Monday 20 December 2010

England Gridlocked by Winter Storms, Liverpool vs. Fulham Frozen Out

No Liverpool vs. Fulham Grudge match, but Transfer Rumors Galore for the Reds.

By Rhydon Atzenhoffer
December 20, 2010

With all of the British Isles in the grips of a devastatingly powerful winter storm, only a few games were able to be played in the English Premiership on the weekend. With most of the big matches cancelled due to the weather it is giving some teams possibly a much needed rest. The Reds have been in rather sporadic form this season. Big victory here, pathetic loses here, and clear wins becoming draws there. It has been quite a rough season for new gaffer Roy Hodgson.

The old Fulham boss took to the North to ply his trade on the River Mersey while Manchester City ousted manager Mark Hughes went south to take the reins after Hodgson’s departure. The former Manchester United player has had a difficult time in London with only United States winger Clint Dempsey truly putting in the class performances for the Cottagers. With that said it is no wonder that Roy Hodgson and Liverpool have been possible planning a raid for the talented Texan.

Clint Dempsey is in fine form for Fulham

Aside from Dempsey and the other possible new faces that have been circulating in the column this past week there are now several more names popping up on the list. With the manager proclaiming his desire for a Transfer Kitty in January it is certain that there will be some moving and shaking in some capacity.
The most prolific of the names listed as of late has to be Bayern Munich’s Mario Gomez whom has fallen out of favor with the Bavarian Giants. The big German would be another target man up from to match with Fernando Torres allowing Hodgson to have two powerful finesse strikers to pair with his traditional 4-4-2 playing style.

 Out of Favor Mario Gomez of Bayern Munich

Another name that has been linked in the last few days in Chelsea’s young attacker Daniel Sturridge whom is believed to be a temporary loan signing to be a stop gap for the Reds until the Summer transfer window when they can possible afford to muster the funds for acquisitions that have been suggested earlier in the year such as Diego Forlan from Atletico Madrid.

 Sturridge would add more youthful options and speed

With so many names circulating as possibly additions it has also been made apparent that the Reds will be looking to offload summer signing Milan Jovanovic only six months after he was brought into the fold. He at this point appears to be surplus to the needs and wants of Hodgson, and he will be used in most cases to help raise additional funds for January incomers. The proof that youngsters David Ngog and Ryan Babel are progressing under the new tutelage of Hodgson gives hope that they can fill the gap left by the 29 year old Serbian.

With so much talk as of late it is heating up to be an exciting transfer period to say the least. With the halfway point here it is imperative that Liverpool continue to make some progress up the table or we could be seeing Roy on the way out.

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