Are the Reds wise to splash £9m on a 32-year-old…?
SEE ALSO: The 50 best players at the 2014 World Cup.
Liverpool look set to complete a £9m move for 32-year-old striker Rickie Lambert on a two year contract.
Although the Englishman has done well over the duration of the past two Premier League seasons, his age and lack of top level experience has called many Reds fans to question the sense of the imminent transfer…
CaughtOffside has looked at five strikers from around Europe who could have perhaps provided a better alternative.
The Reds are essentially looking for a backup striker to Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez, and any of these five impressive forwards could have provided a younger option to Lambert.
5) Seydou Doumbia – CSKA Moscow
Doumbia tore the Russian league apart this season. He scored 18 goals in 18 starts in their top flight, and also notched two in the Champions League – proving he’s capable of playing in the elite competition for Liverpool next term. At 26-years-old, he’s in his striking prime, and the Ivorian would no doubt be keen to test his mettle in the world’s most watched and most competitive league. He’s quick, and an excellent finisher, similar in style to Daniel Sturridge.
4) Alexandre Lacazette – Lyon
Lacazette would provide Liverpool with a central striker option, as well as a left-winger, as the Frenchman is comfortable in both positions. In Ligue 1 last season, he scored 15 goals, causing defences problems with his consistently devastating pace. In this respect, he seems far more suited to Liverpool’s counter attacking style than Lambert – and at 23-years-old, has a sell-on value too.
3) Vincent Aboubakar – Lorient
The 22-year-old Cameroonian has experience beyond his years, can hold up the ball, and would provide the powerful, aerial bench option Lambert does. He notched 16 in France last term, impressing suitors with his ability to beat a man with dribbling. His dynamism and physicality means that more so than Lambert, he could really take a game by the scruff of the net from the bench if Suarez or Sturridge had failed to.
2) Loic Remy – QPR
The French striker who spent last season on loan at Newcastle has an £8m release clause, so would actually be cheaper than Lambert. He scored 14 top flight goals last term, and like the rest of this list, is younger and quicker than Southampton’s 32-year-old. However, Remy would unlikely be content with a place on the bench, while Lambert, a boyhood Liverpool fan, would.
1) Carlos Vela – Real Sociedad
The 25-year-old Mexican was once rated as one of the most promising players in world football, during his spell in the Arsenal academy. It never truly worked for him in England the first time out, but after a 16 goal season in Spain, it looks as though the striker is finally fulfilling his undeniable potential. What’s more, he can play in attacking midfield, and has all the technical and creative attributes Rodgers loves his attackers to possess.
