Adam Lallana was a key player for Southampton last season, continuing the resurgence of the south coast club after they returned from the third tier of English football back to the Premier League. At Liverpool, however, the 26-year-old can expect to fight for his place with several young stars.
The likes of Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho, two attacking players who can play in the middle and on the wing, will be vying for the same position as the former Saints man. This is a good problem for Brendan Rodgers, who likes players to be able to play different positions. The increased competition may not be so good for some of the Liverpool squad, though, who will now need to fight hard for their places.
The players last season had a comforting thought that nobody could replace them because the Reds’ bench was weak, as it included the likes of on-loan flop Victor Moses and Iago Aspas, who both struggled to make an impact. It is evident that the bench is now being beefed up, with Lallana’s former team-mate at Southampton Rickie Lambert and defensive midfielder Emre Can being brought in. Lambert may be getting on a bit, but he still knows where the net is having scored 13 Premier League goals last season, whilst the young German Can has been compared to Bastian Schweinsteiger. Both players are clearly ready to fight their way into the starting lineup.
It will be interesting to see who misses out on the opening day of the season when the Reds take on Southampton at Anfield. What we do know is that Liverpool are fast becoming an exciting team, with the signing of Adam Lallana only the beginning of their evolution.