Ok, this thread has been in the offing for a while, and it’s really inspired by last summer when so many people argued that we couldn’t get better than the likes of Downing, Adam etc. because we didn’t have CL football. Just so that we don’t see those kind of arguments repeated this summer, and also for lack of anything better to discuss, I thought it’d be a good idea to come with up realistic transfer targets for the positions we’re really looking to strengthen this summer. And just so that these are actually realistic, I’m refusing to (a) consider any player from top 4 clubs from the PL, La Liga, or Serie A; and (b) also ruling out the cream of the young players (the likes of Hazard, Martinez, Goetze etc.), and all such players who we’d have little to no chance of signing. Also, this is a little different from Oncy’s find the next Muniain thread, as I’m looking less at prospects and more at established first-teamers.
So here are my first few recommendations (I’ll try and make more later):
Strikers
I’ve said all season that we don’t necessarily need a good ‘finisher’, what we need is a good all-round footballer, who’ll mesh well with Suarez. To my mind, that’s a player who’s quick, technical, has good movement, and is capable of leading the line playing as a runner in front of Suarez. Those are the kind of players I’d like us to look at when we’re buying a striker this summer. Excluded the likes of Cavani, Llorente , Damiao etc. who we’ve little chance of getting.
(i) Loic Remy – Marseille are struggling, and won’t make the CL this season. Add the fact that Remy’s been looking for a move to England for a while, you can bet he’s going to move this summer. And we should be all over him. He’s 24 with the right health history. 56 goals in his four seasons in France (which is a low scoring league). Exactly the attributes we want – quick, strong, good with both feet, good in the air, technically competent, solid work rate, and superb movement. He’s not Henry, he’s not Cisse – he’s something very well balanced in the middle, who’ll only improve with better players around him. I reckon he’d go for around 18-20 million, and would be excellent business at that price. He’s also been stated several times as preferring a move to England – and given that none of the Mancs, City, Arsenal, Chelsea, or Newcastle are likely to be looking for a striker, this should really be between us and Spurs. And if Spurs don’t make the CL, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to get him. For those who haven’t seen him, here’s a vid:
(ii) Luiz Adriano – Brazilian 24 year old who plays for Shakhtar Donetsk. 37 goals in his last two seasons. Similar attributes to Remy – big, strong, quick, and likes to lead the line. A touch of more flair but less consistency than Remy. He’s been impressive in the CL as well, and though Shakhtar is a CL club, a move to Liverpool would obviously be a step up. He’d be a gettable target, but would cost a bit I reckon.
(iii) Kevin Mirallas – 24 year old Belgian who plays for Olympiakos. 34 goals in his last two seasons, and top scorer in Greece this year. He’s quick (not electric), has good movement, and excellent skill and technical ability. He’s also got a bit of arrogance that I like, the kind you’d generally see in top players. I reckon he’d gel superbly with Suarez. Here’s a vid:
(iv) Seydou Doumbia – Doumbia is relatively well known, having been one of Europe’s highest scoring players in the last few years. 102 goals in the last 4 seasons. Granted it’s been playing in the Swiss and Russian leagues, but he clearly knows how to score. 33 goals in Russia this year, and by and far the top scorer there. Strong, quick and powerful – at the very least, I see him being as successful as Yakubu in the PL. He’d cost a bit, but would certainly be gettable. For those who’ve never seen him play, here’s a vid:
(v) Burak Yilmaz –26 year old Turk who plays for Trabzonspor. He’s virtually unheard of as he’s really a very late developer. But why him? Cause he’s banged in 53 goals in the Turkish league in the last two seasons, including 33 this season, which is a record apparently. He’s built like a fucking tank, moves pretty swiftly, and bangs them in like nothing else. Not sure how he’d fare in a better league (especially since he’s not really a youngster), but he’s surely worth a look? Vid below:
Other options: Welliton (Spartak Moscow), John Guidetti (Feyenoord/Man City), Rodrigo Moreno (Benfica), Jackson Martinez (Jaguares), Tim Mavatz (PSV), Eric Maxim Chuopo-Moting (Mainz), Andrei Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kiev), Mario Mandzukic (Wolfsburg), Andre Schurrle (Leverkusen), Luc Castaignos (Inter), Matias Suarez (Anderlecht)
So here are my first few recommendations (I’ll try and make more later):
Strikers
I’ve said all season that we don’t necessarily need a good ‘finisher’, what we need is a good all-round footballer, who’ll mesh well with Suarez. To my mind, that’s a player who’s quick, technical, has good movement, and is capable of leading the line playing as a runner in front of Suarez. Those are the kind of players I’d like us to look at when we’re buying a striker this summer. Excluded the likes of Cavani, Llorente , Damiao etc. who we’ve little chance of getting.
(i) Loic Remy – Marseille are struggling, and won’t make the CL this season. Add the fact that Remy’s been looking for a move to England for a while, you can bet he’s going to move this summer. And we should be all over him. He’s 24 with the right health history. 56 goals in his four seasons in France (which is a low scoring league). Exactly the attributes we want – quick, strong, good with both feet, good in the air, technically competent, solid work rate, and superb movement. He’s not Henry, he’s not Cisse – he’s something very well balanced in the middle, who’ll only improve with better players around him. I reckon he’d go for around 18-20 million, and would be excellent business at that price. He’s also been stated several times as preferring a move to England – and given that none of the Mancs, City, Arsenal, Chelsea, or Newcastle are likely to be looking for a striker, this should really be between us and Spurs. And if Spurs don’t make the CL, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to get him. For those who haven’t seen him, here’s a vid:
(ii) Luiz Adriano – Brazilian 24 year old who plays for Shakhtar Donetsk. 37 goals in his last two seasons. Similar attributes to Remy – big, strong, quick, and likes to lead the line. A touch of more flair but less consistency than Remy. He’s been impressive in the CL as well, and though Shakhtar is a CL club, a move to Liverpool would obviously be a step up. He’d be a gettable target, but would cost a bit I reckon.
(iii) Kevin Mirallas – 24 year old Belgian who plays for Olympiakos. 34 goals in his last two seasons, and top scorer in Greece this year. He’s quick (not electric), has good movement, and excellent skill and technical ability. He’s also got a bit of arrogance that I like, the kind you’d generally see in top players. I reckon he’d gel superbly with Suarez. Here’s a vid:
(iv) Seydou Doumbia – Doumbia is relatively well known, having been one of Europe’s highest scoring players in the last few years. 102 goals in the last 4 seasons. Granted it’s been playing in the Swiss and Russian leagues, but he clearly knows how to score. 33 goals in Russia this year, and by and far the top scorer there. Strong, quick and powerful – at the very least, I see him being as successful as Yakubu in the PL. He’d cost a bit, but would certainly be gettable. For those who’ve never seen him play, here’s a vid:
(v) Burak Yilmaz –26 year old Turk who plays for Trabzonspor. He’s virtually unheard of as he’s really a very late developer. But why him? Cause he’s banged in 53 goals in the Turkish league in the last two seasons, including 33 this season, which is a record apparently. He’s built like a fucking tank, moves pretty swiftly, and bangs them in like nothing else. Not sure how he’d fare in a better league (especially since he’s not really a youngster), but he’s surely worth a look? Vid below:
Other options: Welliton (Spartak Moscow), John Guidetti (Feyenoord/Man City), Rodrigo Moreno (Benfica), Jackson Martinez (Jaguares), Tim Mavatz (PSV), Eric Maxim Chuopo-Moting (Mainz), Andrei Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kiev), Mario Mandzukic (Wolfsburg), Andre Schurrle (Leverkusen), Luc Castaignos (Inter), Matias Suarez (Anderlecht)
