Premier League Season Preview: Liverpool

Next into the Dragon’s Den are Tom and George and they’re looking for £800million for a 100 per cent stake in Liverpool Football Club.

It was the best club in the world but is laden with debt and now can boast only to be the seventh best in England.

The Europa League beckons, the famous Anfield home is earmarked for demolition and Mascherano wants to leave.

Roy Hodgson performed miracles at Fulham and might need to do the same here but he will find expectations and egos scaled up.

Erm, like your pitch but I’m out. Kenny Huang?

Boss’s toughest job

Where to start. Hodgson must prioritise the League and stop the rot. Keeping hold of key players this summer was a good start. Great things are expected of a mediocre squad.

Hiccup on horizon

The Hicks-Gillett saga must surely end soon. Without fresh investment, the club could be the biggest yet to go bust, which would be less a hiccup, more a projectile vomit.

The numbers game

1 - The number of times Liverpool have faced a top-four side (this time Arsenal) on the first day since 2003

20 - How many times the Reds hit the woodwork last season, more than any other side in the Premier League

Alternative sponsor

History Channel - Them were the days. Twenty years and counting.

Ins/Outs

In – Jonjo Shelvey (Charlton, £1.7m), Milan Jovanovic (Standard, free), Joe Cole (Chelsea, free, right), Danny Wilson (Rangers, £2m)

Out – Albert Riera (Olympiakos, £4.2m), Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea, £6m), Philipp Degen (Stuttgart, loan), David Martin (MK Dons, free), Mikel San Jose (Bilbao, free)

Keep an eye out for

Raheem Sterling Age: 15 Position: Attacking midfielder. Signed from QPR earlier in the year where he was playing Under 18 football at 14. England Under 16 is blessed with abundant pace and skill and can play on either wing or through the middle. Recently made debut in a friendly against Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Fan’s view

Dave Stevens: We need to get back the morale and confidence we lost last season. With the new manager and a new owner I see no reason why we can’t compete at the top.