Wonderful winger could enhance an already excellent Liverpool attack…
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Liverpool are being strongly linked with a move for PSG star Ezequiel Lavezzi, and have apparently made an £18m bid for the 29-year-old winger.
Here’s what he could bring to Anfield if a transfer was finalised.
5) Experience
Brendan Rodgers has an extremely talented bunch to work with in 2014/15, but they’re very young. Coutinho is 22, Raheem Sterling is only 19, new signing Lazar Markovic is 20, and spearhead forward Daniel Sturridge is still 24… Even a more senior member of the starting XI like Jordan Henderson is still just 24 as well. At 29, Lavezzi is in his peak years, and while he would unlikely provide any sell on value, he could offer two or three of his best years to the club.
4) Speed
Just like Sterling, Sturridge, Markovic, Coutinho and Ibe, Lavezzi is rapid. This enables him to be extremely dangerous on the counter attack, offer an option in behind the defence, and force the opposition to back off him.
3) Champions League pedigree
The Reds are going into their first Champions League season since 2009/10, but only Steven Gerrard really has lengthy experience of competing in the competition. Lavezzi does too, having reached the quarter-finals with PSG for consecutive seasons. In 2013/14, he scored twice in Europe, and assisted three goals as well.
2) Versatility
Along with pace and intelligence, Rodgers demands that his attackers are comfortable in various formations and positions on the field. Lavezzi is equally effective on the right as he is on the left, and has also played centrally or more than one occasion for both PSG and his former club Napoli.
1) Superb strength in depth
Last season, Liverpool only had teenager Raheem Sterling and the hapless loanee Victor Moses as genuine wide options. If Lavezzi joins, they’ll have the exceptional Argentine, Sterling, new signing Adam Lallana, new signing Lazar Markovic, as well as the rapidly developing wonderkid Jordon Ibe all capable of playing on the left or the right. Wonderful options.