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English tabloids have kicked in to overdrive throughout the last week in an attempt to identify Kenny Dalglish’s January transfer targets. Wilfried Zaha, Jermaine Defoe, Demba Ba, Luc Castaignos, Jawad Boukabous and Scott Sinclair are all among the most talked about reported targets for the Liverpool manager.
Kenny Dalglish has made an approach to sign Crystal Palace’s teen sensation Wilfried Zaha, according to the Daily Mail. The Reds boss reportedly made a personal call to Dougie Freedman to enquire about the 19-year-old’s character rather than his footballing credentials. Palace were expecting to receive official contact from the Merseysider’s within the next few days but the Eagles boss has since been given assurances by co-owner Steve Parish that Zaha will not be leaving Selhurst Park, especially now his side are just one game away from a League Cup Final at Wembley.
Manchester sides, City and United, have also expressed their interest in the England Under-19 winger who only recently signed a 5-and-a-half-year contract with the Eagles, but Freedman has reiterated his teenage star is going nowhere.
“I’ve had chit-chats with Kenny Dalglish and Alex Ferguson, but he [Zaha] is not going anywhere,” Freedman told the Daily Mirror.
Liverpool’s failings to put the ball in the back of the net have proved to be their major downfall so far this season. The Reds have only managed to score on 24 occasions in 21 Premier League games. According to OPTA stats Liverpool are second in the table behind Chelsea for the amount of chances created but lie at the foot of the table for conversion rate so it’s no wonder Dalglish continues to be linked with dozens of strikers from around the globe. The Reds need to bring in a striker who can supplement the attack immediately to reignite their challenge of a top four finish.
Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe is the latest striker to be heavily linked with a move to Anfield and the Daily Mirror suggest the Reds are preparing a £10m bid in the January window. Defoe is said to be unsettled at White Hart Lane with the lack of starting opportunities after falling down the pecking order behind the on-loan Emmanuel Adebayor.
Harry Redknapp was spotted at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday to watch Loic Remy score both goals in Marseille’s 2-0 win over Lille which has put Defoe’s future in further doubt. The Spurs boss has tracked the Frenchman for some time and the addition of a new face at the Lane could push Defoe further down the pecking order.
The 29-year-old has openly admitted he has an eye on the 2012 Euro Championships this summer and wants to cement his place in Fabio Capello’s England squad. Kenny Dalglish is clearly lacking a proven out-and-out goalscorer and could offer Defoe the game time he so badly wants. Despite the lack of starts Defoe has bagged 7 goals in 15 league games for Spurs.
Redknapp is an admirer of the little striker who he has signed on no fewer than three occasions throughout his career and will be reluctant to let him leave with Spurs challenging for the league title. The only way Redknapp would even consider sanctioning the sale of Defoe is if he manages to get another striker in himself.
The Metro says Dalglish is targeting more strikers – Newcastle goal-machine Demba Ba, Inter Milan forward Luc Castaignos, and Nantes teenage striker Jawad Boukabous.
Scoring 15 goals in the first half of a Premier League season inevitably increases the list of a striker’s admirers which Newcastle’s Demba Ba is finding out. The buy of the summer has repaid the faith shown in him by Toon boss Alan Pardew by firing his side into the top six.
Liverpool are among a host of sides that have been alerted by rumours that the 26-year-old striker has a £10m buy-out clause in his contract. Ba is currently away on international duty with Senegal at the African Cup of Nations so any potential deal involving the Newcastle hotshot will have to wait until the end of the season. However, Pardew has moved quickly to quash any talk of Ba leaving by saying he has no interest in selling his top-goalscorer.
Luc Castaignos is another forward who has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield. The Dutchman only joined Inter Milan from Feyenoord in the summer but has found first-team opportunities hard to come by making just 4 appearances for the Nerazzurri. The athletic 19-year-old has bags of potential which is why he is a sought after target around Europe. Inter do not want to sell Castaignos but the player’s management company Sportconsult Nederland claim he’s a wanted man.
“We can confirm that there is interest from Italy, England and Germany,” a spokesman announced.
Inter are willing to release Castaignos on a loan deal until the end of the season which Liverpool are willing to execute but only with an option to buy in the summer. Serie-A side Bologna are also reportedly interested in taking the teenager on-loan with Inter preferring this option knowing he will return back to the San Siro when the season is over. The Reds are expected to make contact with the Milan giants in the next two weeks when they hope a large loan fee of £2m will help push a deal through.
Damien Comolli, Liverpool’s Director of Football, has continued his mission of seeking out the world’s best young talent. This time he’s found his way to French club Nantes. Jawad Boukabous is a relatively unknown 17-year-old striker who is attracting attention from Italian side Roma, and now Liverpool.
The French Youth International impressed Comolli, enough for the Merseysider’s to make contact with Nantes to enquire about the youngster, according to French tabloid, L’Equipe. One for the future perhaps.
A young player who has embraced the challenge of the Premier League and hit the ground running is Swansea City’s Scott Sinclair, who is also said to be on Kenny Dalglish’s radar, CaughtOffside.com have reported.
The Swans have been a revelation in the Premiership so far this season after winning promotion from the Championship. Brendan Rodgers’ men have received many plaudits from coaches and pundits within the game for their own brand of ‘total-football’ which has been a breath of fresh air for a newly-promoted side. Sinclair has played a major role in City’s success this season. His explosive pace, creative awareness and eye for goal have made a mark on the Premiership and also seems to have caught the eye of the Liverpool boss.
The 22-year-old is a versatile forward who can attack from either flank as well as a more central role. Sinclair would certainly add an extra dimension to Dalglish’s side who have been criticised for a lack of cutting edge this season, and according to the Daily Mail, Liverpool have already tabled a £5m bid for the former Chelsea man – an offer which Rodgers is likely to rebuff in hope of keeping his Swans team together.
While Liverpool are aiming to invest their time and money in youth development to build a squad capable of competing for many years to come, the ‘here and now’ has to be their main focus. Champions League qualification for next season is a necessity and with ground to make up on fourth place the Reds are already up against it.
Kenny Dalglish has to buy a proven Premiership goalscorer who will hit the ground running to have any chance of finishing fourth or higher. For that reason, of the names mentioned, Jermaine Defoe is the stand-out candidate. Likelihood of it happening? Dependant on Spurs January transfer dealings.
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