da poker： Time to move on from the Europa League heartbreak, Liverpool fans.
da doce： Life does go on and so does football. EURO 2016 is approaching faster than many would hope and the management teams are clubs around the world will be using it as an opportunity to do a fair bit of summer scouting. So, you fans should too!
Jurgen Klopp will, you’d expect, be given a significant budget to try and ‘Klopp-ify’ their squad and this European Championship might be the opportunity for some players to lure in a bid or ten from Liverpool. Big things are expected from Anfield next summer and this window is a good chance to turn things around, having failed to compete regularly in the top four for several years.
Obviously the club might fancy buying some non-European players, or some from nations who didn’t qualify for the EUROs, but we reckon its a good place to keep an eye on potential signings.
With that in mind, here are FIVE…
Julian Weigl
Dortmund’s midfielder, Julian Weigl, was a slight surprise when he was included in Germany’s preliminary squad for the EUROs.
Weigl is a deep-lying midfield controller and would be the ideal player to function alongside Emre Can or Jordan Henderson. This season he surpassed the record for number of touches in a Bundesliga game and has been averaging over 78 passes per league game.
He is certainly one to watch and could be subject to some hefty bids from around Europe.
Axel Witsel
Another midfielder, Axel Witsel is more of a left-field selection.
A member of the immensely talented Belgium squad, Witsel will probably play a slightly deeper role in the midfield and shield the defence. Touted as a star from his time at Benfica, Witsel has been a dominant force for Zenit St Petersburg, but it must be time for him to make the next step in his career.
Marc Bartra
Barcelona are that good that signing their ‘rejects’ are still a decent ploy for Premier League sides.
With Pique and Ramos fully fit, Bartra is unlikely to feature much at the EUROs, but the Spanish centre-half would be a sound addition for the Reds. An adept passer, Bartra could spring counter-attacks from deep in Klopp’s side and would reinforce their terribly weak centre-back spot.
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Lassana Diarra
The former Arsenal and Chelsea defensive midfielder made it into the France squad ahead of Manchester United’s Morgan Schneiderlin and his recent form has suggested that he could be set for another go at the big time.
Less of a passing machine than Weigl, Diarra is a shielding player in midfield and can also fill in at right-back if required. A terrier, more than a composed controller, he would aid the pressing game in Liverpool’s midfield.
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Lorenzo Insigne
It was a ‘so close, yet so far’ season for Napoli, as they fell just short of the Scudetto they have craved for years.
Lorenzo Insigne was pivotal in the side from Naples even getting that close as his partnership with Gonzalo Higuain terrorised defences. The Italian will likely be a starter at this summer’s EUROs, so expect to see a mix of sharp feet and trickery from the wings.
12 goals and 10 assists in Serie A this season show that Insigne is developing an end product to his game and he could be a real force in this Liverpool attack.
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