Liverpool are not shy of taking a risk on relegated players and it seems, assuming Norwich City can’t survive the drop, this year will be no different.
According to David Ornstein, in the past week Liverpool’s interest in Norwich attacker Todd Cantwell has “intensified” with rumours that the Reds are preparing a £30 million bid for the 21-year-old.
Manchester United and Manchester City have also expressed their interest in Norwich’s star man.
With this type of transfer strategy seeming to work wonders for Klopp in recent times, there is no reason to believe why this transfer will not be a huge positive for the Reds.
Liverpool have a good track record of plundering relegated clubs stars on the cheap, in the hope they can turn them into a success.
The first in recent times was Danny Ings, who they sniped from Burnley in 2014/15 after scoring 11 league goals, which was particularly impressive for a 22 year old’s first season in the Premier League.
Despite injuries getting the better of him at his time at the club, the reds were still able to make a £13 million profit on the forward, after permanently moving to Southampton in the summer.
Georginio Wiljnaldum was Liverpool’s next relegated signing, after Newcastle went down in the 2015/2016 season. Liverpool acquired the Dutchman for a cut price of only £25 million. He has since turned out to be one of their most consistent performers, being influential in last year’s Champions League win.
After Hull City got relegated in 2016/17, Liverpool took advantage and signed Andy Robertson for as little as £8 million. Many fans weren’t particularly interested in this signing at the time, however, the Scotsman has proved to be one of their best signings of all time and is now considered as one of the best-left backs in world football.
Klopp’s most recent relegated exploit was Xherdan Shaqiri, who the German signed for £12 million after Stoke City got relegated in the 2017/18 season. Despite struggling to find his way into the first team, the Swiss is still considered a success and has certainly had his moments for the club.
Liverpool have clearly been very successful in approaching this type of transfer strategy in the past, so why stop now?
Though, is Cantwell the right man? Despite having relatively little experience, making just 24 appearances in the Championship as soon as last year, £30 million will definitely be seen as a risk.
However, Norwich’s No.14 has found his feet in the English top-flight with relative ease and has shown his quality on several occasions against some top teams. He has 6 goals so far this season, which isn’t a bad return considering his age and this being his first season in the Premier League.
While Liverpool fans are expecting big name signings such as Werner and Sancho, Cantwell could be seen as a much more shrewd approach, who could really thrive in years to come under Klopp’s guidance.
Of course Cantwell will not be a starter over the current forwards Liverpool have, but £30 million for a young Englishmen, knocking on the door of the national team, who has proved himself in the toughest league in the world could very much be seen as a steal in a few years time.
Photo by Mehdi Bolourian under creative commons license
