Yesterday’s announcement that Sunderland’s Simon Mignolet has completed a £9million move to Liverpool adds another name to the list of early summer signings at Anfield, along with Kolo Toure, Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto.
Brendan Rodgers’ busy month on Merseyside has surprised many, with the tabloids speculating earlier in the season that the Liverpool gaffer’s room for manoeuvre in the transfer market would be restricted by a rather slim summer budget, suggesting a difficult second campaign for the Northern Irishman.
Yet, so far it seems, that the Reds’ spending power may be limited in comparison to the past, but is by no means so slim that the Rodgers revolution will come to an abrupt end, having to compromise between revamping a squad in ill-health and a lack of financial backing.
The Anfield faithful are undoubtedly delighted with the series of smart signings, however, will the surprisingly high summer investment in new players begin to morph the reality on Merseyside, with fans’ expectations becoming too high?
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We have already seen throughout Rodgers’ inaugural campaign that he is not everybody’s cup of tea. We are a long way from hearing cries of ‘Rodgers out’ ring around the Kop end, yet there have been constant murmurings of discontent from the Anfield faithful, especially before the turn of the year, where the Reds failed to escape the bottom half of the Premier League table.
The fact is, the process of change under Rodgers is coming much slower than the majority of Liverpool fans would wish for. Whilst those outside the club tend to hold the view that the Northern Irishman has made the best out of a difficult situation in getting the Anfield house in order following years of instability, the fan base on Merseyside still hold memories of Champions League qualification, and even Champions League finals, and would prefer to return to former glories sooner rather than later.
Even the Liverpool boss himself has stated that the club’s aim for next season is to chase down the top four and hopefully claim a qualification place at the expense of one of their divisional rivals, a goal which has been further endorsed by a number of players, including skipper Steven Gerrard.
But can the signings of Mignolet, Toure, Aspas and Alberto actually get the Reds back into Europe’s most prestigious cup competition? I recently wrote an article praising Rodgers on his summer transactions, citing that the mixture between ability, age and potential throughout showed a business sense and an ability to spot a good player that has been lacking throughout the tenures of his predecessors.
I still uphold that belief, in addition to the fact I see all four signings as a signal that Liverpool are once again moving in the right direction, yet overall, the new additions are by no means Champions League material.
Iago Aspas has risen from relative obscurity over the past few years to become a star for La Liga side Celta Vigo. He netted 23 goals in 35 appearances during the club’s promotion campaign from the Spanish second tier, whilst last season was his most impressive to date, with 12 goals and 7 assists in the top flight. At £6.7million, it’s clearly a smart piece of business, and the 25 year old certainly has a point to prove after being a late arrival to Europe’s major leagues, but the fact is he by no means a Champions League quality player, and Rodgers will not be expecting the forward to be the difference between finishing up in fifth and fourth place in the Premier League.
Similarly, Kolo Toure is very much a stop-gap acquisition, an attempt to put the issue of Jamie Carragher’s rightful successor on hold for at least another year, and although he provides the Liverpool roster with some much needed experience, with two Premier League titles and three FA Cups on his CV, he will once again not be the kind of player who will single-handedly claim the Reds extra points to close the 12 point margin between themselves and Arsenal this season, whilst Luis Alberto comes with enormous pedigree, but at the age of just 20 and only seven competitive league appearances at top level, he has a long way to go before he is ready to become a first team regular at Anfield.
Simon Mignolet on the other hand, could well prove to have the quality required at a top four club. The Belgium international was sensational last season for the Black Cats, with a number of exceptional displays that even Europe’s top goalkeepers would be proud of. The time is right for him to make the step up to a bigger club, and between the sticks is an area that has undoubtedly cost the Reds at times this season, with Pepe Reina still unable to shake off his knack of individual errors. But players cannot simply transform in quality over-night, and although Mignolet has a bright future ahead of him, the 25 year old is by no means the finished article.
The question is whether or not between them, Aspas, Toure and Mignolet can bridge the current 12 point gap between the Reds and fourth place. In my opinion, they cannot overcome such a vast difference, especially considering the Premier League’s top six, including local rivals Everton, are all expected to spend big this summer following a number of changes in management staff.
Furthermore, the 12 point difference could be much greater should Luis Suarez force a move away from the Premier League. The Uruguayan is determined to leave England behind him and start a-fresh following a string of controversial incidents, including his bite on Branislav Ivanovic, and although his £40million fee would leave adequate enough funds to find a high-quality replacement and maintain the Anfield tradition of a talismanic centre-forward, Suarez’s influence last season is undeniable and irreplaceable.
The 26 year old was the single focal point of Liverpool’s attacking play for the best part of the season, until the arrival of Daniel Sturridge. Everything going forward went through Suarez, with the striker not only instigating attacking moves, but furthermore being the only member of the Reds’ roster seemingly capable of finishing them off.
His 23 goals and 5 assists makes him directly responsible for over a third of Liverpool’s 71 Premier League goals this year, and although Daniel Sturridge is rightly held in high regard at Anfield, the England international is unlikely to be able to immediately fill his strike-partner’s shoes, especially in the big fixtures.
A number of critics have seeked to praise Rodgers’ business this summer. The early approach has allowed the Liverpool boss to bring in the players he wants, and overall at incredibly reasonable fees. But the kind words should not be taken out of context; they are aimed at the Northern Irishman’s abilities in the transfer market, rather than the abilities of his signings.
The Reds still have a long way to go before they can claim to rival Arsenal, Chelsea or even Tottenham in terms of quality and depth, with still too many lacklustre underperformers on the roster, and too many starlets yet to reach their full potential.
The club are certainly moving forward, financially and on the pitch, but a 12 point gap is impossible to breach in the space of one season without an abundance of investment, and the task will be made even more difficult should Liverpool lose their only world-class talent in Luis Suarez.
Next year will be the Premier League’s most unpredictable yet for a number of reasons, and I expect Brendan Rodgers to take advantage of that by closing the gap between Liverpool and the top four, but in terms of Champions League qualification, the Reds are still a few years away.
The blueprint is there however, and the Anfield faithful must remain patient in a talented manager who is slowly but surely pushing the club back where they want to be – it would be a shame to see his tenure was cut short by unrealistic expectations on the part of the incredibly vocal and militant Anfield fan base.
Will Liverpool fans expect too much next season?
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