Friday 15 August 2014 12:43, UK
Sky Sports pundit Tony Gale believes Liverpool’s triple transfer raid of Southampton represents good business for the club, but that they will struggle to replace the ‘genius’ of Luis Suarez.
The Reds have paid Southampton a total of £49m for the services of Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert over the summer but sold controversial Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona.
While Suarez’s goalscoring capabilities will be badly missed, Liverpool have brought in players to improve a defence which leaked 50 Premier League goals last season – more than any other side in the top five.
Dejan Lovren is an excellent acquisition for Liverpool and those three players they have brought in from Southampton are all good signings
The transfer of Lovren has been made with that in mind, and former centre-back Gale believes the Croatia international could prove a vital addition.
“Dejan Lovren is an excellent acquisition for Liverpool and those three players they have brought in from Southampton are all good signings,” Gale told The Morning View on Sky Sports News HQ.
“He led the Southampton backline last season and he is very good at playing that passing game that Mauricio Pochettino liked to play and that Brendan Rodgers will want him to play as well.
“He has good ability on the ball and he’s left-footed as well so that will give them a good balance. Liverpool have signed well but they need to replace Suarez, and his goals, because he is a genius.”
Meanwhile, Gale says he was not surprised to see Tony Pulis leave Crystal Palace two days before the start of the Premier League season and believes the exit may have been down to a disagreement over transfer strategy.
“I wasn’t surprised because it had been mooted that Tony wasn’t happy with the club’s transfer business this summer and he knows what it takes to keep a team in the Premier League,” he said.
“So many of the results when they survived last season were 1-0 and he will know they were fortunate to stay up and that what they’ve done in the summer wasn’t enough to get them to mid-table this season.
“He’s had a chat with the chairman who might be concerned that they go back to the Championship and then they’re lumbered with players whose wages they can’t afford.”
