Photo courtesy of Ftbro.com
Iago Aspas, the Spanish wide forward from Celta Vigo, was at Liverpool‘s Melwood training ground yesterday to complete a medical and put pen to paper on a four-year deal that will confirm him as Brendan Rodgers‘ second signing of the summer, following hot on the heels of defender Kolo Toure.
Aspas is an extremely talented, technical, fiery character with an eye for goal and the ability to beat his marker — all qualities that are inherent in Luis Suarez. Unfortunately, Aspas also seems to have the same volcanic temperament as the Uruguayan, as demonstrated by his recent head-butting of an opponent.
However, let’s remind ourselves that passion is often misconstrued as aggression and players who play aggressively also play passionately. Passion is something that has been sorely lacking within recent years at Liverpool from certain players, so anyone who comes in to bring a bit of “bite” into the squad can only be a good thing.
Another player who will shortly follow Aspas through the famous Shankly Gates is another Spaniard by the name of Luis Alberto. Alberto is a very highly rated 20 year-old wing wizard currently on loan at Barcelona‘s B team from Sevilla. Alberto is so highly thought of at Sevilla that the negotiations have begun at £5 million and could rise to £8 million, a lot for an unproven young forward.
Yet if he is as good as expected, it’ll be a bargain. Alberto appears to have just about sealed the deal himself, with quotes attributed to him in Spanish publication El Desmarque saying:
“It would be foolish and deluded for me to say no to a club like Liverpool”
So, there’s concrete confirmation there from the player himself of his desire to play for the Reds. Alberto is the perfect fit for Rodgers Liverpool tapestry as his age, price and ability marks him out as a player who can be molded with a high sell on value, something FSG covet immensely.
The fact that he is comparable to Philippe Coutinho bodes well for the Spaniard considering the incredible impact made by the little Brazilian since January, and fans will be hoping Alberto is just as effective.
The Liverpool jigsaw is coming together, and anyone worried about the loss of Suarez should perhaps take a different view. Even if he leaves, the influx of money gained will be more than enough to move for Karim Benzema of Christian Benteke as a replacement. With a front line soon to be bristling with quick, skillful players all eager to perform, the loss of Suarez will be more than compensated for.
The future looks bright for Liverpool, and just imagine their potential as a team should they manage to persuade Suarez to stay for another year?
James Hilton is a soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter , “like” his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google+
