The transfer window is hotting up and there are persistent rumours regarding Liverpool purchasing a midfield enforcer, with the likes of M’Vila, Fernando and Agyemang-Badu all being linked heavily with the club in the past few weeks. Clearly some of these are unlikely; Badu isn’t even the best midfielder at Udinese which suggests that he isn’t the type of player to help secure Liverpool a top 4 finish. Whilst Fernando is attracting the interest of almost all the big teams in Italy, meaning there’ll be lots of competition for his signature, something that the Liverpool transfer committee seem incapable of dealing with. Clearly though, there is no smoke without fire, meaning Rodgers probably is looking for a replacement for the Brazilian international.
Lucas often seems to be unfairly picked on by Liverpool fans, when they play well he is ignored, whilst when they lose he is consistently singled out for being heavily responsible for the poor performances. However does this suggest he is an integral part of the team and is heavily relied on to keep the midfield ticking over, or are his flaws actually masked over by the stunning attacking interplay of Suarez and Sturridge that is lauded whilst Liverpool are winning. The defensive midfielder has played over 150 games for the club over his career, and has made 24 appearances for Brazil, which is not something to be scoffed at. He was also a strong figure in Liverpool’s best premier league finish ever in 2008/09 under reds favourite Rafa Benitez, who is an admirer of the Brazilian. This all suggests that he should be a key player for the Reds, however stats can be deceiving. In actuality the midfielder has never regained the heights of before his long term injury picked up during Rodgers first season in charge. Now he is often bossed in the middle of the park by more physical and imposing midfielders.
I believe it is right for Liverpool to be targeting a new midfield anchor and believe signing Yann M’Vila could be a masterstroke for Rodgers. He clearly possesses all the ability’s needed to be a top quality defensive midfielder. He is a tough tackling, ball winning midfielder with a fiery personality and a willingness and desire to really fight for the ball, something which Liverpool lack in midfield at the moment. His personality would put some managers off him, but Rodgers has shown in the past that he can handle this sort of complex and controversial character, with his handling of Suarez since the Ivanovic bite being impeccable. Under Rodgers guidance M’Vila could add a certain steel to Liverpool’s midfield and help them secure their much coveted champions league place.
Source: DSG
