Assessing Liverpool FC's performance in the Summer Transfer Window-2014

Who among these transfer signings do you think will be the one tomake the maximum Impact in the EPL this season? Please follow up with feedback on who you feel will make the most impact for LFC this season.

#1 Dejan Lovren

Dejan Lovren, was recently signed up by Liverpool Football club for £20 million after much drama. The former Southampton central defender was at the heart of a stingy Southampton Defence and was the key factor for the win at Anfield in which he scored. The defender has been praised by Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher as being the Marshal which the current Liverpool defence is desperately in need of.

His reading of the game is phenomenal and Liverpool will be looking to him to shore up the defence which leaked 50 Goals in the league last season. A few fans were of the opinion that the lack of a leader in the defence last season was why so many stupid mistakes were made, which eventually cost Liverpool the league in the end. From the matches before the international break, it still seems like Dejan Lovren is finding his feet at Liverpool and is up to the task of preventing goals leaking in. Capable of playing in RCB or LCB, he has had a shaky start to his career at LFC with an overenthusiastic approach to impress the manager. Will Lovren be able to shore up the Reds defence and extend his form from last season?

#2 Rickie Lambert

A former academy player who had his dreams shattered when he was told by LFC at the age of 15 that he could not play for the club, worked in a Beetroot Factory and nearly faded into history. Snapped up for a meagre £4 million, the centre forward has plied his trade at second division clubs and in the championship before getting to the premier league when Southampton were promoted last season.

The striker was bought in as a plan B which LFC lacked in the last season. Rickie Lambert seems to have accepted the fact that he will be playing a bit-part role and looks prepared to pull his weight as he is happy to be back at his hometown club. He is blessed with a talent for passing as despite being a tall man, he possesses a deftness of touch and excellent vision to spearhead the attack or to create spaces in the final third by attracting attention to him. Will he contribute to the goal tally this season or will he be overawed by his own success?

#3 Emre Can

The versatile midfielder was signed up by Liverpool for £9.75 Million after impressing last season in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen. Capable of playing as a Defensive Midfielder, Centre Midfielder and Left Back, he is a bundle of energy and well capable of filling in when required. He is still a young player and comes with a recommendation from Club legend, Sami Hyppia. Impressive in the last season for Bayer Leverkusen, much is expected of the 20 year old.

He seems to be the long term replacement for the Regista position which was ably deputised by Steven Gerrard in the last season. A young player with loads of potential and currently on an improving trend as he adds more positions he can play on as demonstrated in the international friendly against Ireland where he played as central defender. The question is, will he rise up to the hype and grow to be a world class player?

#4 Adam Lallana

Adam Lallana was signed from Southampton for a rumoured £25 million. The key factor in Southampton’s attack as well as club captain for the Saints, he has been signed up as competition for Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling in the Attacking Midfielder Position. He can slot in anywhere across the attacking mid line as a winger or as attacking mid however some of his best performances have come from the number 10 position. he also has an underrated defensive side, as he put in quite a few tackles last season. Currently recovering from an injury to the LCL Knee ligament, he is expected to be back challenging for a position in the starting XI.

Adam Lallana is English and proven in the premier league and hence the premium price. An added advantage for Lallana is that the playing style at Southampton was quite similar and he should have no trouble gelling into the style of entertaining and attacking football advocated by Brendan Rodgers. All eyes will be on him as he makes his Anfield debut against Aston villa this weekend.

#5 Lazar Markovic

The mercurial winger was signed from SL Benefica for approximately £20 million pounds. Starting his career with Serbian club Partizan Belgrade, he moved to Benefica after 2 impressive seasons for a fee of £9 million. A technically sound and capable winger, he never shies away from defensive duties as well. He may seem very young at 20 years of age but is one of Europe’s most promising youngsters after Raheem Sterling.

He has won in every league he has played till date and seems promising with his pace and trickery as evidenced during his cameo in the Manchester City Away Loss. He can play in either flanks or in the center of the field, preferring however to cut in from wide which is what the Brendan Rodgers wants in his wingers system of play. Having experience European football with Benefica, he will not be overawed when LFC play in the Champions league in the next week. Will he help Liverpool to a premiership title?

#6 Alberto Moreno

The young Spanish Fullback can play as a true Left Back, a Wingback and also as a Left Defensive Midfielder. Naturally blessed with blistering pace, he demonstrated why Brendan Rodgers was right to splurge £12 million to cover the troublesome LeftBack position. He was a key player for Sevilla as they won the Europa league last season with Moreno chipping in with 3 goals in all games with Sevilla last season.

He was also named in the 30 man team for the world cup before Vicente del Bosque left him out of the final 23 to make it to Brazil. In the glimpses that we were able to gather it seems that he is well on the way to cementing his name in the starting line up although he would have to work hard on his weaknesses which are on the defensive side. Despite being blessed with a good reading of the game, his stature does not hold up when playing against physical opponents. Hopefully, he should be a solution to one of the most troublesome spots in the Reds lineup for quite some time since John Arne Riise left the club. His goal against Tottenham seems to be a sign of what we can expect from him this season

#7 Javi Manquillo

Over the past few seasons, despite Glen Johnson being the number 1 choice for England and LFC, fans have come to believe that he is no longer the player he once was. Injuries and errors coupled with a lax attitude as he had no genuine competition seemed to make Glen Johnson complacent. With Andre Wisdom out on loan and with Jon Flanagan injured, an able deputy was necessary in the Right back position. Javi Manquillo is a player signed on a 2-year loan from Athletico de Madrid. He is fast and fearless in the tackle and also not afraid to challenge.

The Spanish Fullback is an able deputy with Glen Johnson and Jon Flanagan’s absence due to injury and looks promising as an option for rotation. In his 2 appearances for LFC he has made 10 successful interceptions 10 tackles which is quite promising for such a young player and for one who is new to the league. Increased Squad depth was something LFC lacked last year and Javi Manquillo looks decent as a squad player. Impressive in his limited game time for LFC, he seems to be a bargain already.

#8 Divock Origi

Divock Origi is a Belgian Striker who impressed most football fans at the 2014 World Cup. Signed for £10 million and loaned back to OSC Lille, he is a talent reserved for the future. Impressive during his spell at Lille, the striker had many clubs lining up to sign him up after he put up an impressive performance for the Belgian National team in the world cup. A proper striker, he can play across the frontline and seems to be signed as Squad player for rotation when Daniel Sturridge is injured or not so impressive.

A loan back to Lille was included in the contract so that he can mature as a striker while Lille scour for options to sign. Impressive in the games he has played till date, he is an interesting option at the moment. He is one for the future though and seems to be maturing at a decent pace. Due to his performances for Belgium in the World cup, most fans genuinely believe he will have no trouble acclimatizing to the rigours of the premier league. Once he returns next season, a fair assessment would be his performances on the pitch in the Premier League.

#9 Mario Balotelli

Super Mario was signed close to the end of the transfer Window and is one of those players who divides opinions among most fans as to whether he is the rotten apple who can spoil the entire basket or the Wildcard who was hidden away under layers of mischief for so many years. He is mercurial and incisive when on form, however he has a tendency to drift out of the game when off. His work rate was always questionable, although after the Tottenham game, he seems to be on a changed attitude with Brendan Rodgers and Dr.Steve Peters counselling him. Mario has run out of excuses and LFC will be his last opportunity to make it big at the world stage. If he can grab the opportunity with both hands like Sturridge did, LFC might as well have pulled the biggest bargain of the century.

The move though is a gamble as Mario is also known to pick up needless cards. Hopefully the love and adulation of the kop can make him the genius he is known for. Mario Balotelli is known for audacious attempts and long range efforts, which is something LFC will lack since Luis Suarez left. I truly believe he can score the 15-20 goals if he keeps his calm and focuses on being known for the Mario he can be rather than the Mario he has been. Although going by his performance at White Hart Lane, he can lend a more physicality to the attack as demonstrated by him when he fended of Kaboul and left him for dead on the grass.

About the author

A liverpool FC fan. Keen footballer. Played for Spartans Sports Academy and Falcons FC in MDFA Division 1 and 2 respectively.

Know More

Edited by Staff Editor