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With questions about Liverpool's talent at just about every position on the pitch following Sunday's dire showing against Hull City and January only four weeks away, it was perhaps inevitable Brendan Rodgers would have to spend some time answering questions about the chances of a big more or two being in the works for Liverpool. In contrast to hopeful talk of a mid-season shopping spree last year, this time around Rodgers played down hopes that anything major would happen.
"The thing for me is trying to maximise the players we have got," said Rodgers when asked at his pre-Norwich press conference about the chance of significant spending when the transfer window re-opens. "There’s no hiding from the fact we spent money to get players in; now they will get the chance to perform. We tried to get a host of players in who could improve us but that didn’t materialise. A lot of work went into it. What is the case is we are not in a position to spend money for the sake of it."
In addition to the players Liverpool did bring in, the club rather publicly missed on a trio of big name attacking talents, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Diego Costa, and Willian all targeted as starters for the current season rather than as depth for now that could hopefully turn into more in the future. Still, despite the intent shown, and despite the success of Simon Mignolet and the obvious promise of Mamadou Sakho, some of the club's summer signings increasingly look money spent for the sake of it.
Luis Alberto and Thiago Ilori may still have a chance down the road, but given the fees they commanded and some of the club's struggles in positions they're supposed to be able to play, it's worrisome Alberto hasn't seen more than the odd cameo and Ilori hasn't seen any senior action at all. Iago Aspas, meanwhile, has hardly played—and looked uncomfortably out of position when he has—between injury struggles. Combined, they cost upwards of £21M, which is rather a lot for potential and depth for a club without bottomless pockets targeting the top four.
If Rodgers is true to his word, though, they and some of the club's current fringe players are likely to get their chance during Liverpool's busy December run. Here's hoping they can show more on the pitch than presumably they have been for Rodgers in training so far.
