da wazamba: According to sources at the club, Liverpool Director or Football Damien Comolli is set to have a busy summer as the club look to overhaul the playing squad. Despite spending over £50 million in the January transfer window, new owners the Fenway Sports Group look set to open the chequebook again to fund numerous acquisitions. But, following a resurgence since the reappointment of Kenny Dalglish as manager and the emergence of some bright young talent such as Jay Spearing, is a complete overhaul exactly what the Merseyside club need?
da betano casino: Admittedly Liverpool is a club still in transition after the departure of Rafa Benitez and ill-fated reign of Roy Hodgson. Despite a superb recovery to sixth in the table and the recent acquisitions of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, there are still many squad members still to prove their worth. The likes of Milan Jovanovic, Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen have failed to make any real impact whilst many fans would be glad to see the back of Sotirios Kyrgiakos and David N’gog. Worryingly for fans, iconic academy products Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard are both the wrong side of 30 and there will soon come a day when they fail to play week-in week-out. But, the club must be careful to avoid a repeat of the constantly revolving door and poor signings that appeared under Rafa Benitez.
Following a turbulent year and a change in ownership, the club must first look for some stability. For example, the club are yet to confirm the long-term future of Kenny Dalglish with his current deal expiring at the end of the season. And, whilst Damien Comolli looks to be directing current player recruitment, if it is Dalglish who will manage the club next season then surely he should have a great deal input into transfer dealings.
But Dalglish has done well to transform the current squad into one challenging for European football. The likes of Spearing, Martin Kelly and Jonjo Shelvey have successfully broken into the first team, whilst the new strike partnership of Carroll and Suarez have only been at the club for a short period of time and will come good with time. Alberto Aquilani and Emiliano Insua could still return from their loan periods. But, with new owners keen to make their mark on the club and with a new record kit deal worth a reported £25 million a year, expect signings this summer.
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But what will it take for the club to return to the top four of the Premier League? The most recent club to break the mould were Tottenham who did so through some shrewd transfer dealings and exciting attacking football under Harry Redknapp. Manchester City’s recent charge has come off the back of heavy investment from owner Sheikh Mansour.
Whilst buoyed by the finances of Fenway, the club can by no means compete with the likes of Manchester City or Chelsea in the transfer market. And, with a squad beginning to gel under Dalglish, this could be a good thing. Don’t forget that Comolli is the man often credited with the signings of Gareth Bale, Tom Huddleston and Luka Modric at Tottenham and who will surely look to sign future stars.
Fans have called out for exciting talents such as Alexis Sanchez and defensive reinforcements in the mould of Gary Cahill, whilst a midfield enforcer in the mould of Javier Mascherano is still to be signed. And, with money clearly available and owners willing to invest, there will be signings this summer. But, Liverpool must be careful to invest the money wisely in order to improve rather than necessarily overhaul the much improved squad that has emerged under Dalglish.
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