Whilst much was admittedly expected of Jurgen Klopp when he was introduced on Merseyside just a few short months ago, the 2015/16 campaign was always going to be a transitional period for the Reds, due to the overriding sense of uncertainty and doubt brought about during the Brendan Rodgers era at the club.
The upcoming summer transfer period will therefore offer Liverpool’s newly installed boss the chance to finally put his own personal stamp of approval on the current squad available to him at Anfield, with several high profile Bundesliga stars reportedly keen on joining up with the former Borussia Dortmund boss.
Yet as Manchester City’s increasingly forlorn figure of Yaya Toure has recently cropped up as a mooted target for the Reds to pursue this summer, could Jurgen Klopp genuinely be chasing a rather shrewd move here, or would the potential signing of the current Etihad midfielder ultimately represent a clear step in the wrong direction for Liverpool?
Well, although the notorious summer transfer period usually provides its fair share of drama and surprise with every passing year, this particular rumour seemingly remains little more than loose paper talk and pure speculation one would suspect.
Despite spending over £100m on a series of high profile names across the previous summer window, Manchester City have flattered to deceive for the most part in 2015/16 – with Toure himself often a magnet for criticism within Manuel Pellegrini’s star-studded ranks.
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The Ivory Coast international has certainly been one of the Premier League’s stars over the past few years, but seeing as the former Barcelona man will be entering the next league campaign at the not so sprightly age of 33, surely the combative box-to-box midfielder will be forced to drift away from the spotlight sooner rather than later.
The Toure of the modern era has looked distinctly slow, off the pace and even somewhat disinterested. He no longer resembles one of the most dangerous players in Europe by any stretch of the imagination, and looks certain to depart Man City upon Pep Guardiola’s introduction.
If Liverpool were to see this particular deal as a viable option this summer, then the Reds would arguably be highlighting themselves as a club willing to take on the deadwood of their rivals, whilst moving further and further away from re-establishing themselves as a truly dominant force in the English top-flight once again.
In addition to Toure’s decreasing value, the Ivorian would still likely command a ridiculously hefty wage-packet after spending so long as one of the most highly-paid names at the Etihad Stadium. This could easily be spent on a younger, hungrier talent, which Liverpool have looked towards in recent summers.
Although the Anfield faithful could indeed witness a certain resurgence in atmosphere with both Toure brothers involved at their club in 2016/17, it remains hard to envisage Liverpool putting all their eggs in one basket and moving for the 32-year-old Manchester City star.
With all things fairly taken into account, Yaya Toure remains a good player who has definitely excelled within the English game in several seasons past, but is he the man capable of restoring the good times in and around Anfield for the upcoming 2016/17 campaign? Certainly not…
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