool squad is not of the same standard as previous years.

They proved that last season by finishing seventh in the Premier League and fans losing confidence in boss Rafa Benitez.

U-Turn

Hodgson has had a chance to work with his current squad of players for a while now and he is starting to get an idea of who he wants to keep and who he wants to sell. Rumours are rife that the Liverpool boss is set to allow a number of players to leave in January.

Exits

If reports are to be believed Liverpool could sell up to five players in the January transfer window. The names of Glen Johnson, Lucas, David Ngog, Ryan Babel and Milan Jovanovic have all been linked with possible moves away in January.

England right-back Glen Johnson is the highest profile name on that list. He is being linked with a move to Serie A club Juventus. His form this season has been poor and manager Hodgson has already criticised his early season form. He is believed to be willing to leave for the right club.

Brazilian midfielder Lucas has been something of crowd scapegoat at Anfield. If the truth be known he hasn’t been the worst performer for Liverpool this season. He is also being linked with a move to Serie A to join Rafa Benitez at Inter.

Serbian international Milan Jovanovic has struggled to even get into the first eleven. He was a regular for Standard Liege for a long time but has struggled to make an impact at Anfield. It now looks likely that he will head back abroad.

Ryan Babel must be so frustrating to watch for Liverpool fans. He is capable of producing sublime pieces of skill but he doesn’t produce on a consistent basis. The Dutch forward has been linked with a move for the last three transfer windows and he could finally leave this January.

French forward David Ngog is young and still developing. It’s just a matter of how quick he can develop his talent and how good he can be. A lot of Liverpool fans don’t seemed too convinced by the youngster.

Even after a few encouraging displays this season and scoring some vital goals he is still being linked with a move to Premier League surprise package West Brom.

Average

I really like Roy Hodgson as I have previously stated but some of his signings have to be questioned. Former-West Ham left-back Paul Konchesky is struggling and at times has been ruthlessly exposed by opposition wingers.

I was surprised when Liverpool signed 30 year-old defensive midfielder Christian Poulsen from Juventus for £4.5million. I have seen him play in Serie A and for Denmark and I really wasn’t impressed.

He has had some awful performances since joining the Reds and I can’t believe that he is even still in contention for a place in the first team. I know most Liverpool believe he is not good enough to wear a Liverpool shirt.

Those two players are very average and it shows just how far Liverpool has fallen in recent years. They are now signing average players and struggling to attract top quality players. Although one of Hodgson’s other signings midfielder Raul Meireles is now starting to settle down and show some of his qualities.

Replacements

If players do leave then Hodgson will have to replace them with better players than he has previously signed. Hodgson was accustomed to buying players for a midtable Fulham team but that standard of player are not good enough for Liverpool if they are to challenge for a Champions League spot.

Liverpool has been linked with numerous names, the biggest name being that of Brazilian star Ronaldinho. His contract with Serie A side AC Milan expires next summer. I can’t see him arriving at Anfield anytime soon, especially not in January.

A more likely arrival is Rennes midfielder Yann M’Vila. The young defensive midfielder has previously captained the French under-19 side and has already made 40 appearances for his club. At just 20 years-old of age he is expected to be a star of the future.

Liverpool has struggled to fill the void in midfield left by Javier Mascherano’s departure to Barcelona and the youngster could prove an ideal player to fill that gap.

Hodgson has also reportedly targeted Partizan Belgrade striker Cleo as an extra attacking option. The striker who has scored nine goals in the Champions League is believed to be available for £12million.

Reds boss Hodgson has revealed he won’t make panic buys in January but he would like to strengthen his squad if quality players became available. Big clubs don’t generally do much business in the winter transfer window but Liverpool definitely needs to strengthen their squad.

Funds

The departures and arrivals of course depend on whether Roy Hodgson is given a transfer kitty in the January. It remains to be seen how much Hodgson will be armed with but with all the speculation it’s bound to be an interesting transfer window for Liverpool fans.

Who will arrive at Anfield in January?