Scouser Summer
StrumSolo > 12/06/2013, 18:14
"It's not easy when you can't make mistakes"
That's Brendan Rodgers talking about Liverpool's transfer activity this summer.
Maybe he meant to say "...any more mistakes".
He should take some credit for Coutinho and Sturridge in January, it's a notoriously difficult time to buy and they both came in and made a real difference in the second half of the season. If you look back to last summer though, a £25m combined spend on Fabio Borini and Joe Allen looks well over the odds, at this stage anyway.
Going back to Kenny Dalglish's dealings, well it hardly needs to be said that £70m laid out on Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson was poor business, even if the latter 2 did come good to an extent last season.
Obviously Rodgers can't be held responsible for those particular signings, but he's played a part in a 2 to 3 year period that could set Liverpool back 5 to 10 years. Without the revenue from the Champions League or the kudos the competition brings, he's having to operate in a transfer market on a completely different (lower) level to their main rivals, the one with the players to get you in the Champions League.
Iago Aspas, the Celta Vigo striker, is about to sign in a £7.7m deal. Not big money and not a big name, but that's the game Liverpool are playing now, and it's a high pressure one. He, and any other players in that bracket, will need to come in, make an instant impact and vastly exceed expectations.
There might be a windfall to be had from selling Luis Suarez, obviously he'd need replacing but you'd imagine there'd be some funds left over for an established name or two. Would Rodgers be better off cashing in and rebuilding?
Whatever happens, he's got a tough job on his hands; with zero room for any more mistakes.