Rodgers' moves in the transfer market reek of desperation
Rodgers' obsession with early signings may backfire again
Brendan Rodgers must wake up to the sound of Cher singing "I Got You Babe" every morning.
The alarm goes off, he relives the same day and makes the same decisions until he either gets off with Andie MacDowell, or gets the sack.
The Liverpool manager is replaying scenes from Groundhog Day, a movie about a stubborn man replaying scenes from Groundhog Day.
Deja vu must be an every day experience at Anfield.
The holiday tans are yet to fade as returning Reds shake off the post-season rustiness and Rodgers is already running around like a mad auntie on a free trolley dash at NTUC FairPrice.
It's not so much a two-for-one special as it is a six-for-50 million spree.
Like a compulsive spender snapping up chocolate bars at the counter, he's at it again, waving the chequebook around and relying on his Bostonian sugar daddies to settle the bill.
At an exorbitant £32.5 million ($68m), Christian Benteke is expected to join new purchases Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Danny Ings, Joe Gomez, Adam Bogdan and Nathaniel Clyne at the Melwood Training Ground to compare pay packages.
Once again, Rodgers is playing with a transfer market pinata, thrashing around like a giddy schoolboy in the hope that he hits the sweet spot and goodies spill out into the dressing room.
But he could also end up pinning a donkey or two instead.
Either way, he certainly isn't getting value for money.
Apart from Benteke's expensive buy-out clause, Rodgers also forked out a reported £29m for Roberto Firmino. It's an eye-watering sum that exceeds the amount Arsenal paid for Alexis Sanchez when add-ons are included.
But Rodgers was always going to get his pants pulled down over the price. Speed and greed are his only options. He spends quickly and heavily, or he doesn't spend at all.
Slow and steady doesn't win such a handicapped race. Stuck with a transitional squad and no Champions League football, Rodgers must recklessly dangle more carrots than ever at potential targets.
Even Clyne reportedly wanted Champions League football with Manchester United and joined Liverpool only when interest cooled off at Old Trafford.
There's also Rodgers' obsession with avoiding late panic buys. Call it the Mario Balotelli syndrome. He knows he wouldn't survive a second season of wasting money on substandard talent at the last minute.
His eagerness to sign early is obvious, but also reeks of desperation to others. It's a sellers market where Liverpool are concerned, as Hoffenheim discovered, 29 million times over, when they sold Firmino.
Any buzz surrounding the Brazilian might have given way to the faint hum of alarm bells after his inept showing in the Copa America quarter-finals. He was substituted against Paraguay to spare him further insult.
The greatest players endure off days, but Firmino isn't a conventional goal-scorer to begin with.
As a creative forward, he averages a goal every three games, a decent return, but perhaps not enough to mount a charge for the top four.
That burden will probably fall on Benteke's broad shoulders, alongside Daniel Sturridge, with promising back-up from Danny Ings. But the final price tag of the three new faces may tiptoe towards £70m, which is hardly wily wheeler-dealing.
Liverpool anticipate getting most of their money back on Raheem Sterling's impending sale, which evokes memories of the Fernando Torres-Andy Carroll affair.
On the one hand, the Reds turned a profit. On the other, they paid out £35m for a non-goal-scoring striker.
Echoes of Groundhog Day drift through Anfield once more.
Of the six signings so far, Clyne appears the likeliest candidate for success, even if Rodgers' record in poaching former Saints is checkered at best.
Clyne fills an obvious slot at right back, a rare round peg in a round hole.
The same cannot be said of James Milner as the midfielder seldom found the right hole for either club or country. He still hasn't replicated the form from Aston Villa, largely because he hasn't been trusted with the same role at either Manchester City or England.
He covets his new skipper's position in the heart of midfield. But Jordan Henderson was there first.
Rodgers' other signings are understudies and promising potential, so Firmino, Milner, Clyne and Benteke, if he arrives, must take on the responsibility of redeeming Rodgers.
They are committed performers, but not recognised as world-beaters. Once again, Rodgers has staked his career on expensive gambles.
Only now, he isn't re-enacting Groundhog Day. If he fails, there will be an entirely different outcome.
POOL'S NEW SIGNINGS
ROBERTO FIRMINO
- Age: 23
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Position: Midfielder
- Transfer fee: £29m (from Hoffenheim)
JAMES MILNER
- Age: 29
- Nationality: English
- Position: Midfielder
- Transfer fee: Free (from Man City)
ADAM BOGDAN
- Age: 27
- Nationality: Hungarian
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Transfer fee: Free (from Bolton)
JOE GOMEZ
- Age: 18
- Nationality: English
- Position: Defender
- Transfer fee: £3.5m (from Charlton)
DANNY INGS
- Age: 23
- Nationality: English
- Position: Striker
- Transfer fee: Undisclosed (from Burnley)
NATHANIEL CLYNE
- Age: 24
- Nationality: English
- Position: Defender
- Transfer fee: £12.5m (from Southampton)
CHRISTIAN BENTEKE
- Age: 24
- Nationality: Belgian
- Position: Striker
- Club: Aston Villa
BY THE NUMBERS
115
The number of tackles made by Nathaniel Clyne for Southampton in the last Premier League season, second only to Chelsea's Nemanja Matic (129).
O'Driscoll is Brendan's new no. 2
Liverpool have confirmed the appointment of Sean O'Driscoll as their new assistant manager.
The former Bournemouth, Doncaster, Crawley, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City boss moves to Anfield after a spell in charge of the England Under-19s.
The 58-year-old takes over as Brendan Rodgers' No. 2 from Colin Pascoe, who was sacked last month following a robust end-of-season review.
Liverpool also announced that academy boss Pep Lijnders will step up to a newly-created role as first-team development coach. Both men began work as Liverpool returned to their Melwood base for the start of pre-season training yesterday.
Rodgers said: "I have made these appointments because I want to take us in a new technical direction, in terms of coaching.
"I believe the entire first-team set-up will benefit and I am extremely positive and excited about what we can achieve, as a group, going forward."
Lijnders is not a direct replacement for first-team coach Mike Marsh, whose contract was not renewed last month.
The Dutchman will continue to work with the elite youth talent at the academy but will now play a greater role in the first-team set-up.
It is understood the club are still looking to add a new first-team coach to the backroom staff.
The coaching shake-up comes as Rodgers looks to reinvigorate his squad - which have already been supplemented by the signing of six players - after last season's disappointing sixth-placed finish in the Premier League.
Rodgers has previously spoken of the qualities of O'Driscoll (above), who has never managed in the top flight but has considerable experience after close to 40 years in the game.
Rodgers said in a statement: "My admiration for Sean, as a professional, is well documented. He is someone with a clear vision and philosophy and has proved he has the ability to transfer that knowledge, through his coaching, to the players.
"I am looking forward to working with him and also learning from his experiences and gaining valuable knowledge from his expertise."
O'Driscoll added: "I am excited to be joining one of the world's most iconic football clubs.
"The hallmark of any successful club is their culture and that comes from the people who work there, from the chief executive and first-team manager to those people behind the scenes whose faces may not be known but who are the lifeblood of the club.
"From the moment I drove into Melwood last week and was greeted by Kenny the gate man, I could not have been made to feel more welcome. If you are going to have any level of success, these people are as crucial as the players; from my experiences so far, it is clear everyone wants to help this club succeed."
Lijnders, who previously had roles at PSV Eindhoven and FC Porto, has impressed since taking charge of Liverpool's U-16s side last year. His new position will focus much more on elite player development.
Rodgers said: "(Lijnders) has excelled at the academy and I believe this is the perfect time for him to make the step up to the first-team set-up and use his talents for the benefit of the senior squad."
Lijnders said: "I feel proud and honoured to work closely with Brendan and his staff. I couldn't think of a better attacking manager to assist.
"Everybody knows how I feel about representing this amazing club. The owners have a clear and strong philosophy which is based on developing top young players into elite."
- PA Sport.
Sterling returns to training but City bid imminent
Raheem Sterling's future with Liverpool is uncertain even though he returned to pre-season training with the Reds yesterday.
Liverpool have rejected two bids from Manchester City for the 20-year-old since the end of last season - the second believed to be around £40 million (&84m) - and he arrived at Melwood just after 9am yesterday along with several of the club's new summer signings.
Liverpool are expecting Man City to come back with a third bid this week as they look to resolve Sterling's future before embarking on their pre-season tour of Asia, sources have told ESPN FC.
City's owners had given the green light to make a third bid in the region of £50m to finally convince Liverpool to sell Sterling.
Sky Sports understands Chelsea are also interested in Sterling but are not prepared to meet Liverpool's £50m valuation of the player.
- Wire Services.
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