Having trailed his signature closely earlier in the transfer window, a few of our Liverpool supporters in the Football Transfer Tavern were sad to witness Mateo Kovacic joining Real Madrid from Inter Milan yesterday afternoon.
That said, Rafael Benitez’s capture of the Croatian international could still spell good things for Liverpool who have since turned their attentions to Asier Illarramendi.
The Spaniard is currently surplus to requirements in the Spanish capital and with Kovacic’s signature pushing him further down the midfield pecking order that also includes Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Lucas Silva, it is likely that Illarramendi will now be within the Reds’ grasp.
With Metro claiming Real Madrid are now ready to sell, the former Real Sociedad man could now prove the final piece in the jigsaw for Brendan Rodgers and co.
Already boasting several options in midfield, the papers still reckon Lucas Leiva will be on his way out of Anfield after all of these years so in somebody like Illarramendi, he will make for a perfect like-for-like replacement.
With Liverpool having been awfully busy in the transfer market this summer, the early evidence seems to suggest that everything is going swimmingly in regards to the new boys settling in.
With Christian Benteke scoring his first Reds goal against AFC Bournemouth on Monday night, Kopites will hope that’s the first of many.
But with Illarramendi’s move reportedly close, how will he look in Liverpool’s best starting eleven for the rest of the campaign ahead?
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Click on the image below to reveal the dream Liverpool XI including Asier Illarramendi.
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Simon Mignolet
Not a dream choice between the sticks perhaps but with Liverpool having already signed Adam Bogdan to replace Brad Jones, we aren’t expecting the Reds to be installing a new number one any time soon.
Mignolet suffered a horrendous first half to lasts eason and was even dropped indefinitely to make way for Jones after a series of high profile errors.
However, after being reinstalled into the team, he started showing some of the form that ultimately earned him his big Anfield move again.
This season will be a huge one for Mignolet and will ultimately prove whether he has the abilities to stay at Anfield long-term.
Nathaniel Clyne
Another arrival from Southampton, Nathaniel Clyne has looked right at home in his new surroundings thus far in the games against both Stoke City and AFC Bournemouth.
Liverpool really needed the England international this summer who has now filled a position which was proving a real problem area for the Reds in recent times.
Jon Flanagan’s injury troubles haven’t improved, Javi Manquillo was sent back to Atletico Madrid early, Glen Johnson was released before joining Stoke City and Emre Can struggled in the role against better opposition.
So to have an established, first choice option in Clyne joining is good news for Liverpool who can expect raiding runs up the right flank.
Martin Skrtel
Liverpool’s best centre back will be staying at Anfield for the foreseeable future after signing a new deal earlier this summer and that’s great news for the Reds.
The Reds’ most consistent defensive performer, Skrtel is tough and always up for a battle, notably with Chelsea’s Diego Costa.
A natural born leader that marshals others around him, Kolo Toure and Dejan Lovren have proved that they’re prone to an error or three so there was no threatening Skrtel’s place in this dream starting eleven.
Mamadou Sakho
With Kolo Toure and Dejan Lovren still not totally assuring Reds fans at the back, the same can be said about this man Mamadou Sakho but the consensus is that he is still far more promising than that duo.
Looking the real deal on his day, his day hasn’t come regularly enough for Reds fans to have total faith in him but nevertheless, he does have good performances in him.
After all, the French international will need to establish himself as a regular started under Rodgers this term because the European Championships will be occurring in his native France next summer.
Joe Gomez
With his signing having gone under the radar somewhat given the fact the Reds have been spending huge fees on the likes of Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke, Joe Gomez was also picked up from Charlton Athletic this summer and has started both of the Reds’ Premier League fixtures so far.
Accelerated into top flight first team football much like former Addicks star Carl Jenkinson before him at Arsenal, Gomez hasn’t looked daunted by the step up in class and is athletic enough to make good recovery runs for the Reds.
Standing at 6 ft 2 in despite just being 18-years-old, Gomez can also take care of himself and the physical assets of the game to boot and looks a real prospect.
Being thrown in against the likes of Stoke City away and AFC Bournemouth at home represents invaluable experience for Gomez and we can only wonder what Alberto Moreno thinks having been shafted from the starting eleven.
James Milner
The first big name arrival at Anfield this summer was James Milner and say what you like about the England international but he is someone who will continually fight for the cause while showing grit, determination and consistency.
Such qualities were lacking in a number of Liverpool players last term so it is good news that the Reds have managed to secure the services of somebody like Milner who you know you’ll get an 8/10 performance from most weeks during the season.
Milner will benefit from playing more centrally under Rodgers compared to on the flanks in his time with Manchester City and we’ve deployed him in the right central position of a midfield three in our dream starting eleven here.
Jordan Henderson
Growing in stature and performances with each passing week last term, Liverpool’s new captain Jordan Henderson is improving all the time.
After a slow start to life at Anfield, Henderson is now starting to resemble a man rather than a boy and really drove Liverpool forward in that impressive spell two thirds of the way through the 2014/15 campaign.
Capable of grabbing goals, not to mention assisting the attacking players in front of him, Henderson needs to continue on this upward curve, most notably because the boots of Steven Gerrard have ultimately been left to fill recently.
With the Reds legend now an LA Galaxy player, Henderson won’t emulate the exploits of the iconic number 8 but he can at least try and improve his game in his own way.
Asier Illarramendi
With Mateo Kovacic now having arrived at Real Madrid from Inter Milan yesterday, this seems to be the final nail in the coffin in regards to Asier Illarramendi’s stay at the Bernabeu.
A bit-part player in every sense, the former Real Sociedad man is now likely to be sold on a permanent deal and Liverpool are heading the queue for the uncapped Spanish ace.
With Lucas Leiva still fancied to be departing Anfield, Brendan Rodgers knows he’ll need to source a replacement and Illarramendi seems to fit the bill.
With the likes of Emre Can and Joe Allen still representing other midfield options, this will be a nice problem for the Northern Irishman to have in terms of rotation.
Roberto Firmino
Arguably the most exciting Reds capture of the summer is Brazilian international Roberto Firmino who has emerged from the bench as a second half substitute in both of the Reds’ opening two Premier League fixtures so far.
Expeted to be a regular starter in a few weeks’ time after he fully recovers from his Copa America exploits, Firmino has been a goalscoring and assists merchant in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim in recent seasons.
Breaking into Dunga’s Brazil squad at international level over the last year or so, this a mark of the performances in which we’ve come to expect from the attacking midfielder.
Signed for £21 million which could possibly rise to £29 million in add-ons, a lot will be expected of Firmino who is officially the Reds’ second most expensive import of all-time after Andy Carroll.
Philippe Coutinho
Clapped off the park by the Anfield faithful against AFC Bournemouth on Monday evening, Philippe Coutinho is undoubtedly the new darling of the Kop.
The Reds’ go-to man for creativity, Coutinho proved in 2014/15 that he can be considered one of the most shrewd signings of recent Premier League history.
Signed for just £8.5 million from Inter Milan, Coutinho is relishing the responsibility of energising the Reds’ attacks going forward after the departure of Luis Suarez and on the face of it, a link up with Brazilian counterpart Roberto Firmino looks a mouth-watering prospect on paper.
Capable of sublime long range strikes and intricate trickery, Coutinho has been deployed as one of two attacking midfielders behind our central striker selection.
Christian Benteke
With Daniel Sturridge not able to be relied upon injury wise, Christian Benteke was signed for big money this summer and the Belgian looks in far better stead to succeed where the likes of Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini and Iago Aspas have failed.
Scoring his first Reds goal against AFC Bournemouth on Monday evening, the former Aston Villa man could’ve had a brace and Liverpool fans look forward to the Belgian continuing in this vein of form.
Prior to his signing, a lot was made of the debate whether a Brendan Rodgers side could play to Benteke’s strengths but on the evidence of the first two fixtures alone, it looks as if he’s going to fit in just fine.
Still early days of course, Benteke has done quite well so far and long may that continue for Kopites.
