Last season was a mixed one for Liverpool. The trophy cabinet remained empty in spite of reaching two finals. Liverpool lost the League Cup final to Manchester City on penalties and lost the Europa League final to Sevilla. Jurgen Klopp has brought hope along with him. The players look motivated and they are hungry for glory. Last season, the reason for most of Liverpool’s failures was explained using only one statement, “Klopp is managing Brendan Rodgers’ players. He will need to bring in players of his liking and develop a new team.” Liverpool finished a disappointing 8th in the Premier League and runners up in the Europa League and that means no European football next season. So a few changes were needed and the transfer window was a great chance for Klopp to start building his team.
The summer was expected to be busy and vital for Klopp and it has lived up to its expectations. Liverpool were amongst the most active clubs in the transfer market. Jurgen Klopp has so far completed the signings of Joel Matip, Marko Grujic, Loris Karius and Sadio Mane. Liverpool needed recruitments at a few positions this summer. Liverpool needed a stable center back, a confident goalkeeper, a proper central midfielder, a left back who can defend as well and a world class striker.
Signing Joel Matip from Schalke 04 was a vital move to bolster the defense. Dejan Lovren, after enduring a tough first season at Anfield has now found his footing and is quite stable. He formed a good partnership with Mammadou Sakho but Sakho is quite error prone. Joel Matip had a very good season at Schalke. He brings stability to the defense and is quite good with his tackling. Next season, Lovren and Matip are expected to stitch a stable defensive partnership. Simon Mignolet did not have a good season and was criticized for his approach during set pieces. Karius is a confident goalkeeper and he commands his area well. He can defend set pieces well and is also a good shot stopper. So Liverpool have probably solved their defensive issues.
In the central midfield, Liverpool were looking for a player who could attack and defend equally well and their search ended at Marko Grujic. Liverpool had signed Marko Grujic in the January transfer window and was sent on loan to Red Star Belgrade. His performances were very good and he can be a worthy signing for Klopp. Signing Sadio Mane has added extra pace and creativity to Liverpool’s attacking midfield. Mane will be a vital man in Liverpool’s attacking midfield alongside Coutinho and Firmino.
So far, the transfer window has been a successful one for Liverpool. Liverpool still need to find a replacement for Moreno. Ben Chilwell has been linked with a move to Anfield and Liverpool are expected to make an improved bid after Leicester rejected their 7 million pounds bid. Now to challenge for the top-4 next season, Liverpool need a striker who can score more 20 or more goals in one season. Daniel Sturridge is capable of that but his injury issues are a big problem. None of the other strikers that Liverpool have are capable of doing that. Argentine forward, Gonzalo Higuain has suggested that he would love playing under Klopp. The striker has just come off a record breaking season in the Serie A, scoring 37 goals in 36 appearances. Higuain has expressed his desire to play under Klopp and signing him would be a big coup for Klopp. He can score 20 goals in one season and adding him to the squad will be the perfect ending of this magical transfer window. Bringing Higuain to Anfield will make the Reds overnight top-4 challengers and it would also mean a very successful summer window for Klopp.
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