Uncertainty at Anfield: Brendan Rodgers’ future and a pivotal summer for Liverpool

There is great deal of uncertainty looming over Anfield as this season comes to an end, in particular the future of Brendan Rodgers, who has come under a great deal of scrutiny after Liverpool have failed to emulate anywhere near the form of last campaign. Last season’s exploits may have surpassed virtually everyone’s expectations and given Liverpool fans hope they would once again compete for the Premier League title, but the loss of Suarez, several new faces at the club failing to hit the ground running and Sturridge’s long-term injury are just some reasons as to why the club have failed to reach anywhere near the heights of last season.

Failure in the big Premier League matches, lacklustre performances in the Champions League and a semi-final defeat at the hands of Aston Villa in the FA Cup completed a miserable season.

Transfers

Rodgers has come under attack by some fans and pundits for spending over £100m in the summer window and failing to integrate the numerous summer signings in a bid to strengthen the squad and fill the void left by Suarez. The Liverpool manager has brought in a total of 24 players to Anfield at a cost of £211,550,000 since July 2012. During that time Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho signed for £12m and £8.5m respectively.

Liverpool FC Chief Executive Ian Ayre must also take a proportion of the flack as he failed on several occasions to bring in top players the club have pursued and been linked with for some time.

Notable players Liverpool have missed out on include Willian, Salah, Konoplyanka, Shaqiri, Alexis Sanchez and most recently, Memphis Depay. Ayre has always defended the club’s transfer policy, stating he is in constant contact with Rodgers and others about potential deals, and the club will not pay over the odds to secure the services of any player.

Klopp for Kop?

One name being touted as a possible replacement for Brendan Rodgers is the highly respected figure of Borussia Dortmund manager Jürgen Klopp. The German will leave in the summer after seven seasons at the club where he twice won the Bundesliga, several domestic cups and a Champions League runner-up in 2012-13. Several reports coming out of Germany suggest he would find it difficult to turn down the chance to manage Liverpool, although Manchester City have also been rumoured to be interested as the future of Manuel Pellegrini is still unresolved.

Rafa return?

The current Napoli boss had a successful six-year spell at Anfield, where he won the Champions League in 2005 and ended a 21 year-long wait for the European cup. The Spaniard won 56% of his matches during his time in charge and also won the FA Cup, FA Community Shield and European Super Cup. Benitez’s agent is very hopeful the Spaniard will soon sign a new deal at the club as his contract expires at the end of the season, but the deal could hinge on Napoli’s chances of Champions League football next season after their semi-final defeat in the Europa League to Dnipro and three points off the final Champions League spot in Serie A with two games remaining.

Uncertainty

Losing Luis Suarez in the summer was always going to be detrimental to Liverpool’s chances of cementing a challenge for the title or finishing in the top four after Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all strengthened. This summer may prove to be one of the most pivotal in the clubs recent history as the club need to offload some of the deadwood and also deal with Raheem Sterling, who is openly seeking a move away to a Premier League rival or a big club abroad. He will also be tasked with replacing the irreplaceable Steven Gerrard as his 17-year career at his boyhood club comes to an end.

Liverpool need a period of stability as they prepare for life without Steven Gerrard, but a manager with league titles on their CV and success in Europe in Klopp and Benitez may tempt the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to oust Rodgers.

Rodgers is an excellent man-manager and is tactically pretty sound, but nonetheless, he is not a household name. His future at the club is most likely safe for now, but Rodgers must ensure he attracts the right calibre of players and balance the squad in order to challenge for the top four and domestic trophies.

Rodgers will hold discussions with the Reds American owners shortly after Liverpool’s final Premier League match of the season away at Stoke on Sunday.