Liverpool continued their recent turnaround in form with a thrilling 3-2 win over Tottenham at Anfield on Tuesday evening.
The result has seen the Reds close the gap on the top four to just four points; quite an achievement in itself when you consider the dreadful start to the season they endured which saw Brendan Rodgers become the favourite for the sack race shortly before Christmas.
Daniel Sturridge made his first start for five months on Tuesday whilst Mario Balotelli finally fired his first Premier League goal for the club to win the game.
The return of Sturridge and the fact Balotelli has stuck around has pushed Rickie Lambert further down the pecking order at Anfield.
The 32-year-old came close to joining Aston Villa for £5 million on deadline day and looks set to leave Anfield in the summer when Divock Origi arrives following a loan spell at Lille, whilst Rodgers is also keen to enter the transfer market for a new striker.
Here we have identified five possible replacements for him to consider.
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Click on Rickie Lambert to reveal 5 replacements for Liverpool to consider this summer.
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Danny Ings
The Burnley star is out of contract in the summer and found himself linked with a move to Anfield just a few days before the close of the January transfer window.
The 22-year-old has fired nine goals for the Premier League strugglers in the top flight this season and is said to favour a move to Anfield in the summer.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool can agree a compensation package with Burnley for Ings as the striker is under the age of 23.
Saido Berahino
West Bromwich Albion are reportedly ready to listen to offers of £15 million plus for Berahino in the summer, having been angered by his recent comments encompassing the fact he was looking to ‘move on to bigger things’ at the end of the season.
The England Under-21 international star has fired 15 goals in all competitions this season and is understood to have caught the attention of both Liverpool and Tottenham.
Young, talented and full of pace, Berahino would be a good fit in a front line that includes the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling already.
Jackson Martinez
When Liverpool signed Rickie Lambert in the summer, he was spoken of as a ‘plan B’ in terms of changing a game from the bench with his physical presence.
Porto striker Jackson Martinez is a similar ‘target man’ type of striker, apart from the fact his goal record compared to Lambert’s is of a completely different level altogether.
Martinez has averaged almost a goal a game during his time in Portugal and is openly seeking a move to the Premier League.
Reports suggest Liverpool are ready to battle with Tottenham and Chelsea for the £30 million-rated striker in the summer in the hope of adding another proven goalscorer to go alongside Daniel Sturridge.
Gonzalo Higuain
The Napoli striker is a man with goal scoring pedigree across Europe. Yet he is not considered an automatic pick under former Reds boss Rafael Benitez at the Serie A giants and has been often linked with a move to the Premier League.
Some reports suggested Liverpool had begun negotiations on a £30 million transfer for the summer last month and it remains to be seen as to whether the Reds can tempt the Argentine to Anfield.
Napoli splashed out £11 million on Manolo Gabbiadini last month and have a host of attacking options available to them such as Jose Callejon, Marek Hamsik and Swansea City loanee Michu, which hints that they are preparing for life without Higuian in the near future.
Christian Benteke
The struggles at Aston Villa are there for everyone to see with Paul Lambert having become the latest Premier League manager to lose his job yesterday.
The Villain’s failure to score goals has seen Christian Benteke drop to the bench despite the Belgian having shown himself to be their best striker since his arrival in England in the summer of 2012.
Liverpool have been linked with a move for the powerful forward and with Villa running out of patience, a £15 million transfer in the summer may be what is required to get his Premier League career back on track.
