Why Rodgers MUST Get Results During Summer

Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool remain confident the Reds will be active during the summer transfer window, and that's exactly what will need to happen for the club to improve on last year's terrific Premier League campaign.

As reported by the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce, Rodgers repeated what he has been saying since the end of the 2013-14 season—that the Reds will be active in the transfer market, and that they will bring in the right sort of players to help them grow:

We want to bring in players who are hungry. They must have the ambition to want to come in and succeed here.

We need players who there can be no doubts about their quality.

We're in a position now where we're going straight into the group stage of the Champions League and we’re going into the Premier League next season with an expectation and a belief that we can win the league.

We need players that have those qualities. That belief, players who are willing to improve and who are hungry to improve themselves. If we can get a number of signings with that profile then we can go on and build on last season.

 his is exactly the sort of attitude the Reds need to approach the transfer window with, and Rodgers' insistence Liverpool will add talented, hungry players is a message the fans will love to hear.

Here's the problem—so far, it's been nothing but words. Liverpool's No. 1 need coming into the summer was a quality left-back, and as soon as Sevilla made it clear they wanted £20 million for Alberto Moreno, the Reds backed out, per Metro's Jamie McLaughlin.

Instead, Rodgers is now looking at Marcos Rojo. As I already explained three days ago, the Argentine international would not be the right signing for the Reds, and he certainly isn't a player where there are "no doubts about his quality."

When Rodgers tells fans Liverpool need to sign quality players yet refuses to spend what is essentially a fair price for a potentially world-class player in Moreno, he's making himself look like a fool.

He's saying all the right things, but there's a big difference between saying you'll do something and actually doing it.

Per Pearce, Liverpool have already signed their first two players of the summer transfer window in Emre Can and Rickie Lambert. Both are solid players who will contribute in their own way next season.

Neither is a game-changer, however, and unless the Reds can't find a suitable option to strengthen the group of central midfielders, neither will be a part of next season's starting XI.

What happened to Adam Lallana? This deal was supposed to have been concluded weeks ago, yet according to the Liverpool Echo's Chris Beesley, negotiations are still ongoing.

Rodgers said it himself—the team is going straight into the group stages of the Champions League next season, and the Reds want to contend for the Premier League title again. The team needs added depth in order to do so, to contend with the heavier workload the Champions League brings.

More importantly, the Reds need to get better. Good teams use the quality they have—great teams continue to grow. Rodgers claims he wants to do the latter, and yet his actions in the transfer market so far indicate he's hesitant to pull the trigger on any high-profile deals.

That needs to change, and it needs to change now. Liverpool don't just need to make sure they continue adding to their squad—they need to send a clear message that they are ready to back up their manager's comments.

As long as they don't, Rodgers' words will be just that—words.

Source: Bleacher Report

By Gianni Verschueren , Featured Columnist