The Future

Aquilani to AC Milan, El Zhar to Levante, and possible moves for Joe Cole and Christian Poulsen on the horizon means the plethora of midfield players Liverppol supporters were quibbling about pre-season is thinning out nicely. Some supporters are questioning why Aquilani is being loaned out yet again, with an option to buy… haven’t we heard this before is the cry!?! What if Milan decide not buy him at the end of the loan period? I guess in hindsight it proves the folly of buying a consistently injured, though talented, player for £20 million and points directly at the club’s transfer policy at the time.

Players like Sterling and Silva must be blowing a sigh of relief with the movement out of the club – one often wonders if this negative transfer policy hindered the progress of Pacheco and stopped players such as Jay Spearing coming through earlier than they otherwise would have done.

The fallout from Aquilani’s transfer and the increased contracts handed out to fringe players El Zhar, Deggan, and Insua amongst others has moulded the transfer policy of John Henry and the Fenway Sports Group into buying players who will have a sell on value. Therefore, the recent strong rumour of Dalglish interests in Bellamy is not surprising as it seems more a strategic push by Liverpool to bring in a quality support striker who will hit the ground running and provide the team with experience, goals and at a push provide the option to play out wide with his pace (which we still lack in critical areas) and an ability to beat defenders in critical forward positions.

Craig Bellamy - rumours of a Liverpool return (Image: Daily Mail)

His potential signing maybe seen as a negative move by some, but the thinking is understandable and I for one advocated a move for Forlan before his recent move to Inter Milan for the knock down price of 5 million euros, especially with his understanding with Suarez and the fact that he has improved exponentially from his time at Man United. His understanding with Suarez and moves and the potential acquisition of Coates would have, I believe, placed Liverpool in a no lose situation.

Criticism that our transfer policy is misguided is unfounded. Liverpool like many clubs outside Champions League positions are and will find it difficult to pick up world class players. The simple fact is that top class players want to play in the Champions League and as such with the footballing world focusing on the annual tournament it makes complete sense to build for the future. Since January, Liverpool have spent over £100 million pounds (approximately £50 million net if we take into account the Torres and Babel transfers), but considering we finished three places behind Man City and they have spent a similar amount just in preseason with Man United spending over £50 million, we know that we cannot match the spending of the top three, thus it is incumbent on the club to spend wisely and to make sure that the club’s scouting system is unparalleled.

Andy Carroll is being pilloried as some supporter’s believe he doesn’t possess the prerequisite skills to fit into Liverpool’s free-flowing play which destroyed Bolton. His signing, alongside that of Suarez, was at a time when the club had only one recognised striker in Ngog, with Kuyt used more as a wideman. Carroll arrived injured and was patently unfit during the latter half of the season. His starring role against Man City shows just how dangerous he can be when given the right service and that he offer a different mode of attack to the pass and move which has been accentuated by the magnificent movement of Suarez. His still appears, disappointingly short of fitness and just as with most strikers short of goals, confidence is a considerable part of their make-up and is almost certainly why Dalglish appears to be going out of his why to publicly to be support the young striker.

If we do finish in the top four this to my mind would be ahead of schedule and no mean feat. It would have be done by re-introducing a sensible transfer structure and a move back to the ‘boot room’ values of Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Reuben Bennett, Ronnie Moran and Joe Fagan, which Kenny was schooled under as a player and intertwined with the economic common sense and values of the Fenway Sports Group.