In:
Goalkeeper.
Following Simon Mignolet's penalty saving heroics in the dying moments of the previous campaign's opening day tie against Stoke, the main part of the reds faithful were labelling the Belgian as Liverpool's number one for many years to come. Whilst already showing signs of it in his first season at the club, the 26 year old's decision making and handling at times is something of a major concern for the boss, and a factor that has seemingly exacerbated as this season's fixtures have gone by. His shot-stopping has never been questioned, however Brendan will look to bring in a new face to contend the Belgian for the coveted number one spot.
Iker Casillas (33, Goalkeeper, Real Madrid)
Now, this could prove more likely than most people would perceive it to be. After Victor Valdes' move to Melwood somehow failing, arch rivals Manchester United could be the ones who relish and pounce on the free agent, which may result into the departure of David De Gea to Real Madrid. Thus we arrive to Iker Casillas. The 33 year old has endured quite a torrid couple of years, after falling out with current and past managers at the club. A move to Liverpool and a fresh start for Iker could be exactly what the doctor ordered, and the experience the Spaniard brings to the fray will undoubtedly boost the confidence within the squad, and hopefully produce a reaction from our current first choice man between the sticks.
Central Midfielder.
Let us face the facts, Steven Gerrard is not the player he once was. The 34 year old is not the player who headed in the first of three comeback goals in Istanbul nine years ago, or the man who netted a last-minute screamer past a hapless-looking Shaka Hislop in Cardiff. Last season's 'slip' did not aid him obviously, however the captain's age plays a larger part than any past errors. With our supposed replacement in Emre Can yet to find his feet at the club, Brendan may look at this position as one to further strengthen in the New Year.
Alex Song (27, Central Midfielder, Barcelona - On Loan at West Ham)
The Cameroon international, who is currently on loan at Prem high-flyers West Ham from La Liga giants Barcelona was linked with the reds in summer, however the boss elected to keep Lucas Leiva and settle with the Brazilian in the centre of his midfield. One of Brendan's many summer mistakes, in my opinion. The 27 year old holds a trait that neither Lucas or Emre Can possess, and that is a commanding leadership within the core of the midfield. As we are witnessing at the moment, Song is on leaps and bounds with West Ham. With this being said, can Brendan negotiate a deal with Barcelona, one that would cancel the midfielder's loan spell in London, and swap it with a move to Merseyside? Highly unlikely, yet not an impossibility.
Attacking Midfielder/Striker.
....And so the list begins. Brendan Rodgers felt pretty content with his five attacking options leading up to the commencement of the season; Balotelli, Sturridge, Lambert, Borini, and Markovic. Three of them have been extremely disappointing, one is constantly injured, and the other never seems to be given the chance he so rightly warrants. To the present day now, three months into the season, and the rumour mill is spinning franticly yet again, with strikers across the four corners of the globe being linked with the red of Liverpool.
Marco Reus (25, Attacking Midfielder/Winger, B.Dortmund)
I may as well start with the best of the bunch in Marco Reus. If ever there is a player in world football to bring in to boost the confidence within the squad, it is the silky German star. Following Borussia Dortmund's astonishing start to the Bundesliga, which leaves them rooted to the foot of the table, us reds' fans may feel slightly more optimistic regarding the capture of Reus. Two clubs in Dortmund and Liverpool, who were in the peak of their game last season, have both fallen substantially this time around, which may result into Klopp selling his star man. Perhaps the admiration Klopp possesses for the Anfield club will act as a sweetener of sorts for the luring of the play maker. The 40 million pound price tag being brandished about will undoubtedly shy Brendan away from a deal, particularly after our near-disastrous summer 2014 spenditure.
Divock Origi (19, Striker, Liverpool - On Loan at Lille)
Now, this superstar you would have definitely heard of in the past. The reason being, of course, that the 19 year old Belgian is in fact contracted to Liverpool. The only slight problem? His contract on Merseyside does not commence until the summer of 2015, and after witnessing a couple of his recent showings in Ligue 1 and on the international stage for Belgium, Rodgers must be livid with oneself after not securing the young man's services permanently.
"I just wanted to clarify after today's press reports that I will continue to give my all for Lille (...) I am very much looking forward to joining Liverpool from next season."
That quote pulled off from Origi's official Twitter account all but dampened any premature hopes and speculation regarding an early start at Anfield. Stranger things have happened however, and with goals such as this, how could you not be looking at the future optimistically?
Saido Berahino (21, Striker, West Brom)
From one young promising striker on to another, this time in the form of the on-fire West Brom striker, Berahino. The 21 year old has been in scintillating form thus far this season, netting an impressive seven goals in eleven Premier League fixtures till present. The Englishman has the world at his feet at such a young age. The only problem being, that he is in fact English. The occurring issue regarding English players and their worth has dragged on for many a year, and this case does not prove any different. The fee being talked about is 25 million, which may cause Brendan to hesitate a little in regard to making an offer. Signing a 'young unproven talent' for a large sum has not been one of Rodgers' strong points since his arrival, and risking it again will not be on the bosses mind, regardless of how talented young Saido is.
Karim Benzema (26, Striker, Real Madrid)
The scorer of the winning goal that crushed Liverpool's 'B' team's hearts a couple of weeks ago, Benzema is on fire for 'Los Blancos' this season, netting eleven times thus far, which included both home and away fixtures against Brendan's men. With this being said, the French goal-poacher has recently revealed he is pondering a move away from the club, which has sparked wild rumours that Merseyside may be the perfect destination for the 26 year old. I myself can not agree more with that statement. The reds' 'marquee' signing Mario Balotelli has failed to live up to the hype he brought a long with him, and Benzema will unquestionably fill that current void up-front. One may argue that the Frenchman may find it difficult to cope with the hustle and bustle of the English game, however this I highly doubt. The 26 year old possesses the experience and quality up-front of which will give reds' fans worldwide something to finally be cheery about, following a gloomy start to the campaign.
Out:
In contrast to the summer, where the departure list seemed to go on an eternity, the 'out' section this time around is somewhat shorter. As a matter of fact, it is extremely succinct, as it includes the names of just three players. Brendan won't be losing sleep where offloading is concerned. There may be one or two on the way out, and thus I will give my say on the possibilities nonetheless.
Glen Johnson (Sell)
However brief this list may seem, the first of my options is a player that is widely tipped to be on the way out of Anfield come January. Whilst not being a favourite amongst reds fans at the moment, Glen Johnson's performances of late have indeed been extremely poor and lacklustre. The once ever-so reliable full back has made far too many errors both defensively and attack wise. It seems the sale of Luis Suarez has further impacted the 30 year old's performances, as he and the ex-Uruguayan icon linked up very well on that right hand side at times. So, what exactly has gone wrong for the Englishman? We will never know, however, what we do know is that, with Flanagan returning promptly from a long-term injury, and our loanee Spaniard Manquillo playing relatively well whilst covering for the Englishman, Rodgers may seek to offload Johnson sooner rather than later, as Juventus look ready to pounce for the experienced defender.
Suso (Loan)
The young play maker looked almost certain to leave Liverpool on loan last summer, however, the 21 year old instead planned on fighting for his place, which similar to Fabio Borini's case, looks quite an error in judgement made. Young Suso has yet to spark into the player we have regarded so highly since his arrival in 2010, and a loan away to a somewhat 'lesser team', which will then accumulate into more game time, would be exactly what is required for the Spaniard. Whenever a chance with Brendan's first eleven has come his way, he has embraced it with open arms and conjured up a performance that has left us intrigued to see more of the silky midfielder. This is why selling the youngster will prove to be a colossal error made by the boss, and downright stupidity.
Brad Jones (Sell)
This possible offloading may hinder on whether a new goalkeeper is brought into the club or not. The 32 year old has been a faithful servant of Liverpool for many years, and whilst never making that step up to the first team a permanent one, Jones has seemed content on playing second fiddle to the likes of Pepe Reina and Mignolet. If Brendan does opt to further strengthen his goalkeeping options, I see no reason why we should keep the Australian. There is no questioning the 32 year old's deep love and admiration for the club and the city, however, as we see a person who has been through a lot where his personal life is concerned.
As we reach the conclusion of the month of November, and the start of the festive period of Christmas, we look forward to the reds' next match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. (More importantly, we look forward to the end of this dreadful international break). As I highly doubt Brendan will commit to further strengthening his squad in January, I yet remain optimistic, especially following the continuous injury mishaps concerning Daniel Sturridge. "Bad Times Ahead" is what is playing through most reds' fans minds at the moment, that and "Rodgers Out" and "We Hate The International Break".
Let us all hope, for Liverpool Football Club's sake, January arrives and we remain fighting in the top half of the table, or there and there about.
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YNWA
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