Liverpool certainly haven’t set the Premier League alight this season. Excluding their 5-2 thrashing of struggling Norwich last week, Liverpool have scored 4 goals in 6 games in the league and are currently struggling down in 14th place. After the loan departure of Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez has been forced to spend most of his time as the lone striker and although Suarez is a very skilful footballer, his finishing can leave a lot to be desired. Suarez needs someone ahead of him who can be the focal point of the team and I feel Liverpool need to find this player in January or risk being stuck in the bottom half of the Premier League all season. Liverpool’s budget doesn’t stretch very far, yet they still desperately need to add goals to their team. I believe there are two fairly cheap options they could explore.
First is Burnley striker Charlie Austin who is currently tearing Championship defences apart scoring 14 goals already this season as part of a team that is more likely to be relegated then promoted. Austin, 23, is a natural goalscorer with plenty of time to improve and although he may have to adapt to a new style of football, goal scorers like Austin are incredibly rare in football and will fit into any team around the country.
Second is Gary Hooper who would probably cost more than Austin, but this is because he is coming from a bigger, more financially stable club and has recently proven himself in the Champions League. Celtic striker Hooper (and Liverpool transfer target) is another player that is playing a league of lower standards than the Premier League, but has shown composure and goalscoring ability that can’t be found easily. In my opinion, Hooper is the outstanding player in a poor league in Scotland at the moment and deserves a chance to test himself against the best and push for an England call up.
In the Premier League, the number of chances each team gets is very low and this means each team has to have players that spark into life inside the box and turn half chances into game changing goals. Liverpool are no longer a club that can attract the biggest names from across Europe, as players like Falcao and Cavani would only leave their current club for Champions League football. This means if Liverpool take on a young English striker in the mould of Austin or Hooper, it would not only be accessible with the club’s financial restrictions, but would also give them a chance to create a new fans’ favourite and world renowned goal scorer.
What’s your take? Are these the kind of players that the Reds should be after?
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