Premier League giants Liverpool who have been mid-table for most of this season are keen on making an upward move in the points table. For this purpose the club was keen on adding more players to their squad to challenge for a place in the top four by improving their performances. The club has many potential targets but have not been able to close in on any pending deals. The Anfield side has been chasing Manchester City’s James Milner, who is out of contract at the Etihad at the end of the season.
If Liverpool were to acquire the services of the England international, it would be a huge boost to their squad and the ambition of winning trophies in the near future. The 29-year old has been selfless at times with his play and has played in a lot of different positions at times for the Manchester club this season, showing the versatile nature of his game.
The England international is quite underrated with the star studded line-up that City possesses and at times does not get his due credit. Manchester City have a better scoring record with Milner in the team, 2.3 v 1.5 per game and this quality is something that Liverpool definitely could use as they are creating a lot, yet, the finishing has been disappointing at times.
Further if Milner makes the move to Anfield, his passing abilities would be very useful for the team. Milner has a 83% pass completion rate and has created 35 chances for City this season which is quite remarkable. Moreover when Milner plays, City wins most times and he can boast of a 72.2% win percentage. Last, but not the least, 83% percent of his tackles have been totally spot on, which is quite an important part of the modern game.
Brendan Rodgers has clearly expressed the need to improve his side’s performance, if he hopes to make it to the Champions League next season. The club is currently at 8th place with 32 points and is just five points behind 4th place Manchester United. Liverpool have already been eliminated from the Champions League and are 17 points behind League leaders Chelsea at the moment.
Stats taken from Whoscored & Squawka