The bargain signing of Liverpool’s summer?

Early on in the summer when it was clear that Liverpool were in the market for a quality left-back a number of names began to arise. There was Arsenal’s Gael Clichy who ended up at Manchester City and Celtic’s Emilio Izaguirre who suffered a serious injury and probably wont be back before Christmas. Then there was more left-field choices like Benfica’s Fabio Coentrao who ended up at Real Madrid.

Although most of the names listed in conjunction with the left-back position at Liverpool belonged to quality players, I believe that they ended up signing the best possible player for the job in the form of Jose Enrique.

He was absolutely superb once more against United at the weekend, showcasing both the offensive and defensive side of his game.

Defensively he’s been a rock. He’s very difficult to get past, well built and will usually win in battles of strength and determination and can also put in a good tackle. Despite his stocky build he’s surprisingly pacey and can usually keep up with whoever is attacking him down the wing.

This in combination with his excellent reading of the game and his technical ability make him very difficult to contend with.

I’m particularly impressed with his crossing ability. It was my belief that Downing and Henderson were brought to the club to provide ammunition for the likes of Andy Carroll, but it seems the man actually providing the chances is Enrique. He flashed in a couple of great balls at the weekend and I’d like to see more Liverpool players making runs into the box to attempt to connect with his crosses.

It may well be early days in his Liverpool career but he already seems to have improved on his Newcastle days and he must be up there with Leighton Baines vying for the role of number one left-back in the Premier League.

Considering that Enrique was said to have cost Liverpool around £6m and Baines would have cost upwards of £15m I’d say the club picked up a genuine bargain. He’s got real quality and I struggle to see any player who could have been brought in for a similar price and provided as much as Enrique has and will do.

Surely he’s Liverpool’s bargain signing of the summer?

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