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Joining Cardiff City in the Championship next season will be Fulham, who are going down after a long run in the Premier League. Roy Hodgson's former team have had some rough luck the past couple of years that gave them some relegation battle scares, but this season they were just plain bad, and only some good luck of late kept their relegation from being official until this week.
Given how poor they've been this season, there's obviously not a ton of poachable talent for the taking, but there are some interesting names. Mostly for depth or flyers on potential, but there is some talent of use there.
Pajtim Kasami, 21, Attacking Midfield
Kasami is a very, very intriguing talent. Unfortunately, no Fulham manager he's worked with has seemed to know how to use him properly, a good spell under short-timer Rene Meulentseen aside.
Kasami is wonderfully tricky with the ball at his feet, and has a knack for slipping defenders to latch on to through balls or balls over the top. We've seen him score a couple truly fantastic goals this season, but he lacks consistency at this stage. Some better work when his side is out of possession could do as well, but at his age and experience that's hardly surprising.
Kasami wouldn't be the dynamic world-beating wide attacker that Liverpool fans are aching for, but he could become that guy with some patience and development. As long as Fulham don't ask for the world for him, he'd be on the top of my shopping list of their players.
Ashkan Dejagah, 27, Right Wing
Again, not a dynamic wide man, but a useful one nonetheless. He's a good two-way player on the wing, tracking back very well. He's better on the counter than in an all-out attack, but having a player like him as a tactical option would be good for Brendan Rodgers, especially with the extra variety of oppositions that Liverpool are sure to face in the Champions League.
I'll admit, part of my interest in Dejagah lies in his nationality; so far as I can tell, Liverpool has never had an Iranian player before. Even without that, though, there's plenty of reason to want Dejagah at Anfield, and he could be a very valuable utility player for Rodgers.
Alexander Kacaniklic, 22, Left Wing
Yes, part of my interest in bringing Kacaniklic to Liverpool is to right a wrong. He was once a rising starlet in Liverpool's academy, but was stupidly included as a makeweight by Roy Hodgson and Christian Purslow in order to help acquire the-left-back-who-shall-not-be-named.
Kacaniklic has continued his development nicely since then, and has been a regular in Fulham's squad for two and a half years now. He's even earned attention on an international level, with a dozen Swedish caps and two international goals to his name despite his tender young age.
Getting a talented young winger who's only going to get better back at Anfield to add to Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe will go a long ways towards keeping Liverpool's attack dangerous for years to come. Righting a past wrong while doing so only makes it better.
Lewis Holtby, 23, Central/Attacking Midfield
Holtby is only on loan at Fulham, but the pickings are slim so I'm including him anyways. There's zero indication that Tottenham have any real interest in keeping the young German international, which is mind-boggling when you consider how talented he is. Like Kasami, he's struggled to fit in with managers, with neither Andre Villas-Boas or Tim Sherwood seeming to have the faintest clue on how to use him properly.
Since moving to Fulham, though, Holtby has been very, very good, and has been the main reason why their relegation was staved off for so long. He's a silky playmaker in the middle, and is capable of popping a good shot from range or of crashing the box in search of a rebound or loose ball. He can operate in several midfield roles, including deeper-lying and box-to-box roles. Given the versatility of Rodgers' tactical approach to matches, having a central midfielder like Holtby around would be an excellent piece of thinking.