Are Liverpool doing it right in the transfer window this time?

Liverpool are a football club who, to put it mildly, have been a subject of derision with regards to transfers in recent seasons. Mario Balotelli, Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto are examples of Brendan Rodger’s rather hit and miss history in the transfer market, while Daniel Sturridge, Emre Can and Phillipe Coutinho are, generally speaking, success stories. It is often levelled at Rodgers that he rushes transfers through, approaching things like a teenager on a computer game, rather than as the manager of the one the most popular football clubs on the planet.

However, so far this summer, Liverpool appear to be approaching things in a much healthier fashion. For starters, they’ve signed 5 players already, with Nathaniel Clyne believed to be joining the club once personal terms are completed, whereas at this point last season they had invested in 1 player- Rickie Lambert, yet another example of Rodgers’ less than stellar history of signing players. By getting what is presumed to be the majority of their deals sewn up already, they have ample time to integrate into the squad, whereas in previous years many signings have been made towards the end of the transfer window, at a time when deals were rushed, compromises were made, and prices were inflated.

Money, so often a chain around the neck of a player, has often been an area of controversy for Liverpool, with players such as Lazar Markovic and Joe Allen failing to live up to their price tag, as well as their potential. Allen has, to some degree, come good, and time will tell if the same can be said of Markovic. In stark contrast, this season Liverpool have signed Adam Bogdan and James Milner on free contracts, with Danny Ings joining their ranks for six and a half million pounds, a fee that, should he build on his form for Burnley last season will seem entirely reasonable. 18 year old Joseph Gomez appears to hold no place in Brendan Rodgers’ immediate plans, however he has received plaudits in the Championship, and could become a defensive rock in the future. James Milner is a particularly good signing, offering a direct, if not less glamorous, replacement for the Merseyside hero that was Steven Gerrard. Milner will bring consistency, leadership and over 500 career appearances to a squad so sorely lacking in leaders. Roberto Firmino is an unknown quantity in the Premier League, and as Liverpool’s second most expensive signing has the potential to be yet another expensive flop, however with 23 goals and 21 assists in the last two seasons, fans can be hopeful he’ll fare just as well as countryman Phillipe Coutinho.

The future seems a lot brighter for Liverpool going forward than it has in previous seasons, and with few of their competitors sewing up their business so quickly, Liverpool can feel confident in their ability to perform at a higher level next season- And move towards their ultimate aim of cementing their place back in the Champions League.