photo by Ian Wilson

• by Adam Huntington, writing from Dundee, Scotland

Since the turn of the year, Liverpool have spent over one hundred million pounds in transfer fees; a huge amount for a club that only managed to finish sixth in the Premier League last year. The departure of the misfiring Fernando Torres brought £50million for Kenny Dalglish to spend on his replacement. Since then, Dalglish has brought in six big names that he feels will help him mount a serious challenge for the title.

Andy Carroll has struggled at Liverpool since his £35million transfer from Newcastle in January; scoring only twice in nine games. He’s a big, physical striker who looks more comfortable playing the game when the ball’s in the air. Having watched him against Sunderland a couple of weeks ago, he is still a long way off living up to his price tag. Wes Brown comfortably marked him out of the game, and other than score a disallowed goal, he showed very little. In the eight months he’s been at Anfield, he’s been completely outshone by fellow January arrival, Luis Suarez.

The Uruguayan striker came into the season off the back of an incredible Copa America performance, and has managed to maintain his form in Liverpool’s first two games. Against Sunderland, he looked much sharper than his striker partner and his introduction in the Arsenal game sparked the victory. His style of play can offer Liverpool something a little more cutting edge than Carroll. Suarez’s pace, anticipation and positioning - on the shoulder of the last defender - mean that he’s constantly a goal-threat. At £22million, Suarez was not cheap, but in comparison to Carroll, he’s been an absolute steal.

Earlier on in the summer, the relatively unknown Jordan Henderson arrived for the large fee of £18million. The former Sunderland player was good last season, possessing an unusually composed head for such a young player. However, after a disappointing showing in the Under 21’s European Championships Henderson has been invisible so far for Liverpool. He looks uncomfortable coping with the pressure that his price tag has inevitably brought him.

Stewart Downing was purchased for roughly the same amount of money, despite being – in my opinion – a relatively poor player. He’s been an average performer in mid-table teams, and it’s through what seems like media-hype alone that he finds himself at Liverpool. Downing is an incredible crosser of the ball, but other than this he has very little to offer Liverpool fans. With Andy Carroll lurking around the box, his crosses will be gratefully received, but with Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson, Steven Gerrard and Raul Meireles in the team, is he really needed?

photo by kong niffe

Charlie Adam has been frequently regarded as one of Dalglish’s best buys. It was no secret that he was wanted and since January, his signature was really just a formality. Much to the bemusement of Rangers fans, Adam is now considered a top quality midfielder within the Premier League. It comes as a surprise because he was widely considered to be a very poor player during his time at Rangers, and was loaned out to then lower league outfits Ross County and St. Mirren. After a successful spell at Blackpool on loan, the Seasiders bought him and he proved to be a different player all together. His performances led to their promotion to the Premier League, where his form carried on and earned him a vast array of plaudits. Liverpool fans will quickly realise that he’s incapable of making a successful tackle, and he rarely tracks back once he’s conceded possession. However, his incredibly accurate left-foot might just see a lot of fans forgiving his weaknesses.

Jose Enrique was a much smarter purchase. Statistically proven to be the League’s best left-back last term, Enrique’s arrival has provided stability, technique and an excellent work ethic to a fragile back four. At a mere £4.3million, the transfer could well be the signing of the season, especially if he carries on his early season form. He was rarely troubled against Sunderland, and he produced an expert display in defending when keeping Arsenal’s wingers quiet last Saturday. In only two games Enrique’s already improved the Liverpool defence greatly.

In perhaps another move to bolster their defence, the Merseyside club have been heavily linked with the promising Sebastian Coates. The young Nacional defender debuted for Uruguay in the Copa America this year, were he won the award for the Best Young Player in the tournament. Other than this, very little is known about him, but if his performance over the summer for his country were anything to go by, he should be a good addition.

With all these players flooding in, what will become of the players that now find themselves on the fringes? Liverpool now find themselves with a very big midfield. Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen and Alberto Aquilani all look out of favour, and could face lengthy spells on the bench. Aquilani is reportedly seeking a move to Italy in order to secure some first team football, and it would be wise for his teammates to copy him. If he’s willing to take a slight pay cut, Cole could easily find consistent first team football at a lower Premiership club, if not he could find himself frozen out of a club who have some interesting times ahead.

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