Brendan Rodgers has signed thirty players since taking over as Liverpool manager in 2012. The general perception – perhaps slightly unfairly – seems to be that he should have done a lot better considering the money he’s spent.
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He’s certainly made mistakes… but his record is actually not as bad as you might expect. We’ve put together our ultimate XI of Rodgers’ signings in the list below. Where would this side finish in the Premier League?
GK) Simon Mignolet
Rodgers only put up with one season of Pepe Reina before ditching the Spaniard in favour of Mignolet. Adam Bogdan has since become his latest goalkeeping addition but we’ve no doubt that he still prefers the Belgian.
RB) Nathaniel Clyne
After suffering through three years of Glen Johnson, Rodgers has finally gone out and signed a ‘proper’ right-back capable of taking us to the next level. Needless to say, Clyne makes this team ahead of Javier Manquillo.
CB) Dejan Lovren
Martin Skrtel has so far managed to hold on to his place in Rodgers’ team, meaning a non-regular had to get this spot. The Croatian gets the nod ahead of Kolo Toure despite a fairly average first season on Merseyside.
CB) Mamadou Sakho
The Frenchman has had his impact at Anfield hugely limited by injuries thus far, but he’ll be hoping to step up and make a big impression for us next season. It feels like a make or break period for the powerful defender.
LB) Alberto Moreno
This was another position that Brendan Rodgers badly needed to improve when he came to Liverpool. After finally losing patience with Jose Enrique, he did just that last summer by bringing in this promising young Spaniard.
DM) Emre Can
The German has been a revelation at Anfield. After a slow start to last season he found a new home as an emergency defender, performing admirably while more established stars failed to live up to expectations.
CM) Joe Allen
Allen has never quite lived up to his hype at Anfield. However, if he can bring the sort of form he’s shown in a Wales shirt this summer to Merseyside next season, then we could still find ourselves with a very good player.
CM) James Milner
We badly needed a solid replacement for Steven Gerrard last summer and the England international has provided us with just that. He comes to Anfield with plenty of big game experience and a reputation as being very reliable.
AM) Philippe Coutinho
The little magician has been simply sensational since arriving at Anfield in January 2013. The Brazilian is surely Rodgers best signing thus far – costing a measly £8.5m from Inter Milan – and one of the best bargains ever.
AM) Roberto Firmino
Firmino will be hoping to live up to the standards set by his countryman next season after becoming our second most expensive addition of all time. He’s hugely talented and we can’t wait to see him get started on his mission.
ST) Daniel Sturridge
Sturridge was a big hit during his first 18 months at Anfield, and despite struggling with injuries last season, he’s still managed 40 goals during his first two-and-a-half years with the club. Let’s hope he’s fit and firing again soon.
