Liverpool have been told they need just two signings to become a force again, with pundit Garth Crooks naming England duo Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham as the players they need.
The Reds have endured a disappointing season, but lifted the mood yesterday by thrashing bitter rivals Manchester United 7-0 at Anfield.
It was a memorable performance, with Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez scoring two goals each, showing that the future looks bright in Jurgen Klopp’s attack, even after the summer exit of Sadio Mane, and with Roberto Firmino also confirmed as being set to leave at the end of this season.
Still, this mustn’t paper over the cracks at Liverpool, who surely need to make changes in the middle of the park as the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner and Thiago Alcantara have generally not been good enough this season, while both Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are set to be out of contract in the summer.
Discussing what LFC need, Crooks made it clear he felt Rice and Bellingham could propel the club back to being a force in Europe.
“Since the departure of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich, Liverpool fans have been patiently waiting to see a replacement they could embrace. I think Gakpo might be that player. The former PSV striker has settled in to his role at Anfield seamlessly and in a manner of weeks,” Crooks wrote in his BBC Sport column.
“He is composed in front of goal and a team player – both very much in the image of Mane. Much has been said about where Liverpool currently are as a team and whether they might be on the decline. Well, not on this performance.
“United were undressed by Liverpool and there are only two things stopping Liverpool from becoming a major European force again: their names are Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.”