Jürgen Klopp still has a lot of work to do at Liverpool, if he is to guide his side to some major honours over the course of the next couple of years.
The Reds have thrilled fans up and down the country with their attacking, expansive brand of football, but they are by no means the finished article.
Jürgen Klopp will surely be looking to shake things up at Anfield during the January transfer window, as he looks to build a team capable of mounting a sustained challenge for major honours on all fronts.
With this in mind, here is a five point plan for Liverpool’s January transfer window…
1. Sign an established centre-back:
The Merseyside outfit’s poor defensive showings have undermined their hopes of challenging Manchester City for the Premier League title this season. The 20 goals that they have conceded is the joint worst tally out of the teams currently occupying the top seven spots in the division.
Virgil van Dijk is the obvious target, but there are plenty of top notch central defenders out there available, if Klopp is sufficiently backed from a financial perspective.
Roma’s Kostas Manolas and Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez are two viable options for the Reds to consider.
2. Sort out the Philippe Coutinho situation:
The Brazilian play-maker has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona over the past six months, but Liverpool have proven to be steadfast in their desire to keep hold of him.
One way or the other though, something has got to give sooner rather than later, and Klopp must decide whether he wants to keep the 25-year-old or ship him out and bring in a replacement.
Coutinho is still under contract with the Reds until 2022, so Liverpool hold all the cards, although keeping hold of a player who wants to leave could be detrimental to their hopes of success this season.
Either tell him he is staying for the duration of his contract, or sell him to Barcelona…simple.
3. Sign an elite goalkeeper and sell either Karius or Mignolet:
Simon Mignolet
Liverpool’s two goalkeepers are average at best. That may sound harsh, but the amount of mistakes that both of them make only leads to more panic in what is an already fragile back-line at Anfield.
Signing a top class goalkeeper in January will be far from easy, but not impossible.
Kevin Trapp is hardly getting a look-in at Paris Saint-Germain, whilst Bernd Leno’s future at Bayer Leverkusen remains uncertain.
Either of those two stoppers would represent astute signings for the Reds.
4. Attempt to tie down Emre Can to a new deal:
The Germany international has just six months remaining on his current deal at Anfield, and it is looking ever more likely that he will leave the club either in January or next summer on a free transfer.
The 23-year-old has showcased his tremendous ability on a consistent basis for Klopp’s side over the past 18 months, and it would be a real blow for Liverpool, should they lose him over the course of the next six months.
With this in mind, they should offer him whatever he is demanding, in order to keep him on Merseyside for the foreseeable future.
5. Consider signing another left-back:
Whilst Alberto Moreno has made vast improvements this season, it is clear to see that Klopp still does not have 100 per cent faith in the Spaniard.
Andrew Robertson has proved to be an able deputy in the left-back role, but if Liverpool truly want to challenge for major honours, the addition of a world class left-sided defender will be of paramount importance.
Borussia Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro would be a fantastic option for them, as would Napoli’s Elseid Hysaj.
Either of those two names would be undoubted upgrades upon what Klopp already has at his disposal.
It will obviously be very hard work for Liverpool to accomplish all five parts of that plan, but if they could somehow manage to do it, Klopp’s side would undoubtedly be in a far stronger position to bring the glory days back to Anfield.
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