GUEST POST: With Luis Suarez almost certain to leave Anfield this summer, Liverpool will need a top class replacement to fill the void, but who should it be? The Reds have been linked with dozens of strikers over the last few month, but site regular Zan believes Bayer Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling - a player who never seems to be mentioned as a credible transfer target – is the obvious solution.
Last season, Liverpool simply didn’t score enough goals from freekicks or corners, and whilst Kiessling can score goals on the deck, he is brilliant in the air, and the club still lacks a proper aerial threat upfront.
Granted, Kiessling is no Suarez in terms of tricks, but he reads the game brilliantly, and with 27 goals in 41 games last season, he outscored (the much-hyped) Robert Lewandowski, and topped the Bundesliga’s goalscorer charts.
At the age of 29, Kiessling is no spring chicken, but after playing – and excelling – in one of Europe’s top league, he would undoubtedly bring a wealth of experience to Anfield. The striker's stats over the last four seasons are pretty incredible:
* Total Games = 129
* Total Goals = 74
* Total Assists = 20
* TOTAL: 94 goals/assists in 129 games
* Goal/assist every 1.37 games.
So how does he compare with some higher profile strikers? Last season only:
- Cavani = Goal every 1.13 games
- Falcao = Goal every 1.17 games
- Suarez = Goal every 1.46 games
- Kiessling = Goal every 1.59 games
- RVP = Goal every 1.6 games
- Rooney = Goal every 2.25 games
- Aguero = Goal every 2.35 games
As you can see, in terms of end product, Kiessling is up there with some of football’s most coveted strikers, yet he’d probably be available for a fraction of the price. It amazes me how he is still practically unheard-of in the UK (!) With stats like this, you’d think everyone would be talking about Kiessling, but for some reason, he’s managed to stay under the radar. Clearly, 74 goals in 129 games proves that he has what it takes to do the business.
Liverpool have actually been linked with the €11m-rated striker several times in the past, and in an interview with German newspaper BILD in August 2010, Ali Bulut - Kiessling's Agent - confirmed the Reds' interest:
"Milan, Liverpool, Schalke 04 and Rubin Kazan have asked for the player in the recent weeks. There are no formal offers at the moment. Depending on what Bayer say he could be sold in January"
Kiessling's current contract with Leverkusen expires in 2015, and with Reds legend Sami Hyypia at the helm, Liverpool would probably have an advantage in any transfer negotiations.
Looking at our current squad, even if Suarez stays, I believe there is a place for Kiessling . Sturridge is unfortunately prone to niggling injuries, and who better to be to come in and replace him than a player like Kiessling, who, incidentally, is rarely injured.
As a strong, powerful unit, Kiessling wouldn’t have any problems mixing it with the likes of Stoke City, but with his quality and goalscoring prowess, he’d also be a useful attacking weapon against the top teams in the league.
With another 3+ years left in him at the top level, Kiessling would, IMO, be a superb addition to the team, and his history suggests that he’d probably score as as many goals as Suarez, but at 25% of the Uruguayan’s original transfer value.
A no-brainer, surely? Should Liverpool make a bid?
Zan
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
Last season, Liverpool simply didn’t score enough goals from freekicks or corners, and whilst Kiessling can score goals on the deck, he is brilliant in the air, and the club still lacks a proper aerial threat upfront.
Granted, Kiessling is no Suarez in terms of tricks, but he reads the game brilliantly, and with 27 goals in 41 games last season, he outscored (the much-hyped) Robert Lewandowski, and topped the Bundesliga’s goalscorer charts.
At the age of 29, Kiessling is no spring chicken, but after playing – and excelling – in one of Europe’s top league, he would undoubtedly bring a wealth of experience to Anfield. The striker's stats over the last four seasons are pretty incredible:
* Total Games = 129
* Total Goals = 74
* Total Assists = 20
* TOTAL: 94 goals/assists in 129 games
* Goal/assist every 1.37 games.
So how does he compare with some higher profile strikers? Last season only:
- Cavani = Goal every 1.13 games
- Falcao = Goal every 1.17 games
- Suarez = Goal every 1.46 games
- Kiessling = Goal every 1.59 games
- RVP = Goal every 1.6 games
- Rooney = Goal every 2.25 games
- Aguero = Goal every 2.35 games
As you can see, in terms of end product, Kiessling is up there with some of football’s most coveted strikers, yet he’d probably be available for a fraction of the price. It amazes me how he is still practically unheard-of in the UK (!) With stats like this, you’d think everyone would be talking about Kiessling, but for some reason, he’s managed to stay under the radar. Clearly, 74 goals in 129 games proves that he has what it takes to do the business.
Liverpool have actually been linked with the €11m-rated striker several times in the past, and in an interview with German newspaper BILD in August 2010, Ali Bulut - Kiessling's Agent - confirmed the Reds' interest:
"Milan, Liverpool, Schalke 04 and Rubin Kazan have asked for the player in the recent weeks. There are no formal offers at the moment. Depending on what Bayer say he could be sold in January"
Kiessling's current contract with Leverkusen expires in 2015, and with Reds legend Sami Hyypia at the helm, Liverpool would probably have an advantage in any transfer negotiations.
Looking at our current squad, even if Suarez stays, I believe there is a place for Kiessling . Sturridge is unfortunately prone to niggling injuries, and who better to be to come in and replace him than a player like Kiessling, who, incidentally, is rarely injured.
As a strong, powerful unit, Kiessling wouldn’t have any problems mixing it with the likes of Stoke City, but with his quality and goalscoring prowess, he’d also be a useful attacking weapon against the top teams in the league.
With another 3+ years left in him at the top level, Kiessling would, IMO, be a superb addition to the team, and his history suggests that he’d probably score as as many goals as Suarez, but at 25% of the Uruguayan’s original transfer value.
A no-brainer, surely? Should Liverpool make a bid?
Zan
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
no, don't agree
ReplyDeleteWhy? What's not to like?
ReplyDeleteWho's Suarez? :)
ReplyDeleteHonestly, Luis Alberto will make us forget Suarez in no time. If we sign Mkhitaryan, we will already have a ridiculously good attacking lineup - Without Suarez.
However, in terms of dreaming, I'd love to see Suarez replaced by Jackson Martinez.
Where is Suarez going then????
ReplyDeletehe is good but i doubt fsg would sanction a bid ofr him unless he agrees to play on 30k a week wages
ReplyDeleteno
ReplyDeletegood article sounds great,just one thing hes about 10 years to old for our leaders
ReplyDeletei will hold you to that bold statement;-)
ReplyDeletemay be if he plays on very low wages we may go for him :P
ReplyDeleteno sell on value ,biggest issue fsg seem to want players who they could ship on if the occasion arose ,
ReplyDeletelol then i guess no liverpool player will finish their careers at anfeild except gerrard lol
ReplyDeletehes off to real,do you not read the gossip colums we signed hk as is replacement last week ,but cannot unveil him to july the 1st,hes currently hiding in a secret bolthole in toxteth
ReplyDeleteand to fool totenham hanging around london too :P
ReplyDeleteLuis alberto hahahaha he could not make first team ? the only first class signing we have done so far is goal keeper
ReplyDeleteiago aspas could give everyone a run for their money :P
ReplyDeleteyou could well be right ,they will come a time when we want to cash in ,glad carragher finished ,last season otherwise he could have been sent to coventry
ReplyDeletetotally agree,but that was for a position that we were covered in ,imo;-)
ReplyDeleteTalking about new recruits, I wonder where is Xabi Alsonso. After having swear allegiance to lfc, this guy se fait tres discret.
ReplyDeleteI just hope that he will not dare to go to chelsea under the maestria of a sworn enemy of rafa and lfc.
it's just a case where money overpowers faith
Look there is a common theme here we have to sell to buy if we sell suarez
ReplyDelete95% fans agree benteke so we sould sign him and Muriel .
We still have left Coates pepe downing Skrtel for sale and also knowing us we will sell shelve and like Ince we will want to buy him back Double the money
The comment speaks for itself, nothing further needed
ReplyDeletePeople are jumping the gun regarding Luis Suarez, No offer has been received at all. The player is under contract until 2017, his value reflects that contract. Marca spout drivel for Real Madrid, don't get sucked in by them..........FSG certainly won't, we aren't being run by Moore's or H+G these days, they know business inside-out!!!.......................chill out people!!!
ReplyDeleteI think he is a good player but an option with a view to more long term solution is how we will gain the best value for money. Best options in my opinion would be:
ReplyDeletePablo Osvaldo
Luis Muriel
Mario Gomez
Alvaro Negredo
Wilfried Bony
Emmanuel Emmenike
Bafetimbi Gomis
Moussa Sow
Stevan Jovetic
Long Shot but Torres
You haven't got a clue son, the lad is quality!!!
ReplyDeleteHes a goal machine. Underrated by all the people out there...
ReplyDeleteCorrect!!!
ReplyDeleteLove it Jas!!!!................well Marca said??????............blah blah blah!!!
ReplyDeleteFrom that list Negredo stands out!!!...................class striker.
ReplyDeleteon another subject carragher thinks suarez could stay this season,now if that happens and we can prise hk out of that bolthole we could well push on for top four next season
ReplyDeletealonso is nearing the end of his carear ,he may want one last chance in the champions league
ReplyDeleteLet's wait and see but FSG want a winning team, they can prove it right now can't they????
ReplyDeleteI agree and he won't break the bank between £14-£18 mil, I would see as a realistic numbers for him.
ReplyDeleteI personally am a big fan of Osvaldo even in preseason for Roma against us he show his instinctive ability in the box. Although he does have a reported temper.
you can narrow your list down quite quickly,some are to old and some would cost or want to much,and some would want cl,
ReplyDeleteman city are looking at them both ,so i doubt we could compete,according to the independant
ReplyDeleteI would like to see Loic Remy/Kevin Gameiro at LFC
ReplyDeletenow would be a good time to start;-)
ReplyDeletenew cap?;-)
ReplyDeletei would even settle for shane long .....we just need a clinical finisher
ReplyDeleteRemy is tied up in a legal case???, not a good time now!!!
ReplyDeleteWell me personally I would love Osvaldo or Gomez with both of them with in what I believe financial means and generally possibility.
ReplyDeleteAs a replacement for Suarez I believe Jovetic is the best option due to his versatility
Anyone can say 'no, I don't agree'. The aim of debate is to provided reasons, hence my reply.
ReplyDeletei would like player like this to believe me ,lets hope we get what we want
ReplyDeletejaimie ,when is my guest post getting aired
ReplyDelete"Suarez An Innocent Man
Don't think he would get as much time on the ball as that in the premier league.Also some of the defending in that clips is atrocious, he won't be scoring anywhere near that in the premier league. I still think the rest of the players listed as comparison are better players. Rather have someone like soldano from Valencia.
ReplyDeletehe mite if he played against us every week ;-)
ReplyDelete95% of fans agree we should sign Benteke if Suarez goes? Where on earth did you pull that ridiculous stat from? I for one think Benteke would cost too much and don't particularly rate him that highly. Granted he had a fantastic first season in the Premiership but he still has alot to do before Im convinced he should replace a world class striker in our front line.
ReplyDeletehuntelaar,jovetic,osvaldo there are very optimistic players
ReplyDeleteYou might be right but looking at your comments on everyone profile this sight sould be called GANO KOP
ReplyDeletethe 5% like you have a opinion
ReplyDeleteYeah I was kidding. His comment adds nothing at all to the conversation :)
ReplyDeleteSurely the proof of goals shows he is on a par with those listed. The German league is a good league, if not one of the best now. You don`t score that many goals year upon year without being a great striker.
ReplyDeleteFor the price, he is a steel. If people said you could sign RVP for 9mil I`m sure people would jump at the chance, yet this guy scores just as many.
When hell freezes over, thaws out, then freezes over again.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I honestly think its a fashion thing, and his name aint the fashion right now. He is as good as RVP who is around the same age, yet this guy will be written off as not worth getting, yet RVP was brought by Utd, who went onto win the league. Sometimes older players are what makes the difference between 2nd and 1st.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jas. He is prob older than what we have been going for, which is a shame as he could be the difference for us.
ReplyDeletewith the climate change some time next week then;-)
ReplyDeletesooner or later we will sign some experenced players
ReplyDeleteAll very good players, but isn`t true value for money getting a player who brings you titles, or at least fourth in our case? Kiessling looks like he would out score all of those players while prob being cheaper than most, or around the same value. He doesn`t have long term value, but nor did RVP, who was prob the reason Utd won the league this season. IMO Winning teams are built for now, not the future. We have loads of young promsing players, so getting a few proven more experienced ones would help us be a bit more balanced and maybe help us get fourth.
ReplyDeleteWe signed Toure, but he was on a free so not sure if that really counts.
ReplyDeletenot really;-)
ReplyDeleteI'll believe all this "hype" about the german league when I see it. Just because it had two teams in the final doesn't automatically make it on par with the premier league. I tell you he won't get the time of day in the premier league, he's to slow and one dynamic unlike Van Persie. I can imagine sharp decline reminiscent of Shevencko. Just because you score goals in one league does mean you will in another.
ReplyDeleteHe does not have the skill or flare of any of the players listed above that would make them seemingly translate into other leagues.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool need someone who can get at least 15-20 goals regularly it does not make a difference who with the impending departure of Suarez.
ReplyDeleteNews that can make any Liverpool fan blood boil
http://www.cartilagefreecaptain.com/2013/6/28/4472352/tottenham-hotspur-transfer-rumor-henrik-mkhitaryan-liverpool
sad mad bad
ReplyDeleteyou kill me ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhen the new manager comes in? With his very own five year plan?
ReplyDeleteplease no if it dose not work with rodgers ,no more five year plans
ReplyDeleteEnd of Season Awards Results?????
ReplyDeleteI know this is off topic guys but it's been bugging the bejesus outta me for the last few weeks. Can someone explain to me why if Henrikh Mkhitaryan has a €23mil release clause and this sum has been met let's say by either Dortmund or Liverpool, how his parent club can reject it? I've always believed that a release clause is exactly that, if you bid the amount of the clause then the offer must be accepted, or am I missing something here? Only as all the daily rags keep brining it up then go on to say Shakhtar are holding out for €30 mil!!!
ReplyDeleteI'd like To know that too, how can they quote a figure if it's already set?
ReplyDeleteHe does not have a buyout clause. The problem is that he has more than one owner. To sign him will cost between 25-30 million.
ReplyDeleteIf Suarez leaves then the best bundesliga option is gomez. Yilmaz, villa, hulk or damiao would also be ok.
ReplyDeleteI think he's good, but do you guys think he will make the grade at PL? I really doubt if he'll be able to hack it in the PL. I know he has an awful lot of experience but I would love to see Dzeko come to LFC, he's more than a super sub and would just prove what he can do when he's given the chance to play week-in week-out.
ReplyDeleteI'll second that
ReplyDeleteHe'd be a decent buy and he is quite a clever & mobile forward for a big man as he links up well with the quick counter/ attacking play that Bayer sometimes use through Schurrle, Castro, etc but he isn't anything special, considering his age now. He is more than just a big unit, despite the obvious effectiveness of his aerial prowess and finishing. Goalscoring aside, he somewhat brings what Mandzukic brings to Bayern with his hold up play and movement as the last man. On the cheap he would be worth having here. I guess he has left things too late to make the big splash but although I think that is partially because he is bit of late bloomer, in terms of that link up play he has now wasn't that apparent earlier on as well as his consistency. I don't think he was underrated earlier on in his career and rightly so, as he wasn't anything to write home about but in the last two/three seasons, yep.
ReplyDeleteTrue he isnt a like for like with Suarez, but how games did we lose or not win because we never score from corners or freekicks? Kiessling isn`t bad with the ball at his feet either.
ReplyDeletemassive power cut in Liverpool today manweb blamed a little dark haired fella hiding in a substation in 2 dogs using an electric toothbrush
ReplyDeletelol cheers made my day
ReplyDeleteBy the way Jaimie, this was a great guest post, well done Zan
ReplyDeleteGood point, what good are corners if you cant get any advantage from them. I can't think of any goals liverpool made as a result of a corner (I'm sure there a few, like maybe 4 or so). There has to be a plan B, or secret weapon, this dude is pretty damn good, he should make any team.
ReplyDeleteStill it would be very hard to replace Suarez, player for player, there is only one comparable - and he's not leaving Barca ;)
Cheers Peter. Glad you liked it :-)
ReplyDeleteAgreed replacing Suarez is near on impossible. I think all you can do is use the money to improve the Team so the team is stronger, as you just can`t replace someone if his level with just one player. While Kiessling may not be a auto starter for every game (although he might be) he would also give us that option, that plan B as you say, for when games are tied. Being him on and we might nick a goal from a corner, which like you said we never do anymore.
ReplyDeleteI`m all for playing lovely football, but at the end of the day winning is more important. If you play lovely football for 80mins and are still goalless then why not bring him on and get the goal needed from a header from a set piece. 3pts are of course better than 1.
Some evidence on the corners bit: Liverpool had the most corners, but one of the lowest conversion rates - if Liverpool had the same conversion rate as MU - they would have scored 10 more goals. If BR
ReplyDeletewants to add 20 more goals - this is one major area of improvement, a player like Kiessling could add 10 more goals from corners alone.
http://benjaminpugsley.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/corners-goals-from-corners-in-the-premier-league/
The idea behind Rodgers' approach is to dominate. If for 80 minutes you haven't scored and managed to breakdown a defense, there is just as much chance of you doing it using the same approach for another ten minutes as there is by resorting to the long ball. There is nothing wrong with having a striker in your squad that is also a great header of the ball but that shouldn't be the basis of the tactic. As for corners, defenders and central midfielders can get at the end of a corner too. As a matter of fact, I think you'll find that's how defenders score most of their goals. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that if you look into it, you'll find that someone like Owen or Suarez have scored just as many goals from a corner as, for example, Crouch. Just not with their heads.
ReplyDeleteWe lost or didn't win games because we didn't score enough goals. Not because we didn't score enough goals from corners.
ReplyDeleteI was being sarcastic :-) Next boss should be Wenger, Mancini or Mourinho, they never needed 5 year plans :-) Sure they spent a bundle but so did Mark Hughes and he couldn't win anything with Citeh. If we basically just invest our next five summer transfer windows in one window and give it to one of them, we'll be golden! (again...being sarcastic... :-)
ReplyDeletei know you was ;-)
ReplyDeleteDon't think Barcelona scored many from freekicks or corners either - Stoke scored most of theirs that way though
ReplyDeleteand in them 90 we didnt score enough from corners. That doesn`t mean using long ball, as if you have ever watched Kiessling he is nothing like crouch, he is extremely good with the ball played along the floor, yet he can score with his head too.
ReplyDeleteWe lost many games from not scoring enough, and as facts show we scored one of the lowest amounts of goals from corners, yet had one of the highest amounts of corners it just highlights how many chances we wasted. As someone else pointed out Utd score 10 more goals than us from corners. That possible 7 more games won. Big difference at the end of the season.
The arguement we dont need to score from corners is a false one, as we do need to. That don`t matter if its with ur head or feet, we still need too.
For a matter of fact, Suarez didnt even get close scoring from corners with feet or head to crouch, although using Crouch as a example is a poor one as he played for us when we used a different system, when we used to score from corners, so makes it a bit unbalanced..
No two ways about it if you want top four, you have to score from set pieces.
Craig Johnston reckons Suarez is the "best Red ever".....
ReplyDeleteyes i have seen it,hes good bot not that good ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhere did I say we don't need to address that fact? I said we don't need our striker to address it. Like I said, I rate Kiessling as a finisher. The problem is though that he does not fit our system. Why did Ibrahimovic not work out at Barca? Not because he's a bad striker but because he did not fit into their system. Kiessling is the same.
ReplyDeleteI do agree players need to fit our system, more so than them even being proven else where.
ReplyDeleteIf you are in need of debates Go to a parliament damn idiot
ReplyDeleteAnd MESSI would sign for LFC next Lol , just a guessing based on the posts of this website
ReplyDeleteGo to a Parliament and debate , Be a man , dont act like a girl and delete my posts face off
ReplyDelete