Brendan Rodgers made his first move in the summer transfer market earlier this week by snapping up Kolo Toure on a free transfer from Manchester City. The Ivorian will join up at Anfield on a two-year deal and, having slipped down the Etihad pecking order, has reportedly taken a substantial pay cut in order to boost his chances of regular first-team football on Merseyside:
The Statistics
Initially signed by Arsene Wenger back in 2002, Toure partnered Sol Campbell at the heart of Arsenal’s “Invincibles†side that captured the league in 2003-04, and went on to play seven seasons for the Gunners, scoring nine goals and providing five assists.
Toure then moved to Manchester City in the summer of 2009 in a £16m deal and was handed the captain’s armband by then-manager Mark Hughes. The arrival of Roberto Mancini put paid to his chances of nailing down a regular role, though, and while his first couple of campaigns at the Etihad harvested 53 appearances and a couple of goals, Toure has managed just 18 starts (and 11 sub appearances) over the last two years, with Matija Nastasic and Joleon Lescott both ahead of the Ivorian in the queue to partner Vincent Kompany in the heart of the back-four
The Prospects
With Jamie Carragher now retired, Rodgers is in desperate need of a new central defensive partner for Daniel Agger. The Dane looks nailed-on as first-choice under the new Liverpool boss, missing just three games last season due to suspension or injury, and with Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique seemingly secure in the full-back berths, Toure could provide the missing piece of the jigsaw for the Merseysiders next time round.
Clearly, Rodgers isn’t convinced by Martin Skrtel. The Slovakian started 21 of the club’s first 22 league games but was dropped for Carragher and featured on just four more occasions, with the Liverpool boss heralding the latter’s leadership skills as a reason for the switch. With Srktel’s agent already making noises over a potential move to Napoli under Rafa Benitez, his time at the club could well be coming to a close.
Having won the title at each of his last two clubs, Toure would certainly bring plenty of Premier League know-how to the Reds backline. With the Merseysiders allegedly priced out of a move for Swansea’s Ashley Williams, the free deal for Toure looks yet another canny piece of business by Rodgers, though reports of a potential move for Schalke’s Kyriakos Papadopoulos may yet determine just how pivotal a role the Ivorian will play. The former City man could also operate as part of a back-three if Rodgers opts to change formation on occasion and roll out five in the middle of the park.
If he can nail down a regular berth, though, the potential for defensive returns looks particularly strong. Having conceded in each of their first six games in the previous campaign, Liverpool were hugely impressive at the back, registering 16 clean sheets in the subsequent 32 Gameweeks as they finally started to gel in Rodgers’ first season at the helm. At home, in particular, the Reds were exceptionally resilient – 11 of those clean sheets arrived at Anfield, with only 10 goals conceded in the last 16 games in front of their own fans.
Liverpool’s strong defensive record helped Agger, Johnson and Enrique all finish in the top eight for defenders in last term’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, with the trio also producing attacking points to bolster their points. If Toure comes in at an identical price as these three across the Fantasy games his lack of offensive threat could force him off the radar but, if he’s priced cheaper, may prove better value overall, providing Rodgers’ side can replicate the same resolve at the back next time out.
