Liverpool continued to strengthen their attacking options for the season ahead with the signing of Lazar Markovic from Benfica last month. The 20-year-old arrives on a long-term contract for a fee believed to be in the region of £20m and was the fourth new face to arrive at Anfield, following Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Emre Can to the club.
Discussing the new boy’s arrival with the club’s official website, Brendan Rodgers hailed Markovic’s versatility as a key factor as the Reds look to restructure in the final third following the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona:
“This is an exciting signing for us and one that improves our squad, in terms of attacking options, for the coming season. He was hugely impressive for Benfica last season and has proved he has the ability to produce the goods in European competition as well, which will be important for us. Lazar is flexible to play a number of positions, but I like the way he attacks games and is always positive and looking to make something happen. He will fit in with the way we play at Liverpool.”
The History
Starting off in the Borac Cacak youth system, the prodigious Markovic was snapped up by Partizan Belgrade as a 12-year-old back in 2006. Just a couple of months after his seventeenth birthday, the winger was handed his first-team debut at the end of the 2010/11 campaign and, quickly establishing himself as a key first-team figure, proceeded to rack up 14 goals and 16 assists in 65 matches over all competitions.
As a result of his exploits out wide, the youngster earned a place in the Serbian top-flight’s Team of the Year in his two full seasons at the club before Benfica came calling last summer. The versatile Markovic played 48 times in his only campaign for the Portuguese outfit and, fielded on either the right or left flank, went on to produce seven goals and four assists in 48 appearances over all competitions, helping his side reach the Europa League Final and clinch a domestic treble.
At international level, Markovic played for Serbia’s youth sides on a total of 17 occasions and notched two goals before being handed his senior debut in February 2012. To date, the winger has turned out six times for his nation and found the net twice.
The Prospects
As pre-season unfolds, events seem to have fallen in Markovic’s favour and suggest he could start the campaign in Rodgers’ first XI. Suarez’ departure, allied with a six-week lay-off for Lallana and an abandoned bid for Loic Remy certainly lessen the competition for places and hand the 20-year-old a platform to impress. The new boy revealed his manager has already hinted at his likely role for the upcoming campaign:
“The left side is preferable, but I will play wherever I am asked. I do not mind. I have spoken with the manager. He told me what position I will be playing in the team and I am here to fulfil his expectations. “
Fielded on the left of a front three alongside Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling in his debut against Olympiacos at the weekend, Markovic’s lightning pace and trickery seem ideal for Rodgers’ counter-attacking approach, as the Reds look to Steven Gerrard’s distribution from a deep-lying central role to spark quick transitions in the final third. Despite failing to find the net over his 45-minute appearance, the new boy was the subject of his manager’s post-match praise:
“Markovic will only get better and better. He showed great strength when he burst through and hopefully later on when he picks up that speed and sharpness in his game, he’ll go on and finish that.”
A lack of top-level experience, allied with a mediocre scoring record, suggests the youngster is far from the finished product, though. It may well be that by the time Rodgers’ shopping spree has come to an end, and the likes of Lallana is fully fit, the Serbian will be afforded more time to develop over the course of the campaign, as Liverpool look to utilise the strength and depth of their squad on across domestic and European competitions.
As Sterling’s rise to Fantasy prominence showed last season, though, age is not a factor in Rodgers’ thinking. There’s no doubt that, to some degree, Markovic’s game time will be managed (Sterling was afforded 24 starts last term, with a further nine appearances off the bench) but if he can make an immediate impact at the start of the season, the Serbian – who comes in at 7.5 in Fantasy Premier League and 7.2 in the Sky Sports game – could quickly become a more prominent player than many expect. With so many nailed-on options available for a similar price elsewhere, and the nailed-on Jordan Henderson (6.0) stepping up his attacking contribution in last night’s win over Man City, few will be willing to take the initial plunge, allowing the wide man time to settle ahead of a tricky opening schedule which sees the Merseysiders make their way to City and Spurs in the first three Gameweeks.
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