Liverpool have the Champions League to play next season and it seems that the management is aware of the situation. Liverpool gravely lacked squad depth and it could have harmed their prospects in both the league and the Champions League. With that in mind, Liverpool have already brought in two players with the third player’s transfer imminent.
Rickie Lambert was the first to join the Reds and he is more than a useful player in the srikeforce. There will be times when Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge will be injured and in those days Lambert can do the trick. If the rumours are to believed then Liverpool have already sealed a deal for Alberto Monero of Sevilla. He is one of the most potent left backs at the moment and can serve the club for a long period of time in the future.
But yesterday Liverpool made the announcement of signing Emre Can from Leverkusen and it will be completed in short time after the paper works. Emre Can is a former Bayern Munich player who joined Leverkusen last season and has already proved his worth for the club. Primarily a defensive midfielder, Can also doubles up as a left back in times of needs. It is this versatility that attracted Rodgers and he made a move for the youngster.
This season Liverpool struggled badly in the defensive midfield position. The once dependable Lucas Leiva is not the same player anymore and he has hardly played this season. As a result Liverpool had to play Steven Gerrard in that position this term and he has not really commanded that place. Gerrard has always had that attacking instinct in him and that hampered the defence of the team when the opposition pressed in full. This helped the other teams score freely against Liverpool and finally that can be credited with their loss of the Premier League title.
Considering all these, a defensive midfielder was call of the hour and in Emre Can Liverpool have managed to find one. The 20 year old is a physical player and can dominate the English Premier League, something which is extremely essential in his place. So far Liverpool have had a timid attitude and they have struggled against much physical sides such as Stoke and Crystal Palace, something which should change now with the transfer of Can. Most importantly, it will be able to give Gerrard the freedom to move forward and operate in the opposition’s half.
The stats show that Can has won 54% of the average duels this season, which is remarkable for a player of his age in the Bundesliga. He has also made 4 defensive actions per match and this is mostly due to the fact that he has played in the left back for most of the season. But Can still has only 78% average passing accuracy, which needs to improve if he is to reach that big league.
Emre Can is far from a finished product and at Liverpool he has to spend a lot of time on the bench, but slowly and steadily he can reach the heights and carry the weight of the club on his shoulders.