16 Apr 2015

Legend raves: Liverpool should sign 'world-class' £25m goal-machine this summer. Replace Sturridge?

Last summer, Liverpool were constantly linked with a move for Aston Villa star Christian Benteke, and with the big goalscorer coming up against the Reds in this Sunday's FA Cup Semi-Final, Anfield legend John Aldridge has urged Brendan Rodgers to think about signing the striker this summer.

Liverpool were last linked with Benteke in August 2014, and according to Aldo this week:

"Benteke is a danger. On his day, he's a tremendous forward, a 20-goal a season man. I'd be happy if Liverpool got him in the summer [transfer window]".

Rodgers is a big fan of Benteke, and in an interview with TalkSport last season, he enthused:

"[Christian] Benteke is one of the very top players at this level. He makes great runs and scores goals, and he caused us lots of problems."

During the period of LFC's alleged interest, Anfield legend Jan Molby argued that Benteke is 'an option worth considering', but he urged the Reds to be cautious about splashing the cash. He told Eurosport:

"You might be able to get Benteke, but I would like to see if it is more than just his physical power that has given him an advantage over defenders this season. I want to see him improve maybe 10 per cent before you dive in with heavy money"

Molby's call for caution appeared to be right. Benteke - described by deposed Villa boss Paul Lambert as 'absolutely world class' - hit just 11 goals in 26 appearances for Villa last season, but to be fair, he did struggle with injury at times during the year.

This season, things have been similarly slow for Benteke on the goalscoring front, but since the arrival of Tim Sherwood, he's really stepped things up, and has now smashed in 8 goals in the last 6 games. Additionally, Benteke's overall record is very good:

* 45 goals/13 assists in 94 apps for Villa.
* Goal/assist every 1.6 games.

Benteke handed in a transfer request last summer, but soon after, he signed a 4 year contract extension, which means any club who buys him will almost certainly have to pay a significant fee (reportedly £25m), which is (IMO) massively overpriced.

Benteke is a massive fan of ex-Reds striker Luis Suarez, and in January, he hailed the Uruguayan as 'one of the best' in the world, adding:

“The thing I like about him [Suarez] is that he just keeps going. It’s a lesson for every player. If a striker tries to do something and loses the ball he will lose his hope and his confidence. But Suarez never, he will always try try try again until he scores a goal. That’s why he is a great player.”

Benteke is far more likely than Balotelli to exhibit Suarez's 'never give up' attitude, but he certainly doesn't have the Uruguayan's legendary robustness. Recent injury history:

* 4 separate injures in the last year.
* 2 x knee; groin; Achilles tendon.
* 20 games misses overall.

Given Sturridge's abject unreliability, Liverpool cannot afford to have another striker who's susceptible to injury. There's always the possibility that he won't get injured again for another 3-4 years, but is that a risk Liverpool should take?

On the plus side, Benteke's current form seems to suggest that Lambert wasn't getting the best out of him, and with his (mostly) excellent man-management skills, Brendan Rodgers' is probably capable of getting the Belgian firing on all cylinders.

Worth a bid?

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20 comments:

  1. Benteke is good, injury prone, but really good.

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  2. We should have bought Bony last summer, then Buy Benteke this summer, and our four strikers would be Bony, Sturridge, Benteke and Origi, now that's a foursome LFC could do with!

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  3. They're not Kiwis are they?

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  4. No..guess they all will bleed red.. ;-)

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  5. Forwards :
    Lacazete of Lyon
    Or Adriano of shakhtar Donetsk
    Wide players :
    Depay of PSV
    Or konoplyanka of dnipro
    Central midfielder :
    Kondogbia of Monaco
    Ilharamendi of real Madrid
    .....
    Rodgers is a very good manager in my opinion...
    Hope he manages to bring in some quality players
    .....
    The above transfer targets are totally achievable... Even if we miss out on UCL...we can surely qualify for Europa...
    .....
    The top four finish looks unlikely
    But we should try our best...
    Get behind our team...
    I hope we can win fa cup this year...
    Only for Steven Gerrard
    The man who who made people fall in love with Liverpool...
    #winfacupforstevieG
    #jft96
    #ynwa

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  6. A much better idea: Aston Villa keep Benteke and sign Sturridge from the Pool.

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  7. But is Bony that good?

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  8. Na sturridge wouldn't go to a relagation side but I recken benteke would come to us

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  9. lmao not a word said about him since he got injured and struggled for form but now all of a sudden hes on everybody's wishlist - proper talent spotters! that 25 million price tag always makes me laugh too whenever it does arise. Christian Benteke is streets ahead of Bony and Lukaku. Look up their transfer fees and then do the maths again!

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  10. I'd rather he was on our side than against, but I don't really think he's a Liverpool player.... Mario don't work, Andy Carroll didn't fit, I don't really see how Benteke would fair any better...

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  11. I'm chompin at the bit for Sunday....

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  12. I wonder why we are not trackin Lacazette or Doumbia...Benteke is a Gud player but We have more good options to consider in the summer window

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  13. We probably are tracking Lacazette, and Adriano is better than Doumbia.

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  14. Right, and Villa will hang on to him for as long as poss!

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  15. Is that a threat?

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  16. Lacazette is likely out of our league. Doumbia is injury prone and hasn't lit up Roma, who he only joined in January.

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  17. I'm sure if he had him this season we would be comfortably in the top 4 now!

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  18. Yeah... We can do better.

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  19. Agreed, I'm not overly convinced by Benteke

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