Monday, February 18, 2013

Rodgers Could Raid Swansea For Ashley Williams

Brendan Rodgers says he wants to “bring in some men” to his Liverpool squad this summer to eradicate the costly errors that have derailed the club’s season.

The floundering campaign has been attributed to the inexperience in the squad, the lack of senior players soon to be accentuated by Jamie Carragher’s retirement.

Thursday night’s 2-0 defeat at Zenit St Petersburg was the latest occasion when Liverpool have failed to convert their dominance into victory.

Rodgers has made no secret of the profile of player he is looking for following a period where all his major signings have been 23 or under.

“The biggest thing we need this summer is to bring in some men, some character that allows and supports the other men to see the games out,” said Rodgers. “That is the biggest thing for me. Look at Jamie Carragher, he is our best defender, he is 35 but we are losing that character. That has to be replaced. I also think there are other areas of the team that need improving.”

With the future of Martin Skrtel and Sebastian Coates also under discussion, it means Rodgers could need three new centre-backs.

Top of his wanted list is likely to be Swansea centre-half Ashley Williams, who was made captain when Rodgers was manager.

Williams, 29 in August, was recently handed the Wales armband. He is one of the best defenders in the Premier League but would cost at least £10 million.

With Swansea more likely to qualify for Europe than Liverpool, there would be no guarantee he could be so easily lured. But changes must be made, insists Rodgers. “This has been a difficult but real eye-opening period in terms of coming in to a club with such ambition. We just need that mentality to be clinical,” he said.

“That’s something we’ll talk about at the end of the season when we identify where improvements have to be made. I just want the best team, whether that is senior players, youth or the best which is the mixture. I always like to give young players hope but in order to do that they need that bit of experience alongside them.

“I don’t think massive surgery is needed. Daniel Sturridge came in and you saw the difference it made to the team. Maybe if we had a few more of his capacity in the group that could set us up.

But it is not wholesale changes. But in order for us to be up there consistently we need to improve in terms of our mentality. Technically we have shown we are very capable, tactically we have not been found wanting like in the two games against Arsenal and Man City.

“The condition and intensity of their work is high so that only leaves you one thing - mentality. That is the area which needs to improve and to do that we need character.”

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