Are Liverpool heading for a repeat of 2011 summer transfers?

Kenny Dalglish with Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam , Doni and Stewart Downing after signing them in 2011.

Liverpool had one of its best seasons in recent years. They were in the title hunt till the last day of the season. With a thin squad, a title challenge exceeded all expectations. Recently, Brendan Rodgers suggested that there would be signings that would directly into the first team. He emphasised about bringing in quality over quantity.

The signing of Rickie Lambert has been completed and there have been reports suggesting that Emre Can and Alberto Moreno could also follow suit in the coming weeks. Southampton are standing firm over the reported 25 million pounds bid for their captain Adam Lallana. By the look of it, Liverpool are willing to spend a few extra millions to acquire their targets early on. With the advent of Champions league football and the revised television deals they have a big transfer budget. The last time, Liverpool spent big money was in the summer of 2011. Are Liverpool heading for a repeat in terms of the signings or have they learnt from their mistakes?

In the summer of 2011, Kenny Dalglish signed Jordan Henderson,Charlie Adam, Doni, Stewart Downing, Jose Enrique, Sebestian Coates and Craig Bellamy. Barring Doni, all were signed to play a key role in the first team. Henderson was touted as a signing for the future, as a potential replacement for Gerrard in the future. Downing and Adam were brought in to provide the supply for Andy Carroll. Downing seemed to be the classic British winger who would hog the touchline and provide perfect crosses for Carroll.

While, Adam was signed in as a squad player who would deliver his trademark crosses in set-pieces and those spectacular hollywood style long balls. Bellamy was signed in as a squad player who could play his fair share of games and provide pace and width on the pitch. Coates was deemed to be the next big thing in South America. Enrique would provide the width and the strength in the fullback role.

At the start of the window, the signings seemed to be exactly what the doctor ordered. The money spent raised a few eyebrows, but most fans trusted Kenny Dalglish's judgment. As the season wore on, the signings never really fit in. Barring Bellamy and Enrique, the rest of the new signings found it very difficult to adapt into the team. The pressure of the big price tag affected their performances.

The big investment by the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) in the transfer market did not lead to a place in the coveted Champions League and ensured the sacking of Kenny Dalglish despite Liverpool winning a silverware for the first time in six years. The lack of Champions league football also ensured Liverpool had a smaller transfer budget and had to reduce the wage bill drastically in the coming season.

In the current transfer window, there has been a lot of debate among Liverpool fans about the appropriate fee for Adam Lallana. Comparisons have been made with the fee paid for Stewart Downing. A deal for Lallana has not yet gone through with both the clubs unable to agree terms.

The signing of Rickie Lambert seems similar to Craig Bellamy.There have been reports of Sevilla wanting around 18 million pounds for Alberto Moreno and Liverpool willing to activate the release clause of Emre Can. Most fans trust the manager as they did three years back. But there are fears it would lead to a repeat of 2011 transfer window.

The biggest difference between the summer of 2011 and the current one is that there is a clear vision involved in signing players. When Dalglish and Commoli signed players in 2011, there was no clear vision in terms of the strategy and style of football. The likes of Downing and Adam were signed to assist Carroll. But when Carroll was unable to make it to the first team, Suarez led the line. There was a stark contrast in the playing style with Carroll in the team and without him. The key player in the team was Suarez, but the style of football never got the best out of the Uruguayan.

Brendan Rodgers has managed to impose his style on the team over the last two seasons. There are slight changes made to the system that is adopted according to the personnel available but the style remains consistent. In the different systems played last season, the style remained similar which involved pressing high up the pitch and a game involving quick passing and interchange of play. The current style of play does not depend majorly on the availability of the players. Even when the likes of Gerrard, Sturridge and Suarez were missing , the style was more or less the same with slight changes being made to the formation and strategy.

With the style and philosophy in place, Liverpool are looking to sign players who would fit into the style. So if Liverpool manage to sign Lallana, he can be a key part of the team.His performance should not get affected by who plays around him as long as players of the caliber are available. Lallana's workrate would be very useful as liverpool would look to press high up the pitch. The same was not applicable in the case of Downing and Adam.

The potential signings of Moreno and Emre Can are also examples of players who would fit in Liverpool's system. Rodgers likes to use full backs high up the pitch and Moreno has demonstrated that during his time at Sevilla. Moreno can also play as a left sided attacking player. Emre Can is a versatile player who should be a good backup player and someone who can be a regular first team player in the future. Both Can and Moreno are not the finished articles , but they could certainly be guided under the tutelage of Brendan Rodgers, who has developed the likes of Sturridge, Coutinho and Sterling quite well.

In recent windows, the transfer committee has had its share of hits and flops in terms of identifying players. The committee had identified the likes of Sturridge, Coutinho, Diego Costa, Willian, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan as potential signings in recent windows. Some of these players were not big players before they were looked at and were among the top performers in their respective leagues. Along with the traditional scouting methods, there has been extensive use of advanced analytics tools and the pyschometric profiling of the players is also done. The process of finding the best talents at an early stage is still evolving.

Compared to 2011 season, Rodgers and the transfer committee seem to have done their homework better. There is a clear vision and a structure in place to acquire the right set of players to achieve that vision. The mistakes of the past have been accepted and most of them have been corrected. Only time will tell, if this transfer window would be a successful one and a defining one in Liverpool's history.