Since Brendan Rodgers first took the Liverpool helm in summer 2013, only one criticism has truly stuck; the Ulsterman’s overspending in the transfer market.
Not only has Rodgers forked out a whopping £211million on largely unspectacular players during the last five transfer windows, but he’s also failed to land a single marquee signing – the kind of statement of intent in the transfer market the Anfield fanbase desperately crave.
Plenty have crossed Rodgers’ transfer crosshairs; Henrikh Mkyhitaryan, who joined Borussia Dortmund instead, Alexis Sanchez, who snubbed Merseyside for north London, Diego Costa, who stayed on at Atletico Madrid for another year, winning the La Liga title, before moving to Chelsea, and Willian, who also opted for Stamford Bridge over Anfield, to name but a few.
It’s an issue the Liverpool gaffer is well aware of, earlier in the season declaring the club must work ‘harder and smarter‘ in the transfer market to land top-end players. Not every bite-sized acquisition turns into a Daniel Sturridge or Philippe Coutinho – just ask Iago Aspas, Rickie Lambert or Fabio Borini – and if the Merseysiders are to re-emerge as top four regulars any time soon, they’ll have to sign a recognised star of proven quality; if not to improve the starting Xi, then for the psychological uplift such a signing would provide.
So amid reports that the Reds will be offered Manchester United’s on-loan striker Radamel Falcao this summer, courtesy of the Daily Mail – interestingly, simultaneous with comments that he’d leave Old Trafford if it meant more first team football – a significant section of the club’s fan base are rather excited.
This is, after all, the king of the Europa League, the top scorer of the tournament for 2011 and 2012, who boasts a potent career return of 225 goals in 375 appearances throughout his spells with River Plate, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Monaco and the Colombian national team. He’s the real deal, apparently being offered to Liverpool on a silver platter, and Brendan Rodgers is a well-known fan, having courted the clinical striker last summer prior to his United switch.
Yet, the more the potential deal is considered, the less, in my opinion, it makes sense. No doubt, Falcao was the best striker in Europe a few seasons ago, netting 70 times in just 91 appearances for Atletico, but he’s now a crocked front-man, aged 29, that can’t get a game at Manchester United amid a rather unspectacular run of just 17 goals in his last 41 league appearances, including only four in 16 for the Red Devils.
Falcao fans will argue the Monaco move in summer 2013 was always a poisoned chalice, and the striker is now being treated somewhat unfairly by Louis van Gaal, yet to be issued enough game-time to truly settle into the starting Xi due to the United gaffer’s favouritism towards club captain Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, the skipper of his successful Oranje tenure.
But Falcao’s never quite been the same player since his mysterious thigh injury in November 2013, soon followed by a knee injury in January 2014 that ruled him out of last summer’s World Cup. Aged 29, you have to wonder whether he’ll ever come close to revitalising the goal-scoring powers of old.
Likewise, Falcao’s incompatibility with the physical demands of the Premier League has only become increasingly obvious throughout his Old Trafford stay. Whilst the majority of strikers in the English top flight offer height, power or speed, Falcao’s an alarmingly static, lethargic presence, unable to stretch opposition defences – in the manner Daniel Sturridge or Raheem Sterling often do for Liverpool – or bully centre-halves on the ground or in the air.
You can still see the South American’s class seep through on occasion, and regular partnerships with Robin van Persie, another clinical finisher composed of almost identical strengths and flaws, have done him little favours this season. In comparison, the pace Liverpool could surround him with would create a rather different dynamic, allowing the striker to focus on what he does best – scoring goals.
Yet, the risk on Liverpool’s part cannot be ignored – parallel to Brendan Rodgers’ punt on Mario Balotelli but likely at even greater financial cost. After all, Monaco need to reclaim as much of their original £53million investment as possible before Falcao becomes too aged, so any potential loan deal will involve a significant fee.
Although he’s the star-studded name the fans desperately crave, he’s not the signing Liverpool desperately need.