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Ukraine Attacker Yevhen Konoplyanka's Father Confirms Liverpool Rumours

Last night, Brendan Rodgers talked up hopes for a major signing before January ends. Today, Yevhen Konoplyanka's father confirmed rumours linking the attacker to Liverpool.

Scott Heavey

Everything is most certainly not the worst when it comes to Liverpool Football Club. At least for the moment. And, following a tough week or two for Liverpool and facing the prospect of the most important leage derby in years with two fit senior midfielders, more than a few fans will be pleasantly surprised by this. After a stretch where just about everything seemed to be going wrong, all of a sudden it all went right.

Brendan Rodgers' tactical tweaks and his players' willing—one could even, if they were so inclined, reach for the inevitable galvanised—performance in service of the changed approach allowed Liverpool not only to survive but to, at least at times, thrive against their local rivals and top four challengers. After the match, too, Rodgers suggested there may be good news to come on the transfer front.

"I think we will hopefully do something over the next couple of days," said the manager following Tuesday's match, changing his tune after recent attempts to play down transfer expectations. "I saw some headlines after yesterday's press conference in terms of the manager being angry with the club, but nothing is further from the truth. Hopefully we can have a major signing before the window shuts and if we can do that we will be set up for the remaining games."

Fans still hoping for midfield or fullback help may be a little uncomfortable with the emerging target, but it's more proof that Rodgers at least is being backed by FSG for the targets he feels the club needs to take it to the next level. In this case, there's a strong chance that target is 24-year-old Dnipro winger Yevhen Konoplyanka, a player likely to cost £15-20M and worth every penny, albeit it a position of questionable need.

"I do not want to say specifically," Konoplyanka's father said in Ukraine's Tribuna, "but the information about a transfer to an English club is true. He could change clubs later this week, and we are not considering offers to stay in Ukraine."

Though mostly known for taking up a position wide on the left, Konoplyanka can play anywhere in attack bar striker, and in many ways seems comparable to Phillipe Coutinho in both his approach and skill-set. He isn't the midfielder or fullback most fans would say the club needs, but after a performance like last night's 4-0 demolition of Everton, maybe it's best to simply focus on the positives.

Namely that Liverpool could still make something of a flashy, splashy January signing. And perhaps most importantly, that backing for Brendan Rodgers in the market most certainly appears to be there.

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