Finally it is January 2015, and thus begins the much awaited January transfer window. Some spend vast amounts on average quality; others spend even more on the same. Last time around, Liverpool made no transfers in January, but the Merseyside team tried to make up for it by making a jaw dropping eight summer signings worth £107million, not taking into account the £10m buy of Divock Origi, who was sent back on loan to Lille, from where he was bought. How did the Liverpool summer signings work out?
The summer buys have been under much scrutiny, and rightly so, given the huge amount being invested in them. And so far, while the newcomers have been underwhelming, it should not be exaggerated to the level of absolute insignificance. With the first half of the season coming to an end, it is the perfect time to look back on how they have fared and draw a progress report. In this article, each summer signing will be graded on the basis of his performances so far, the potential he holds, his compatibility with the team’s requirements and the value for money so far.
Javier Manquillo (Right-Back)
Cost: Loan
Minutes played: 1122 (762 in league)
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Getting Javier Manquillo on loan was a terrific decision by Brendan Rodgers. The move is completely risk free, and, should the signing prove fruitful, he can stay for up to two years. If Rodgers wants to, he can spend £5million more and sign him permanently; if not, Javier will go back to Atletico Madrid. Manquillo has shown signs of immense promise, however; both in attack and defence, he has done his job well. He sticks to his position, but given the space, he is brave enough to drive forward, as he showed by wining the crucial penalty in the win against Ludogorets in the Champions League.
Manquillo makes a proficient 4.2 tackles, 2.6 interceptions and 2.8 clearances per game, showing his potential, but he hasn’t been very useful in providing accurate crosses; something Liverpool thrived on after Henderson took over the right wingback role. Manquillo’s relative lack of attentiveness means he could be caught napping by top strikers, but usually he makes up for it. These mistakes will fade as he becomes experienced. Rodgers has time before he sits down to decide Manquillo’s future. At the very least, temporarily, he’s better than Glen Johnson.
Performance: B-
Potential: B+
Worth: A+
Compatibility with requirement: A-
Rickie Lambert (Centre Forward)
Cost: £4million
Minutes played: 872 (576 in league)
Goals: 2 (1 in league)
Assists: 0
Rickie Lambert realised his dream move when he was transferred to his boyhood club, but life at Liverpool did not start well for him. He did play during pre-season, but scored no goals and even missed a penalty against Milan in the International Champions Cup. Prior to this, Lambert had scored 34 out 34 penalties for Southampton. Next, it took until October for his first league start.
However, the former Bristol Rovers man still managed to chip in with a couple of goals against Crystal Palace and Ludogorets. Lambert’s unique playing style offers Rodgers a new dimension to his youthful, pacy attack and his experience comes cheap at just £4million. Lambert may also be a useful weapon from the bench, especially when the need to both score from and defend against crosses arises. He might’ve played 21 games, but he’s usually only given the last few minutes. For that, two goals is not bad. Overall, it was a low risk buy that might turn out to be a pretty good bargain.
Performance: C–
Potential: C
Worth: B+
Compatibility with requirement: C+
Emre Can (Central Midfielder)
Cost: £9.75million
Minutes played: 611 (496 in league)
Goals: 1 (1 in league)
Assists : 0
Emre Can is potentially a fantastic buy. Can is undoubtedly a player with huge talent; his versatility makes him able to play as a natural defensive midfielder, a more attacking central midfielder, a fullback or even a centre-back, as he has shown, since Rodgers deployed him in a back three in the recent games.
Can couldn’t make an immediate impact because of injuries, but so far, he’s put in a solid run of performances, and showcased his ability on and off the ball. The German has completed 84% of his passes, and averages 1.6 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, 2.2 clearances and 0.9 dribbles per game. This shows that he’s an adept, able defender, but can also create attacks from behind and make a run himself. His versatility makes him an asset to any team. Being just 20 years old, the possibilities before him are endless. With Gerrard calling time on his Anfield career, perhaps we may not need to look far to find a replacement. Can will stay at Liverpool for years to come.
Performance: B-
Potential: A-
Worth: B+
Compatibility with requirement: A-
Alberto Moreno (Left Back)
Cost: £12million
Minutes played: 1511 (1188 in league)
Goals: 2 (2 in league)
Assists: 1 (0 in league)
Perhaps Alberto Moreno has been Liverpool’s best buy so far. The Spaniard brought in from Sevilla has slotted in perfectly at Liverpool, as a full-back or a more advanced wingback. Moreno’s aggressive attacking intent has seen him generate attacks from behind in the form of mesmerizing dribbles; the connection especially between left centre-back Sakho and Moreno has been outstanding in recent, the former putting through good passes for the latter to build on.
Deservedly, Moreno has managed to score twice for Liverpool: one a mazy dribble from his box to the opposition’s; the other a cause an instinctive run into the opposition box. Averaging 2.2 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per game, his defensive facet has been consistently great, and his offensive side is no worse, taking on 0.9 dribbles per game and providing 1.6 key passes as well. While he hasn’t been quite error-free, given his naive mistakes against Manchester City and others that did cost Liverpool, Moreno has more than proved that he’s the number one choice for left back. It’s a massive upgrade on Aly Cissokho or Jose Enrique. As time goes on, he will turn into one of Europe’s best fullbacks.
Performance: B+
Potential: A+
Worth: A-
Compatibility with requirement: A-
Mario Balotelli (Striker)
Cost: £16million
Minutes played: 963 (737 in league)
Goals: 2 (0 in League)
Assists: 0
Here comes the big name signing. Mario Balotelli was signed on the last day of the window as a replacement to the superstar Uruguayan Luis Suarez. Rodgers himself acknowledged that buying Balotelli was a bit of a gamble, since, apart from Balotelli’s well known lack of discipline, he might not fit in Liverpool’s style of play. Balotelli went on to endure an unpleasant first half of the season, with him being unable to score a single league goal even while taking the highest number of shots in the league at one point. Balotelli did score for Liverpool though, in the League Cup against Swansea and Champions League against Ludogorets, both inspiring late winners from Liverpool. The most overlooked part, however, is the fact that in his first game, Balotelli played well. He and Sturridge linked up well, and perhaps, as he has acknowledged himself, he would play much better with a strike partner. It may be wise to judge his performances once Sturridge is back from injury, and play Sterling up top instead, but this is not something you would expect from a £16million signing. He’s working hard; it’s just that he was unlucky.
Performance: C-
Potential: B+
Worth: C+
Compatibility with requirement: B-
Lazar Markovic (Wide Forward/Winger)
Cost: £19.8million
Minutes played: 612 (420 in league)
Goals: 1 (0 in league)
Assists: 0
Lazar Markovic is brilliant, no doubt. However, transitioning from a league as different as the Portuguese or the Serbian to that of the English is something extremely difficult. As expected, he struggled with the physicality of the game, and he was benched for a few games. Unproductive cameos were all that were seen of him, and then against Basel, in an important fixture, he received a red card for an unintentional swipe at a Basel player. However, from then on, Markovic showed serious promise. His creativity ruled the game vs Bournemouth, as he capped an excellent performance with a goal. He played very well against Arsenal too.
With more minutes next half of the season, the European Golden Boy nominee can only improve and be an important part of Liverpool’s late charge for the top four places. He was expensive, but if he fulfills his potential, it may be reduced to a bargain, that’s how potent he is.
Performance: B-
Potential: A-
Worth: C+
Compatibility for requirement: B+
Dejan Lovren (Centre Back)
Cost: £20million
Minutes played: 1533 (1173 in league)
Goals: 1 (0 in league)
Assists: 0
Perhaps Lovren has the fewest arguments in his favour. Lovren started his life at Anfield in a sensational way, scoring a goal and keeping a clean sheet in the 4-0 victory against Borrusia Dortmund. Since then, however, Lovren has slowly been degrading from the Lovren of Southampton to that of Lyon. He’s got the quality, but he has made some which show that he’s got a lot to prove. Given some time to relax, perhaps Lovren may find his no-nonsense tackling boots once again, and turn into the leader at the back and a replacement for Carragher that Rodgers expected him to be when he brought him in. Originally brought in to be paired with Mamadou Sakho, if Lovren fails to make the cut, the former will take his place at left centre-back alongside Skrtel.
Performance: D+
Potential: B-
Worth: C-
Compatibility with requirement: C-
Adam Lallana
Cost: £25million
Minutes played: 1206 (980 in league)
Goals: 4 (4 in league)
Assists: 2 (2 in league)
Adam Lallana was Liverpool’s biggest buy of the summer. Being the marquee signing, it was disappointing to see him being sidelined with injury at the start of the season, and thus missing valuable pre-season time as well. Once he got back, Lallana’s performances were below par, and many critics started thinking that maybe Lallana was another Stewart Downing in the making. However, the Englishman managed to turn things around and gradually began to better his performances.
The 26 year old makes 1.2 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game, with his mesmerizing feet that leave defenders spinning. Lallana also makes 2.8 tackles per game, showing that he tracks back to make defensive contributions. Put in a central role, Lallana’s eye for a pass is outstanding. Although this can’t necessarily be seen in the statistics, Lallana is imperative in Liverpool’s attacks and creates the important chances for a goalscoring opportunity. With another half season remaining, if he manages to replicate what he did in 2014, he’ll be termed a very valuable buy. Moreover, in the future, with Steven Gerrard leaving Liverpool, he’s a real candidate to wear the captain’s armband.
Performances: A-
Potential: A-
Worth: B-
Compatibility for requirement: B+
Thank you for reading. Follow me on twitter @Johe_LWOS. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and@LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
