Brendan Rodgers played the game of deflecting criticism from his team in the wake of defeat at the hands of Hull City by calling out the need for signing marquee players in order to mount a serious challenge for the Premiership title.
“We have to look to improve the squad again which every big club will do,” said Rodgers.
“For fans and players it’s great to get those marquee players – and there are maybe one or two we need. The owners will support that. If they’re available and affordable within the model then we will look to get them.”
Rodgers made a cursory reference to the misfiring strike duo of Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli when he stated “We had enough of the ball but never really threatened. Where it counts we could not get the breakthrough.”
This falls flat in the face of Rodgers’ posturing in the past, first when he spent bucket loads of money in the transfer market to begin with and secondly, on the back of a winning streak late in the season, had reposed faith in his squad. Clearly these are words of a man who is desperate to justify his plans for the season and is fighting to cling on to his job.
While attracting marquee names requires monetary firepower, Liverpool’s inability to secure a Champions League berth next season will be a serious obstacle.
The current squad is one which represents an excellent supporting cast, but there is no firm hand at the rudder who can guide Liverpool to title aspirations next season – neither in the form of a truly world class footballer like Luis Suarez, nor someone like Steven Gerrard who can motivate the squad to perform beyond their abilities. The transfer saga of Raheem Sterling is also not playing out too well for Liverpool, and there are several starlets like Jordon Ibe or Mamadou Sakho who only have a year left on their contracts.
Realistically, Liverpool need an inspirational figure and someone who does not require too much cash or a guaranteed Champions League berth. The silver bullet can be found off the pitch with Jurgen Klopp waiting in the wings to be snapped by a big team. Given Klopp’s appetite to drive a “Project”, this can be the marquee signing which Liverpool can look forward to, although Rodgers would not be too impressed at the idea!
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