Liverpool Transfer News: Reds Must Continue to Pursue Demba Ba
By
(Featured Columnist) on July 3, 2012
Stu Forster/Getty Images
Liverpool needs some additional goal-scoring ability, and Demba Ba is just the man to provide it.
After an up-and-down EPL campaign that saw the Reds score just 47 goals in 38 matches—good (or bad) enough for 11th in the league—the priority for the summer of 2012 became clear:
More players who can put the ball in the back of the net.
While the 27-year-old Newcastle striker is certainly someone who can do that, he recently took to Twitter to suggest he wasn't going anywhere.
Holla back everybody. So much stuff about me lately. Rumours are rumours! Just forget about it. By the way i had the best holiday ever!!
Holla back, indeed.
However, despite Ba currently represents a proverbial forbidden fruit, Liverpool still needs to pursue him as a top target.
The Reds' main strikers, are, and will likely continue to be, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll, who provide their own unique strengths.
Is Demba Ba to Liverpool a good move?
· Absolutely, the Reds need depth at the front
73.2%
· No way, they don't need him
17.2%
· No, they should pursue a cheaper option
9.6%
Total votes: 930
Suarez is dangerously fast with the ball at his feet. His pace allows him to consistently make threatening runs, but he's also very strong and can hold off defenders around the box. As a result, he was able to tally 4.1 shots per match and 11 goals in 31 appearances for Liverpool this season.
Carroll, on the other hand, clearly fueled by his magical, flowing locks of hair, is an aerial threat. He won an amazing 4.3 aerial duels per contest (152 out of 236, or 64.4 percent) and it resulted in four goals in 35 appearances (21 starts).
But after that dynamic duo, where does Liverpool turn to for play-making up front? Its three best goal-scorers outside of Suarez and Carroll—Craig Bellamy, Steven Gerrard and Maxi Rodriguez—are all much more effective out of the midfield.
Enter Ba, who combines the strengths of both Liverpool forwards. He's Anduis Suarroll.
He's not great on the ball, but he created more shots from the ground and completed more dribbles per contest than Carroll, plus he's an aerial threat (1.8 duels won per match) that is more dangerous than Suarez.
You're getting the best of both worlds.
Of course, whether or not Liverpool goes after the Frenchman should, in the end, come down to money. Someone who scored 16 goals in 32 appearances in the EPL certainly won't come cheap, and considering he'll be brought in to provide depth and won't be guaranteed to start, it's unclear whether he'll be worth it.
That being said, Ba had a rather atrocious end to a promising campaign, failing to score in Newcastle's last 14 matches, and that could be a factor in driving down his price tag.
Essentially, this is all a fancy way of saying "maybe." But one thing is sure. No matter what Demba Ba tweets, Liverpool can't afford to completely throw him away as an option. He must always be on the transfer radar because he has the ability to immediately improve the Reds' biggest weakness.
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