Could Coronavirus force us to look internally?
There is a pending global recession looming large and football by its very nature, will be hit as hard as any industry so could the looming financial crisis force all clubs to shelve their current transfer plans and look internally?
Alternatively, we may have the money but do we want to wait 12 months and see how transfer fees settle down? We know our owners don’t like to overpay so if that’s the case, let’s explore our options.
Attack
Shaqiri looks likely to leave no matter what but he’s barely played and in Minamino, we basically have his replacement already. Should we desire to bolster our attacking options however, we have Harry Wilson out on loan who has proven with Bournemouth this season that he can cut it in the Premier League. Wilson’s biggest problem in playing for us is a lack of pace but he’s got a wand of a left foot and I’ve no doubt he could do a job for us as a squad player for a season. I don’t see Brewster being ready to make an impact however and I think another loan for him would be best for all parties. Keep Origi and young Harvey Elliot doesn’t look far away from being able to make an impact, at least in a game or two should it be required.
Midfield
This is the easiest of them all. Just leave as is except Curtis Jones takes Lallana’s position in the squad. Other than that, our midfield is tried and trusted and I doubt we were planning on making any midfield signings anyway.
Should we be struck with an injury crisis, I’ve thought Pedro Chirivella has been excellent when he’s played this season. Against Everton, he completely dominated that midfield as well as organising those around him. Another I feel would be capable of filling a slot should he be required but with the depth of our midfield, we can cope with up to three or four injuries at any one time.
Defence
This one is a little more tricky with Lovren likely to look to move on but he still has another year on his contract so we can simply say no to a move and I don’t think the player would kick up a fuss. Then there’s young Sepp VDB to consider. He’s physically ready but whether he’s tactically ready is a question we don’t know the answer to. There is always Nat Phillips as well in an emergency, although I don’t rate him particularly highly.
In Neco Williams I believe we have a player capable of covering for Trent from next season onwards. Milner can play RB and Fabinho still plays RB for Brazil. I also thing Ki-Jana Hoever could do a job there but I don’t think he’s physically ready to play CB.
Left back we could do with cover but we’ve managed without it for 18 months. The evergreen James Milner has put in countless creditable displays in that position, Gomez can play there, Larouci has looked decent when played and I know Adam Lewis is well thought of at the club. Once again then, I think we can survive.
Goalkeeper
Much like the midfield, just leave as is. I know Adrian had a howler in the Champions League but he’s more than played his part in an incredible season and you’d hope this extended break will allow Alisson to put his fitness woes behind him.
Summary
A couple of years ago, the prospect of us basically signing nobody (a £7.5 million signing from Salzburg aside) for two years, would have been met with absolute uproar by the fans but now? I think when we look at the options at our disposal and compare it with our rivals, we’re in by far the strongest position. City have an ageing squad, United and Chelsea are unbalanced and Spurs and Arsenal are a mess.
Should the virus cause pretty much all clubs to put their transfer activity on hold for 12 months, I only see one outcome for next season and that is the outcome we’ve seen this season – Liverpool runaway winners.
I’ll sign off on that happy note. Stay safe troops, walk on.
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