da 888casino： Liverpool have been surprisingly quiet during the January transfer window, compared to their £110million spending spree last summer.
da esport bet： We’re yet to see a single signing turn up at Anfield, despite the Reds’ current league position of eighth in the Premier League, but there have been a few departures, namely Oussama Assaidi and Suso, who have now joined Al-Ahli and AC Milan respectively.
There’s still three days of the winter window remaining however, and plenty of speculation to suggest Brendan Rodgers could shift even more deadwood before the February 2nd deadline.
With that in mind, here’s a list of the FIVE Liverpool players we’ve speculated to be plying their trade with new clubs, ever permanently or temporarily, by the end of the window.
MARIO BALOTELLI
Brendan Rodgers and Mario Balotelli’s agent have both denied the enigmatic striker will be sold this week after first arriving at Anfield just six months ago.
Yet to get off the mark in the Premier League however – goalless in 760 minutes – and seemingly completely adverse to Liverpool’s high-intensity style, the Reds would undoubtedly let the 24 year-old leave for any club prepared to reimburse their original £16million investment.
That may seem unlikely for a striker that’s never scored more than 14 goals in a domestic campaign and left four of the biggest clubs in Italy and England on sour terms.
But Serie A sides Lazio and Parma have been linked by Mirror Football and NBC Sports respectively, whilst Napoli were mooted as potential suitors earlier in the season. Resultantly, we could see a late swoop for the 24 year-old between now and February 2nd.
FABIO BORINI
Another Italian forward whose Liverpool career could be brought to an abrupt end this month, providing he can actually be convinced to leave Anfield, is hand-biting extraordinaire Fabio Borini.
The Reds tried to offload the 23 year-old to Sunderland and QPR during the summer, accepting bids from both clubs, but to their great surprise, Borini instead decided to profess his manhood on Twitter and fight for his place on Merseyside.
That saw him ostracised from first team affairs for the next few months – in fact, the Italian international’s first Premier League start of the season has come as recently as January 10th, coincidentally, against Sunderland.
He’s been brought back from the fringes in recent weeks, but with Daniel Sturridge now on the verge of full fitness, Borini has become expendable once again – he’s clearly not a fixture in Brendan Rodgers’ long-term plans.
Sunderland were linked with a renewed bid last month, but we’re yet to see anything materialise.
GLEN JOHNSON
With Steven Gerrard set to depart for the MLS, Glen Johnson could well constitute the most experienced player on the Anfield roster come the end of the season.
But the veteran full-back’s contract is now into its final six months and although Brendan Rodgers still hopes an agreement can be reached regarding a new deal, it’s unlikely Liverpool will make a significantly better offer than the £60k per-week package – half of Johnson’s current salary – made earlier in the campaign.
The Reds are relatively well-endowed on the defensive flanks too, through the likes of Jon Flanagan, Alberto Moreno, Javier Manquillo and Jose Enrique, and in fact haven’t even been utilising traditional full-backs for much of the campaign, instead utilising an exotic 3-4-3 formation.
Thus, Johnson would be no huge loss to the Liverpool squad and his frosty relationship with the fanbase is well known.
That suggests the Reds will sell to any club prepared to pay a transfer fee this month. Boyhood club West Ham were linked with such an offer in December, but if a move doesn’t materialise, the England international will be allowed to negotiate pre-contracts with foreign clubs upon the end of the transfer window.
JOSE ENRIQUE
Switching to the opposing defensive flank, we have Liverpool No.3 Jose Enrique, who has made just two starts in the Premier League since recovering from a spate of injuries over the summer.
The 29 year-old is still somewhat shy of the adventurous, attacking and lung-bursting full-back he once was, and with fellow left-back Alberto Moreno proving to be arguably Liverpool’s best value-for-money acquisition of the summer, his path back to the starting XI remains blocked for the foreseeable future.
One mooted solution is a loan move to Crystal Palace, where Enrique would link up Alan Pardew, whom he worked under at Newcastle, but with just 18 months remaining on the Spaniard’s contract, Liverpool would likely entertain offers regarding a permanent departure too.
JON FLANAGAN (LOAN)
News of Jon Flanagan being on the verge of returning to first team affairs at Anfield after missing the last six months with a knee injury will be music to the ears of Liverpool fans – the 22 year-old put in a string of impressive performances at the end of last term, even earning him an England cap ahead of the World Cup.
Having spent so long on the sidelines however and already lacking in top flight experience, a loan to another Premier League side could prove a smart move for the young full-back.
Such a move is yet to be mooted by the tabloids, but plenty of clubs will be prepared to take a punt on the talented prospect, should he be made available.
Liverpool however, may be waiting for Flanagan to extend his contract first, with his current deal set to expire in the summer.