Liverpool to sign a new striker next month

It’s hardly a conspiracy theory or wild rumours that Liverpool FC and Kenny Dalglish longing for a new striker next month when the January transfer window re-opens.

We all know that Luis Suarez will be indefinitely be suspended at some point by the FA on the racism allegation and the finger gesture during the Fulham match. Unless, Andy Carroll can step up to the plate and proved his critics wrong in the next few games, which I’m highly doubt he can. While, Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy can’t run the show for the full 90-minutes week in, week out as both players are in their twilight years of their career. Who else can we call upon to lead the front-line?

A Scottish international has been named as a target, along with Rangers’ Nikica Jelavic and Polish striker Robert Lewandowski name resurfaced yet again.

Liverpool are pondering a January move for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Steven Fletcher. Dalglish is desperate to sort out the Reds’ profligacy in front of goal and has identified the 24-year-old as a possible solution.

Liverpool are also preparing an £8million bid for Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic. The 26-year-old has scored 12 times in 17 appearances this season and is believed to be attracting interest from a number of clubs. Newcastle United have also been linked to Jelavic’s signature this January.

Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski is back in the frame again with Liverpool his most likely destination. Lewandowski is not your typical out and out scorer but has still managed to notch up 10 league goals in 16 matches this season. He was instrumental in helping Dortmund lift the Bundesliga title last season and could see a move to Merseyside as a fresh challenge. The 6ft Polish striker would be the perfect player to complement Luis Suarez as he holds the ball well and likes to feed people through.

The Polish youngster moved to Dortmund on a four year contract in 2010 for a fee of around €4.9 million and will take some doing to lure the youngster to leave Dortmund having just signed with the club a year ago. However Liverpool’s new owners have shown enough steel that they are willing to spend big in a bid to put Liverpool back on the map, having already spent over £100 million since their takeover.

Which of the trio of players you would like to see donning the red shirt this January? Leave your thought in the comment box below.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club or Red's Fury™ blog.

Source: Transfer Tavern

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Glasgow Rangers 1-0 Liverpool Match Report

It is very unusual for Liverpool to be playing friendly matches at this stage of the season, but with both Liverpool and Rangers not participating in Europe the match was arranged to benefit both clubs, both financially and for match fitness. Dalglish who supported Rangers as a boy would be determined for his side to put on a good show in Glasgow. Obviously the main aim was to get some much needed match fitness, especially for the players that have not been getting a game and for the players returning from injury.

THE TEAM

As promised Dalglish did bring a strong team up to Glasgow for this glamour friendly, although many of the players starting the match have not played recently. Kenny started the match with Doni in goal with former Ranger Wilson at left back, the fit again Johnson at right back, with Coates and Agger in the middle of defence. The midfield consisted of Aurelio on the left with Spearing and captain for the night Lucas in the middle, and Maxi on the right side, with up front Andy Carroll partnering Craig Bellamy.

THE MATCH

It was a decent crowd for a friendly fixture with a nice gesture before the match with supporters from both clubs parading a banner in memory of those who lost their lives in the Hillsborough and Ibrox disasters prior to the match, while a collection was set up with half of the total funds raised going towards the Hillsborough Family Support Group.

The game started with Liverpool almost taking the lead within 90 seconds when Maxi found Carroll with a tremendous pass on the left hand corner of the penalty area, but the big striker’s first time volley went into the crowd.

After this early chance Rangers started to threaten and in the 10^th minute Ortiz beat the Liverpool offside trap but the Liverpool defence managed to scramble away his cutback for a corner. Shortly after Ortiz had a drilled effort well saved by Doni as Rangers kept on the offensive.

Then in the 20^th minute Doni made a great save from a low Whitaker shot pushing the ball round his left hand post. But from the resulting corner Rangers took the lead when McCulloch’s scuffed effort squirmed beneath the legs of Aurelio on the goal line as Liverpool failed to clear the corner. It was a deserved lead for the hosts.

Rangers were on the ascendancy now and Doni had to make another good stop from McKay’s headed effort from a Lee Wallace centre. Then Davis should have doubled Rangers lead when he got behind the Liverpool defence but his lobbed effort landed on the roof of the net.

Liverpool never troubled McGregor in the Rangers goal during the first half but they did work a fine move with Johnson and Maxi combining down the right but Maxi’s effort was well blocked by Broadfoot to keep Rangers in the lead at half-time.

I think Dalglish had some strong words to his team at the break after watching his side look extremely off the pace in the first half, and within minutes of the re-start Bellamy almost brought Liverpool level with a shot on the turn just missing the upright.

But Rangers thought they had made it 2-0 in the 55^th minute when Lafferty smashed his effort off the post from 6 yards out before Doni managed to prevent the ball crossing line when it seemed like a goal was inevitable. The big stopper injured a finger in the process and had to be replaced by Hansen.

As Liverpool looked to get back into the game they should have equalised when Maxi robbed Broadfoot of possession 25 yards out but his cutback towards Carroll was well read by the Rangers defence.

Dalglish brought on Adam, Kuyt, Downing and Flanagan for the last 25 minutes as they tried to salvage the game but it was Rangers that came closest with Lafferty and the veteran David Weir being very unlucky with terrific efforts.

As the game entered its conclusion, Carroll was centimetres away with a powerful header from an Adam corner. Downing also had low strike well saved by McGregor at his near post. The substitutions had the desired impact but Rangers held out to claim a win.

SUMMARY

I took my daughter to the match but unfortunately had to sit with the Rangers supporters as the Liverpool end was full. So I’m afraid it was not as enjoyable an experience as I had hoped. It was a tremendous gesture by the supporters with the banner being paraded before kick-off in respect of both disasters that both clubs have endured. It was good to see so many players starting the match that were in desperate need of match fitness. Good to see Johnson, Aurelio and Agger back to fitness although Johnson and Aurelio looked off the pace. In fact most of the team looked short of match fitness as they struggled against a sharper Rangers side in the first half. If it wasn’t for Doni we could have lost by a lot more as he made some terrific saves but worryingly left exposed too often as the Liverpool defence looked disjointed. I thought Maxi looked lively and Bellamy too without an end product. But Andy Carroll was very disappointing and looked like very lethargic on the night. I was very disappointed that Carragher and Suarez but especially Gerrard never featured as there was a superb travelling support, but I can see the reasons for not playing them in a friendly with so many important games coming up. I can’t hide my disappointment of the night but got to take out the positives and they are the match fitness for many of the squad players.

Man Of The Match - Agger – great to see him back and thought he played well under quite a bit of pressure at times from Rangers. He just shaded it from Doni who made some vital saves.

Written by Jamie McLaughlin, who writes for Anfield News and was at Ibrox Stadium that night.

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Liverpool went down at the Gers

Charlie Adam and Danny Wilson were never going to match Paul Gascoigne’s prodigal son performance at the weekend when they made their returns to Ibrox in this friendly match. But then, not many in the Liverpool ranks – only one of whom had started against Manchester United on Saturday – seemed in the mood for living up to lofty reputations. The game was entertaining enough, but clearly one for swelling the Ibrox coffers rather than stirring the Ibrox blood.

Indeed, from the start it was obvious that this would be a contest of distinctly subdued passions, the temperature rising only when Craig Bellamy figured in a move. The bustling, scuttling Bellamy did at least give the impression that he cared about the outcome, a concern reflected by the Rangers supporters who, remembering the Welshman’s brief stint at Celtic a few years ago, roundly booed everything he did.

Bellamy’s subtle manoeuvres across the forward line were almost as distracting for the Rangers defence. In time, they did seem to get the measure of him, although they seemed less able to close down the space Andy Carroll created for himself. Yet Carroll’s finishing was of a lower order and the striker began the first half by lashing a volley well past the left post and ended it with a horribly sliced shot high into the stand.

All of which pleased the Rangers fans no end, but they had more reasons to be pleased with what their own side were doing in front of goal. Rangers held a 1-0 lead at half-time, courtesy of Lee McCulloch’s sharpness when Liverpool made a hash of mopping up a corner in the 19th minute, but they could easily have had a couple more by then. The corner which brought McCulloch’s goal had been won by a lashing shot from Steven Whittaker, well saved by Doni, and Steve Davis had been unlucky with a clever lob in the 35th minute that skimmed the top of the crossbar.

It did nothing to diminish the crowd’s contentment level that Bellamy opened the second half with two wild and wayward shots. At the other end, a fierce effort by Kyle Lafferty was stopped by a combination of Doni and the post, but then seemed to spin just over the line. The despairing Doni grabbed it back – injuring his hand in the process – and the assistant referee gave Liverpool the benefit of the doubt and ruled that it had been kept out.

If anything, what little steam there had been in Liverpool’s early display seemed to evaporate after the break. Rafts of substitutions from both sides broke up the continuity, although there hadn’t been much of that either. When Adam arrived, replacing Lucas in the 65th minute, his first act on the pitch was to shake hands with a couple of old Rangers colleagues.

A few minutes after Lafferty’s goal-that-wasn’t, another sizzling effort from the striker was just inches too high. Not to be outdone by this parade of boldness, club captain David Weir then launched a volley with more grace and athleticism than any 41 year-old should be able to muster, an attempt that seemed to come even closer than Lafferty’s.

But then, it was that sort of night – a game of party tricks rather than biting competitiveness. Overshadowed, of course, by the knowledge that both teams would rather be doing other things in Europe right now.

Source: Telegraph

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Liverpool takes on Glasgow Rangers on a friendly match

Liverpool will head to Glasgow in a midweek friendly later this month to take part in a friendly game against Rangers.

The game will take place on the 18th October at 7.30pm UK time. Charlie Adam and Danny Wilson are the two Reds who played for Rangers.

   “They are a fantastic club and their squad is packed with world class players so I have no doubt this game will capture the imagination of our supporters.

“We look forward to welcoming Charlie Adam and Danny Wilson back to Ibrox and I am sure the fans will turn out in huge numbers once again to watch us in action against such a high-profile English Premiership side.” - Rangers boss Ally McCoist

The two teams last met in a pre-season friendly in August 2008, with Liverpool running out 4-0 winners in Scotland. Liverpool have been allocated 3,500 tickets for this fixture.

Source: Liverpool FC Official

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