A look at who could be coming and going at Anfield in this summer’s transfer window.
Out: Pepe Reina
The 30-year-old Spaniard looks past his best at Liverpool, after a great five years or so of service when he signed from Villareal in 2005. He has simply looked far too error prone over the last couple of seasons and has surprisingly found himself as a transfer target for Barcelona, where he started his career as a youngster, as the Catalan giants look for a replacement for the departing Victor Valdes. Brendan Rodgers would be well advised to bite their hand off and take any offer, so he can fix the club’s goalkeeping problem with a better long-term option between the sticks.
Out: Martin Skrtel
The Slovakian centre-back looked a good signing when he joined the club in 2008 from Zenit St Petersburg, but at 28 years of age he does not seem to have progressed into the player he should have been. Brendan Rodgers insists Skrtel still has a future at the club, despite keeping him out of the team behind veteran defender Jamie Carragher for much of the season and targeting a number of central defenders in the transfer window. Skrtel’s time at Anfield looks like it’s over, and a surprise move to Arsenal has been mentioned as a possibility.
Out: Jordan Henderson
Brendan Rodgers will be keen to rid himself of players like Jordan Henderson, who were brought in for ridiculous money by previous manager Kenny Dalglish. Signed for £20million from Sunderland, the 22-year-old has not looked capable of making the step up at a top club like Liverpool, despite some promising displays as a youngster at his former team. There have been signs in recent months that he’s improving, but Liverpool need to lose deadwood players such as this if they are to move forward and launch a real assault on the Premier League’s top four places next season.
Out: Stewart Downing
Many eyebrows were raised (again) when Kenny Dalglish spent an incredible £20million to bring Stewart Downing to Liverpool from Aston Villa. The former Middlesbrough wide man flopped spectacularly in his first season, providing 0 goals and 0 assists in the Premier League, simply abysmal for a player of that kind of price. The 28-year-old has shown some signs of improvement in his second season with the club, but once again Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to lose a player inflicted on him by his predecessor. The club need more ammunition from the wide areas, to provide more chances for star striker Luis Suarez, and to take the pressure off him to score all their goals.
Out: Andy Carroll
The worst of all of Kenny Dalglish’s expensive transfer flops, Andy Carroll has looked nothing like a £35million striker since joining Liverpool from Newcastle, and will now surely be forced out of the club as his style of play and skillset certainly do not fit in with Brendan Rodgers’ way of doing things. The 24-year-old has spent this season on loan at West Ham, and has looked a bit more comfortable in Sam Allardyce’s setup. The Hammers will be hoping they can sign him permanently, though Newcastle are also interested. Liverpool will want to hold out for a decent fee after investing so much in Carroll, but should accept whatever comes their way and move on. They could certainly do with taking his huge wages off their wage bill, which could be spent on a striker of much superior quality.
In: Michel Vorm (Swansea City)
With Reina surely set to exit, Rodgers may target a raid on his old club Swansea for their highly impressive goalkeeper Michel Vorm. The Dutchman has been a revelation since moving to the Premier League and has attracted interest from the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona – all the more reason for Liverpool to sell Reina to Barca, so they don’t beat them to the signing of Vorm. The talented shot-stopper could win a lot of crucial points for the Reds next season, and give them more stability in a backline that has often struggled and conceded poor goals.
In: Ashley Williams (Swansea City)
Another player that Rodgers knows well from his time at Swansea, Ashley Williams would be an excellent replacement for both the retiring Jamie Carragher and the off-form Martin Skrtel. The Swans captain has been in great form for Michael Laudrup’s side this season, leading them to glory in the Capital One Cup and establishing himself as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League. Arsenal are also said to be keen on signing the 28-year-old, so Liverpool should act fast to bring in this experienced and commanding player to shore up their defence.
In: James McCarthy (Wigan Athletic)
Liverpool are said to be interested in this talented young midfielder, who has really impressed for Wigan this season, despite their relegation. The 22-year-old is an all-round central midfielder, who could offer the Reds plenty in terms of shielding their back four, as well as breaking forward and playing in his team-mates. McCarthy should be available following Wigan’s drop to the Championship, as he is certainly someone who should be playing Premier League football. Rumour has it, he could be part of a double Liverpool swoop on Wigan, with young winger Callum McManaman also interesting Brendan Rodgers.
In: Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona)
The Chilean winger could be part of a summer clear-out at the Nou Camp this season, as he just hasn’t found his best form for Barcelona since joining from Udinese for £22million. Barcelona have had a difficult year and are understood to be set to make a number of changes, and he no longer features in Tito Vilanova’s plans. The talented winger, who can also play upfront, was once wanted by Manchester City, and could still be a target for Arsenal and a number of Serie A clubs this summer. Liverpool’s style of play would suit him well, and a move could be just what he needs to get his career back on track. His goals and assists from wide positions would be very useful to Brendan Rodgers indeed, as he surely can’t be any worse than Stewart Downing. Sanchez is still young, just 24, and has still managed 10 goals and 12 assists for Barca this season despite being in and out of the team and at far from his best form.
In: Jackson Martinez (Porto)
The exciting Porto striker has been compared with Colombian team-mate Radamel Falcao, impressing hugely in his first season at the club and attracting interest from both Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund. He has 33 goals in all competitions this season and the deadly finisher would really take a lot of weight off Luis Suarez’s shoulders as Liverpool’s main goal scorer. He may be expensive after this explosive breakthrough season, but this kind of ambitious signing is just what the Reds need to challenge for silverware and the top four again. Liverpool’s interest is genuine, and this could happen if Dortmund turn their attention to Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke, who they also see as a target for replacing Robert Lewandowski. Barcelona’s David Villa may be a decent backup option, and he too has been linked with the Reds, but is currently favourite to join Tottenham.