Bradley Barcola has made seven appearances for France’s Under-21s.placeholder image
Bradley Barcola has made seven appearances for France’s Under-21s. | AFP via Getty Images
Liverpool still have a lot to play for this season and, with these signings, the Champions League could become a reality.
Liverpool might be out of the running for the Premier League, barring a miracle, not that Arne Slot will be downing tools any time soon.
The FA Cup would be warmly recieved, however, if the Reds boss could follow up his league title success in season one with a Champions League in season two, the critics would be well and truly silenced.
It is as close as it has ever been and harder than for a long time to predict a winner with Arsenal competing on four fronts and having no experience of winning and Bayern Munich losing to the league leaders 3-1. Paris Saint Germain aren’t anywhere near the level they were last season and Real Madrid are in a state of crisis after the departure of Xabi Alonso.
How Liverpool could win the Champions League
What puts Liverpool in a strong position, is that they can afford to rest players at the weekend for domestic action and still make the top four which gives them a better chance of winning European games in mid-week. Only Bayern could be considered as having a similar luxury, given that they are 11 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga after just 17 games. It isn’t a case of putting all their eggs into one basket, but they wouldn’t be the first team to win the Champions League after being nowhere near contention in their domestic league. If Liverpool do want to go all the way though, they will need to strengthen in areas that have looked vulnerable recently.
The refusal of Ibrahima Konate to sign a new contract after over a year of negotiations makes it look like the France international won’t be at Anfield next season. Why run the risk of signing a replacement in the summer after the World Cup and then rushing to get them up to speed when the season kicks off. Make the signing now so that, with reduced pressure of winning the league, they can settle in and strengthen the defence for European nights.
It is the same on the wing. Salah is likely to stay until the end of the season, but there would be more pressure for his replacement if he signs during the summer rather than signing now. Being one of several options rather than being labelled as Salah 2.0 could easy their introduction and also keep one of Liverpool’s biggest threats sharper for more meaningful games.
The midfield is all but set with new contracts being discussed for almost all of the regular starters, however, a ‘proper’ no.6 or deep-lying playmaker should be on Richard Hughes’ shopping list. Signing one in January could be the edge that is needed to win the Champions League.
Who could Liverpool sign for Champions League assault?
In terms of targets, the centre of defence is a no-brainer now that Marc Guehi is on his way to Man City. Having earned praised from fans, pundits and his manager, Malick Thiaw has settled into the Premier League without any difficulty at all. Not only is he physically dominant, but he is comfortable in possession and has the pace needed to be a success at an elite level. Pair him with Virgil van Dijk and watch the defence become more robust overnight. The skipper would no longer need to have one eye on his error-prone partner for a start.
With plenty of energy already, Liverpool need balance in midfield, a player who can dictate. In terms of value for money, at a reported £60m gentleman’s agreement fee, Adam Wharton is incredible. He has the composure, passing range and vision to make a real difference and free up those around him. There is an eerie similarity to how Xabi Alonso used to go about his business.
On the wing, if Liverpool want a Salah replacement, the statistics suggest that Bradley Barcola, who has been linked already, is the man for the job. No longer top dog at Paris Saint-Germain despite over 20 goals and over 20 assists last season, he would bring Champions League winning experience to Liverpool’s attack.
This is how Liverpool could line up on their way to the continent’s biggest prize: Alisson, Frimpong, Kerkez, Van Dijk, Guehi, Wharton, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Wirtz, Ekitike, Barcola
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