Top 4 Summer signings to guide Liverpool into Top 4

With the international transfer window still about 10 days away, Liverpool have been the most active this summer. They have already added Kolo Toure (free from Manchester City) and Luis Alberto (£6.8 million from Sevilla). The deal for Iago Aspas from Celta Vigo for £7.7 million is also agreed in principle with just a delay from Spanish FA. The deal is expected to go through come July 1st. Deal for Sunderland keeper Mignolet is also close to completion after the reports emerged that the two sides have agreed a fee of £10 million.

Kolo Toure, the former Arsenal and Manchester City defender is seen as a direct replacement for the now retired Jamie Carragher. Though I would not expect him to start week in and week out but would bring much needed experience to the squad. As far as Luis Alberto is concerned, he is said be the next ‘Iniesta’ and scored 11 goals for Barcelona B last season. He seems to be a technically gifted player with good ball control but still lacks experience when it comes to top-flight football.

Iago Aspas, for one, could be a shrewd signing for £7.7 million as he almost single handedly kept Celta Vigo in the La Liga with 12 goals and 5 assists. He is also known for his temperament like Luis Suarez, but if he plays like the way Suarez does then nothing like it. It would be interesting to see what the future holds for Reina once Mignolet deal is completed as his move to Barcelona seems to be on hold after Valdes committed himself to Barcelona for another year. Reina would not want to be fighting for the number one spot especially in a world cup year.

But I still think Liverpool need some further reinforcements to have a realistic chance of making into the top 4. Transfer Budget for Liverpool is heavily depended upon the summer sales with Rodgers getting a mere £20 million from FSG. With the sale of Andy Carroll to West Ham, Liverpool has increased their transfer kitty by £15.5 million.

With the likes of Oussama Assaidi, Jay Spearing, Martin Skrtel, Jonjo Shelvey and Luis Suarez (inevitable) likely to be sold, Liverpool fans can expect a busy and an exciting summer with a transfer budget of around £90 million. This will be the most important transfer window for the Reds in years and Rodgers needs to get the reinforcements spot on to break into the top 4.

1. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£23 million) (Shahktar Donetsk)

Liverpool needs him ‘NOW’. Mkhitaryan (Mkhi) would be a name all Liverpool fans would be hoping would soon become a Red. His name has been mentioned for quite sometime now and there were some reports earlier in the week suggesting a deal is close. Hope this is true because he is truly world class, scoring 25 goals in 29 appearances for Shahktar Donetsk last season. He was also voted as the Armenian Footballer of the Year for the third time.

Being a midfielder it is a tremendous achievement and goals from the midfield are something that Liverpool have been lacking for some seasons now. Gerrard is 33 and won’t get any younger, therefore, Liverpool need a player who could notch minimum 15 goals a season from the midfield. Some have suggested that the 24-year-old Armenian would be a long-term successor of talismanic Gerrard while others are suggesting that he is a replacement for Suarez.

I hope the latter is not true because it would be phenomenal to see Suarez and Mkhi playing along side each other. A lot of Champions League teams such as Juventus and Borussia Dortmund have been interested in acquiring his services. Rodgers is said to be keen on making him his marquee signing of the summer and is not afraid to commit £23 million for his services. If Liverpool could pull off this deal it would be some coup keeping in mind no european competition for Liverpool next season.

2. Toby Alderweireld (£6 million) (Ajax)

Liverpool has thought to have a long-term interest in the 25-year-old Belgium international. He has been rock solid at the back for Ajax for a couple of seasons now and has played a crucial part in making Ajax Eredivisie champions for consecutive seasons. With Carragher retiring, Skrtel not being able to adapt to the Rodgers style of play and Coates being too inconsistent and not fulfilling the dsired potential, Liverpool need an experience cetre-half to partner Agger. Defence is an area Rodgers has targeted to strengthen this summer.

Alderweireld has been consistent for the past two years for Ajax and being in the last year of his contract is availabe for a knockdown fee of £6 million. He has also reiterated his desire to play in England to further his career. In my opinion, he is a very good alternative to Papadopoulos who is reportedly Rodgers number one defensive target but Schalke’s asking price of £18 million is thought to be the stumbling block. For a defender who was sidelined for half of the season, £18 million seems to be on the higher side and Alderweield represents value for money. In my opinion, this is one deal that Liverpool can pull off.

3. Cristian Tello (£8.6 million) (FC Barcelona)

It seems as though Tello and Liverpool have become the talk of every transfer window. From the last summer to this summer, talks of Tello joining Liverpool do not seem to die down. The young spaniard has come through the ranks of the famous academy of Barcelona. Being just 21, valued at £8.6 million, he could be an absolute steal. He can play on both the flanks and Liverpool have been craving for a winger who could consistently provide good deliveries and ease the burden off strikers in the goal scoring department. Downing has been a flop since his £20 million arrival from Aston Villa and might well be shipped out to balance the books.

Liverpool even enquired last summer about the availability of the player but their approach was rejected as the player wanted to fight for his place. Even after notching up 8 goals and 5 assists in 32 appearances out of which 16 were off the bench, he has failed to make his place in the star studded Barcelona side. The arrival of Neymar from Santos has moved Tello further down the pecking order and this could be the perfect opportunity for Liverpool to sign the talented 21-year-old spanish winger who could prove to be the difference in the chase for top 4.

4. Alvaro Negredo (£18-20 million) (Sevilla)

I see him as a potential replacement for Suarez. I would see his signing dependent upon whether Suarez leaves or not. Replacing Suarez would be difficult but not impossible. The reds fan must keep in mind that no player is bigger than the club. In the event of Suarez’s departure, the 27-year-old Spaniard would be the perfect replacement. He went on to score 25 goals for Sevilla last season in the La Liga and was the fourth top scorer in the La Liga. He was a target for Liverpool in 2008 when Benitez was in charge but a deal failed to materialize. Since then he has been in prolific form.

It would not be hard for the Reds to convince him to join them as he has reiterated his desire to ply his trade in the Premier League on several occasions. As far as absence of European football is concerned, it should not be a problem as Sevilla themselves are not in Europe next season. Paying the asking price of £18-20 million should not be a problem for Liverpool in the event of Suarez’s departure. Buying a proven goal-scorer is what the fans would be expecting if Suarez leaves and the signing of Negredo could somewhat dampen the blow of Suarez’s departure.

I cannot wait for the new season to start and am excited by the prospect of these players coming in. I really hope Liverpool is able to bring in the above-mentioned players. This would give Liverpool whole lot of options and I see the type of players Rodgers is targeting. For eg. Luis Alberto can play anywhere across the front three as well as in the midfield. Imagine the line-up:

GK – Reina/Mignolet, RB – Johnson, CB – Agger and Alderweireld, LB – Enrique, CDM – Lucas, LAM – Gerrard, RAM – Mkhitaryan, LW – Coutinho/Tello, ST – Negredo, RW – Sturridge/Aspas. Subs – Mignolet/Reina/Jones, Toure, Aspas/Sturridge, Tello/Coutinho, Borini, Allen, Henderson, Kelly