Liverpool eye young Uruguayan starlet for upcoming season

CATANIA, ITALY : Gaston Ramirez of Bologna during the Serie A match between Catania Calcio and Bologna FC at Stadio Angelo Massimino.

Bologna midfielder Gaston Ramirez is being lined up by English Premier League side Liverpool to add a much-needed attacking width to the club’s midfield, as new manager Brendan Rodgers gets down to serious business of signing genuine match winners for the upcoming season. The highly rated 21-year old former Penarol youngster has been linked with many top European sides including two Manchester clubs but it seems Liverpool have raced ahead for the Uruguayan international’s signature although Inter Milan could ultimately have the last laugh. Inter are concerned about the player’s asking price and wages even though the Italians are greatly impressed by Ramirez’s performance for Bologna last season having watched him from close quarters over the last couple of seasons.

The Player

Undoubtedly one of the most talented ball players having come through the coveted Penarol youth set up, Gaston Ramirez is part of a dream generation of Uruguayan footballers that has earned a lot of plaudits over the past few years. As his agent arrives in the United Kingdom for talks with the Reds, Liverpool fans would dearly hope that this is not another failed transfer story that the Merseyside club has suffered from last year when Kenny Dalglish went on a shopping spree to bring in the likes of Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adams. Plenty of money has been spent for the betterment of this massive club yet just a Carling Cup victory amidst all the investments is not what the Anfield faithful deserve. Ramirez is just 21 years of age and it remains to be seen how he adapts to the tough life of English football from the industrious Italian Serie A; provided the deal goes through. However, one thing is for sure, we are speaking of a player whose elegance on the field is wonderful to watch and is in line to be the next super star of Uruguayan football following in the footsteps of Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani.

Playing style

Best suited in a 4-3-3 formation to play as the most attack minded player in a 3-man midfield set up, yet the versatility and the god gifted skills of the young Bologna star render him useful in any formation. He could play behind one striker and make the midfield his own when playing wide forward on the right side of midfield where he can cut inside on his left foot. Dubbed one of the great dribblers in Italy, the six feet winger is amazingly confident with the ball and enjoys fluid passing play. A bit like in the Ashley Young mould, isn’t it? Despite all his strengths as a highly skilled player Ramirez is still a work in progress with work to be done on the defensive side of his game. In England a midfield player has to be agile enough to perform as a multi-utility player, yet sometimes Gaston Ramirez has been found wanting in tracking back and putting in a legitimate tackle. Despite his good return of goals as a midfielder having found the net eight times last season, the former Penarol star was erratic with his tackling skills earning a lot of yellow cards in the process. With 25 million euros being the price tag Bologna might still be holding on to their prized asset as the asking price has already scared off Inter Milan but Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool could just be tempted to bring in a player who will not only be match fit for the brand new season due to Olympics duty for Uruguay but also the player would be playing in the same country where his future might ultimately be settled and the Liverpool scouts would have ample opportunity to watch their target from close quarters throughout the summer.

Will he be a success at Liverpool?

This depends partly on the player himself and the formation in which he is settled into by Brendan Rodgers. Since the inception of the Premier League, frustration followed the Reds like shadow in their pursuit of domestic glory. Though FA Cups, Carling Cups and most importantly European glories have been paramount to Liverpool’s success as a global brand yet winning the Premier League is of immense necessity if the club is to match past history. In the search for the Holy Grail, Anfield has seen the arrival and departure of many young talents and superstars yet a few have faded over the horizon due to over hype and inability to adapt to a ruthless physically proficient English game. Be it an Alberto Aquilani, or an Andy Carroll or a Robbie Keane or may be Andrea Dossena or the controversial El Hadji Diouf, Liverpool have not been short on spending big for fans and success yet some deals have gone horribly wrong with last year’s investments on Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson favourites to go the wrong way. So the question is will the new boss at the helm Brendan Rodgers insist on opening the bank account and bring in highly rated players such as Gaston Ramirez to North West of England or is he the man to carry on the legacy he left at Swansea bringing the best out of young home grown players and turning them into world beaters? Media hype and exorbitant transfer price are by no means the credentials for a successful summer signing.

Gaston Ramirez possesses all the tools to follow in the footsteps of Luis Suarez and be successful at Anfield. He would definitely add creativity, versatility and goals from midfield that were sorely missing for the Reds last season but he will not come in cheap and whether or not FSG and Liverpool pay that much money for a relatively young footballer who is new to the international arena remains unclear but if Uruguayan coach Oscar Tabarez is to be believed, Gaston Ramirez has the hallmark to emulate the achievements of greats such as Enzo Francescoli and Diego Forlan both as an international and a club player.