Liverpool backed to move for ‘bemused’ Tottenham forward
John Aldridge believes Liverpool should sign either Lucas Moura or Wilfried Zaha this summer.
Liverpool have history of making excellent signings after winning the Champions League, and will look to repeat that after their success over Tottenham earlier this month.
Former striker Aldridge hopes they rub salt into north London wounds by making a move for Moura, who he believes will be ‘bemused’ at not starting the final after his hat-trick in the semi-final against Ajax.
Zaha is also named as a potential target for a free-scoring club who apparently still need ‘a top class centre-forward’.
‘Jurgen Klopp should look to strengthen a couple of key positions in his Liverpool squad this summer and the first should be in the forward line,’ he wrote in his Sunday World column.
‘It seems crazy to suggest a side that has just won the Champions League and collected 97 points in the Premier League title race last season need to spend big to bolster their attacking options, but I have felt for some time that a top class centre-forward would give this Liverpool team an extra dimension.
‘Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane cemented their status as Liverpool legends by playing a role in the Champions League final win against Tottenham in Madrid three weeks ago, but this great team could be enhanced by a striker who would offer them some alternative firepower.
‘Klopp’s first choice front three are arguably the finest attacking unit in European football when they are on fire, yet there were times when they were off the boil last season and others needed to step in and save the day. Daniel Sturridge was that man as he came up with a brilliant late goal to salvage a point against Chelsea at the start of the season and Divock Origi was an unlikely saviour as he came up with the match-winning contributions when it looked like points were about to slip away.
‘With Sturridge leaving the club and his huge wages coming off the weekly bill, it opens up the opportunity for Klopp to sign an out-and-out goalscorer who could offer something different if one of the front three is injured or out of form. Antoine Griezmann has been mentioned as a possible target, but he would be a very expensive option as his transfer fee and wages would be extravagant for a player who would expect to start every week.
‘So I wonder whether Lucas Moura could be prised away from Tottenham, as he had to be a little bemused to be left out of their Champions League final starting line-up after he scored a fantastic hat-trick in the semi-final against Ajax. Moura is a tricky forward who could slot into the team if any of the front three were out and the same could be said of his team-mate Son Heung-min, although I would be surprised if Spurs allowed the South Korean to leave after his outstanding season.
‘It may be that Klopp and his excellent team of scouts have an ace up their sleeves as they look for an extra striker, with their signings over the last couple of years confirming they tend to get things right when they bring players to Anfield, so I’m confident they will get this one right. Maybe they should look into the possibility of recruiting Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace, who is rumoured to have made it clear he wants to move on to play Champions League football.
‘Zaha has given Liverpool some real problems in the last couple of years and Klopp’s ability to turn talents of his type into consistent performers has to make him the kind of player who could thrive at Anfield. Transfer fees and wages will be an issue for Liverpool. They won’t pay the kind of crazy money on offer at clubs being fuelled by owners using up spare change from their country’s old business to play fantasy football. So while I said in last week’s Sunday World that a deal to sign Virgil van Dijk’s Dutch central defensive partner Matthijs de Ligt would be great for Liverpool, the money he and his agent appear to be demanding means he will end up elsewhere.’
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