A closer look at the acquisitions made by the Anfield side this summer.
Rickie Lambert
From: Southampton
Cost: £4m
Rating: 8/10
Whilst clearly the England man is no spring chicken it’s worth noting that Rickie Lambert displayed some the best form of his career over the past year. Last term the Southampton man bagged a healthy 13 Premier League goals and was the to tier’s third highest assist maker and at £4m this addition is a cost-effective method of adding strength in depth and as a whole is an excellent acquisition.
Find out who are the richest footballers in the Premier League here.
Liverpool Latest: Serie A side show interest in Glen Johnson
Adam Lallana
From: Southampton
Cost: £25m
Rating: 7/10
The cultured midfielder could prove a long term replacement for Steven Gerrard but it may be fair to say that Liverpool may have overpaid for the England man. The 26 year old has a superb campaign last season but is currently sidelined with a knee injury that Brendan Rodgers won’t plague his Anfield career. Undoubtedly a very capable performer but with a fee of £25m the proof will be in the pudding.
Emre Can
From: Bayer Leverkusen
Cost: £9.75m
Rating: 6/10
Very much one for the future but nonetheless a player who failed to make the grade at Bayern Munich and is still to deliver on his apparently ‘obvious’ potential. Dubbed the ‘Next Michael Ballack’ the 20 year old is perhaps more defensively minded than the German legend but could prove to be a player who offers some bite in the centre of the park, not least as Lucas Leiva continues to struggle with knee injury concerns.
Lazar Markovic
From: Benfica
Cost: £19.8m
Rating: 5/10
Another ‘one for the future’ and the price paid seems incredibly steep for a player with one season of medium tier experience, and the Serbian wasn’t even a regular starter for Benfica last term, and the jury is well and truly out as to whether Brendan Rodgers has invested well in the attacker. Likely to play a peripheral role this term.
Dejan Lovren
From: Southampton
Cost: £20m
Rating: 7/10
Initially the Croatian looked unsteady in Liverpool colours but did put in a superb display during his side’s 3-0 win at Tottenham however there may be a sense that £20m is a big price to pay for the Southampton man. Uncompromising customer should, in theory, offer Brendan Rodgers a solid partner for either Martin Skrtel or Mamadou Sakho and the former Lyon man certainly impressed in his debut season at St Mary’s.
Divock Origi
From: Lille
Cost: £10m
Rating: 6/10
Another young talent who is perhaps some way off showing his ability in Liverpool colours, wisely loaned back to Lille for more much needed experience. Origi enjoyed a strong campaign last term and scored at the World Cup finals for Belgium but hard to judge worthiness of the transfer as yet.
Alberto Moreno
From: Sevilla
Cost: £12m
Rating: 8/10
The 22 year old took some time to land but looks a real prospect who will almost certainly lead Jose Enrique to an Anfield exit, his solo goal against Tottenham was Riise-esque. Moreno is likely to make a real impact at Liverpool and will surely be a key part of Spain’s national team set-up for years to come.
Mario Balotelli
From: AC Milan
Cost: £16m
Rating: 9/10
The best signing of the summer proved to be Liverpool’s last, Brendan Rodgers securing a quality experienced performer who will help to fill the void left by the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona. The 24 year old is a proven Premier League performer and the £16m paid should prove to be something of a bargain. The Merseyside outfit will of course have to try their hardest to accommodate
Javier Manquillo
From: Atletico Madrid
Cost: Loan
Rating: 7/10
Brought in to beef up full-back options and the young Spaniard has impressed a great deal and could prove to be a very wise temporary addition who could well end up being a permanent fixture at Anfield. Right-back is certainly a more reliable option to Glen Johnson and one wonders what the future holds for England youngster John Flangan.
Find out who are the richest footballers in the Premier League here.