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The January transfer window is officially open.
Clubs across the country, and across Europe as well, will be busy scouting the market and looking to attract new faces as they look to make a late charge in the second half of the season. But will Liverpool be one of those clubs?
Due to the nature of the evolution of modern football over the past two decades, transfers dominate the headlines even when we are not in a window. And in the case of Liverpool, there has been persistent talk of the need for the club to do business in the new year.
Well, 2021 is here and now Jürgen Klopp has the rest of the month to reinforce his squad for the second half of the campaign, or even decide to let some current team members out. So what should Liverpool do?
Let’s take a look at the top three priorities that should be on Klopp’s to-do list this month.
Sign to a central
This is a pretty obvious one to start with. Liverpool need a central, that simple.
As much as Klopp and the noises coming out of the club say differently, there is no doubt that they will be eager to strengthen the heart of the defense this month. It is the mark of what makes a good team, a great team.
Liverpool have become champions of the Premier League, Europe and the World by not standing still and, when it is absolutely necessary to make a transfer, they have done so. History tells us that with Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Fabinho and more recently Diogo Jota.
Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips have done commendable jobs since joining the team in place of Van Dijk and Joe Gomez, but are they good enough to keep Liverpool in the running to win the league or delve into the Champions League? That’s a question only Klopp and his team can answer.
Liverpool have a chance this season to win big trophies in a single season, despite having pretty high and low results over the course of the campaign. January could well dictate who takes the big step to win the biggest prizes, and Klopp must make sure the club doesn’t stand still and get overtaken.
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Say goodbye to Origi
Another seemingly obvious decision, but it seems the time has come to part ways with Divock Origi. This is not a decision to be made lightly, after all, he will be considered a Liverpool legend for what he has done for the club.
But even in the past with the great teams that have passed, they have always been able to take emotion out of the equation and sell a player when they know the time is right. That moment has come for Origi.
It seemed like an odd decision 18 months ago to hand him a new five-year contract, but it can be understood given how he helped the club win the Champions League. That said, it’s fair to say that things haven’t been going very well since then.
Goals have massively dried up, and he has only one to his name in all competitions this season. And it also seems that Klopp’s faith in the striker has waned, as he has only chosen to use him in three league games and none of them as a starter.
If a fair offer appears this month for Origi, then Liverpool would do well to listen and consider letting the Belgian leave Anfield. It would help fund deals for the club and also allow Origi to start her career elsewhere.
Solve Wijnaldum replacement
The optimist in me hopes that Gini Wijnaldum’s long-term future remains at Anfield, that the two sides can reach an agreement to extend his stay at the club. Sadly, if it hasn’t been resolved by now, it likely isn’t.
He would like to think that the club will know one way or another by now, and if Wijnaldum is not going to stick around beyond this summer, then there needs to be a plan. The way Liverpool have carried out their transfer business under the management of Klopp is very pragmatic and may have been thought out months in advance.
If Wijnaldum sticks, great, but if not, the club must decide how they will replace him. The easy answer is to say that they are going to keep what they have and that they hope Curtis Jones can go one step further and fill the void, but is that the mark of a great team?
Jones will be a great player, no question about that, but he and Wijnaldum are very different in the way they have an effect on this Liverpool team. With all due respect to the teenager, it would take a new signing for the club to maintain its high standards.
That’s easier said than done, of course. Wijnaldum is a unique player in the sense that not many, if any, can do what he does. Replacing him will not be easy, and it will likely cost a lot of money to find someone who is close to his level.
Liverpool is not an easy job, but they need to have a plan this month, one way or another.
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