News that Liverpool had accepted a £2mil loan offer from
West Ham United for Andy Carroll – with a view to a £17mil permanent move
should the Hammers stay up – was widely met with disappointment but not shock
by Liverpool fans.
The England striker had finally started to hit top form
towards the end of the season, with important goals against Blackburn Rovers,
Everton and Chelsea. He followed up those impressive performances with a
ruthless header against Sweden in the European Championships in a 3-2 win.
The appointment of Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool manager at
the beginning of June meant that the Reds would be playing an attractive brand
of football based around possession this coming season. Alarm bells began
ringing immediately for Liverpool fans regarding the future of Carroll at the
club. The worry is that Carroll will struggle to adapt to a more
possession-oriented style of play, but at the same time fingers can be pointed
at Danny Graham, who played a similar role to great effect for Rodgers’ old
side Swansea last season.
Still, it is looking extremely likely that Carroll will
be moved on this summer. With West Ham already having a bid accepted and
Carroll’s hometown club Newcastle waiting in the wings, it seems only a matter
of time until the target man is shown the door. The most recent hint is that
despite being named in the squad, Carroll has not travelled with the team for
their opening Europa League qualifier in Belarus against FC Gomel, supposedly
due to injury.
This inevitable transaction leaves a gaping hole in
Liverpool’s forward line. Throughout the summer transfer window the Reds have
been linked with Fulham forward Clint Dempsey. The American has just come off
his most successful season in England, scoring 17 goals in 37 league games,
with 23 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions.
At 29 he does not fit the FSG (Fenway Sports Group)
transfer model of buying young players with high re-sale value and developing
them into top players. Despite this disparity with FSG policy, Dempsey had a
fantastic season for Fulham and deserves recognition for that. He is a
versatile attacker that can play anywhere across the front line and even in
midfield if needed. He is good technically and always manages to find himself
in the right place at the right time to score – something which Liverpool
glaringly lacked last season. His main flaw is his decision making, often times
choosing to shoot when he should pass and pass when he should shoot. He can be
very selfish on the ball, and takes an eternity to release the ball at times.
Dempsey’s Fulham form is in stark contrast to his
performances for the US national team, where he seems to miss open goals for
fun. He still manages to get himself on the score sheet relatively often, but
considering the chances he gets on a silver platter, he should be scoring much
more.
There is no doubt that Dempsey can add something to the
Liverpool squad, but is a late bloomer who has had one top class season really
enough to replace a 23-year-old who is just re-discovering his monstrous form from his pre-Liverpool days?
If the signing of Dempsey and the departure of Carroll do
transpire, that leaves Liverpool with Luis Suarez, Fabio Borini, Dempsey and
the possibly Cardiff-bound Craig Bellamy as their only first-team striking
options. For a team that is going to be challenging on four fronts in the
2012-2013 season, this shows an abysmal lack of depth – something which has
haunted Liverpool consistently over the last decade.
Rodgers will need to take a good look at his squad and realize
the need for at least one other striker and hopefully a pacey winger,
especially if Bellamy returns home to Wales.
Liverpool have been linked with a number of strikers this
transfer window, with the likes of Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge and Fiorentina’s
Stevan Jovetic causing the most excitement amongst fans, despite being a touch
unrealistic.
In terms of wingers, one name never seems to go away,
which is that of Uruguayan 21-year-old Gaston Ramirez. The Bologna attacker has
been linked with Liverpool since the January transfer window and the rumors
have not died down since the sacking of Kenny Dalglish. He has most recently
been impressing in the Olympics for the Uruguayan national team, scoring a
stunning free-kick against the United Arab Emirates in their opening game at
Old Trafford.
Other wingers rumored to be on their way to Anfield include Swansea winger Scott Sinclair, Barcelona youngster Gerard Deulofeu and Arsenal’s Theo Walcott.
Most Liverpool fans have accepted that the departure of
Carroll will happen this summer, and it is important for Rodgers to recognize
that the signing of Dempsey as a direct replacement will not be enough. With
Liverpool playing in Europe yet again this season, depth is required. Rodgers
will have to assess and adjust accordingly if he hopes to have a successful
first season on Merseyside.
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