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A Liverpool fan must have been quite optimistic at the start of the season due to the signings which they had made. Alisson Becker, Fabinho, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri were additions to a squad which had arguably overachieved by reaching the Champions League final the season before.
For the first time in almost a decade, it looked like the Reds were ready to launch a proper title challenge. This team was said to be capable of challenging a rampant Manchester City for the title, or at least that was what they thought initially.
The first match of the season was Manchester City visiting The Emirates to face a new Arsenal, an Arsenal who were playing their first professional match without Arsene Wenger after almost 20 years. Unai Emery had named a strong first team consisting of the likes of Ramsey, Aubameyang, Mkhitaryan, and Ozil in the attack. But what happened in the first half was a sight to behold.
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Although the first half ended with a scoreline of 1-0 in favour of City, the waves of attack which the Blue team were producing were unbearable to Arsenal's defense. In the wings, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez were terrorizing the Arsenal fullbacks.
People would have thought that City would have gone in with a full team for this match; at that exact moment, the camera panned towards the substitutes bench which would have made every team who thought they might have stood a chance of winning the league tremble. Leroy Sane and Kevin De Bruyne were on the bench and David Silva was not even in the squad.
At that moment, every single Liverpool fan must have realized that they had a long way to go before they could dethrone this City side to win England's biggest crown.
In spite of all the signings in the summer, it is a common consensus among Liverpool fans that they need to strengthen their squad. They have done great to be still level on points with Manchester City. They have a good chance of even winning the league this year but to have a sustained period of dominance, they need fresh faces.
Centre Back - Matthijs de Ligt
At the start of the season, Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez were the best defensive partnership in the league. A pair blessed with pace, passing ability and power, it almost seemed that they could've broken Chelsea's defensive record of 2004-05 by conceding lesser than 15 goals this season.
But a season-disrupting injury to Gomez put aside all hopes of this. Van Dijk has had to partner with various others in central defense. And the expected output occurred, Liverpool started conceding goals more often than not. Joel Matip, although cultured on the ball can be slightly slow while defending counters and is ravaged by injuries, Lovren, on the other hand, can go from being one of the best center backs in the world on his day to being fit for a Championship side on other days.
It is clear that a new central defender is needed and all fingers point towards Ajax's captain and Holland's new star, Matthijs De Ligt.
It feels sensible for Liverpool to make a move for the star defender because of his Dutch connection with his would-be center back partner Van Dijk and also the fact that he can get to learn from one of the best in the world if he moved to Liverpool. That means that Gomez can fill in at right back as it seems that Alexander Arnold will play in the Liverpool midfield in the years to come. It also gives them a chance to play with a back three when chasing a game.
Right Back - Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Liverpool loaned off Clyne in the winter transfer window, which seems to be an erroneous decision. The Liverpool squad looks weak in defense and Clyne would have provided a good option for Jurgen Klopp, but Clyne had lost a lot of his potential after his injury last season.
Trent Alexander Arnold is a good right back, but there is no cover for him if he gets injured. Gomez can fill in that role, but he has established himself as Liverpool's first choice center back. Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Crystal Palace can be a great fit for the Reds.
He has been making a name for himself at Palace by being part of their solid defense; he also has been rising through the England setup quite rapidly with rumors that he will be called up for the next internationals.
He can be a great addition to Liverpool as a backup for now and can maybe even guarantee a starting place for himself in the future under Klopp.
Playmaker- Hakim Ziyech
Last season, the story of the summer for Liverpool fans was the chase of Lyon captain Nabil Fekir. Liverpool had agreed on a transfer fee with Lyon only to pull out of the deal at the last moment because of concerns about his knee.
After the failed pursuit of the Lyon captain, Liverpool were desperate to fill in the void left by their most creative player from last season, Phillipe Coutinho who had left for Barcelona.
The original intention of bringing in Xherdan Shaqiri was to fill in the departed Brazilian's void as someone who could fit in between midfield and attack, but he has turned out to be more of a winger than a midfielder, an effective one but not exactly a replacement for Coutinho.
Hakim Ziyech of Ajax can be a great addition for the Reds this summer. He is everything Klopp looks for in a creative midfielder. Hard working and possessing a great vision, he can help the Reds unlock many deep-defending teams which has been the go-to tactic while playing against Liverpool.
His performance in the World Cup for Morocco was spectacular, and his form has not dipped for Ajax this season. He can be a cheap option for the Reds this summer. He can also allow Klopp to experiment with various new formations and can also help increase their bench strength.
Forward- Timo Werner
Roberto Firmino is a striker who is potentially one of the best in the world. Daniel Sturridge was a striker who was once upon a time one of the best in the world when he used to work in tandem with Luis Suarez, but that seems to be a distant memory right now. A career ravaged with injuries, he is nowhere near his prime now and unfortunately has to move on. Also, Divock Origi is not up to the mark yet and has to be sent out on loan or sold in the summer.
Timo Werner can be a good signing for the Reds. A Germany international who plays as a number nine for RB Leipzig in Bundesliga, he has been blessed with searing pace and is capable of outpacing any defender in the world. Still only 22, he has already scored 14 goals this season and has the potential to get many more.
His connection with Naby Keita when the latter used to play for the German outfit was exceptional.
In the World cup last year, we saw a different side of him when Joachim Low played him in the left of the attack instead of his preferred center forward position and still he came out of this test with flying colors. His versatility can be a valuable asset for the Reds as he potentially allows them a backup if Salah and Mane get injured.
