"Liverpool need another £40m or £50m kind of player" - Jose Enrique urges Liverpool to reduce burden on Salah and Mane and sort out contract situation

Despite the absence of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, who are currently participating in the AFCON, Liverpool are doing quite well in attack. They have scored eight goals in their last three games.

Nonetheless, former Reds defender Jose Enrique believes the club still needs "another £40m or £50m kind of player" to further strengthen their squad. The Spaniard admits he didn't expect the Merseysiders to impress as much as they've done in the absence of their key attackers.

He also praised the likes of Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for stepping up for the club at such a crucial moment.

Jose Enrique told BoyleSports, as quoted by the Mirror:

"I wasn’t positive before AFCON. I didn’t expect Liverpool to be as good as they have been without Salah and Mane. They lack strength in depth in the front three, so them going was a big problem for Liverpool. But Jota has stepped in, Firmino and Oxlade-Chamberlain too."

Jota joined the Merseysiders from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a £35 million deal in September 2020. He has been a huge revelation in front of goal over the last couple of weeks. The Portuguese has raised his tally for the season to 14 goals in 28 games in all competitions.

Enrique has urged the club to pull off a similar transfer to further strengthen their attack.

He said:

"But they still need someone else who can play in the front three similar to Jota, who’s scoring goals and doing well. Profile-wise, Liverpool need another £40m or £50m kind of player to support the front three now.

"I’m sure if you ask any Liverpool fans they will say the same thing," he added.

Which attackers could Liverpool sign?

The Reds could sign new players in January

The Reds continue to prioritize the contract renewal of Mohamed Salah. But speculation continues to link them with a couple of attackers in the transfer market. The likes of Ousmane Dembele, Paulo Dybala and Erling Haaland have been mentioned in recent days.

As it stands, there's uncertainty over the Reds' transfer plans for January, especially regarding the signing of a new attacker.

Salah and Mane will soon return from the AFCON. If the Egyptian pens a new contract and Jota maintains his form, it'll be quite unlikely for the Reds to add another forward to their ranks.