A revolution was expected when Jürgen Klopp took over the charge of managing a club with glorious history, the memories of which were on the verge of getting eradicated by the recently developed dark chapters. The chest-thumping and cerebral manager has turned the club head over heels, the evidence of which can be derived from the fact that Liverpool find themselves at the summit of the Premier League table.
The radical transformation from a mediocre underperforming set of boys to an aggressive bunch of men who tend to blow the opponents with their attacking flare has not been achieved in a day. The continuation of domination, however, holds paramount importance and the necessary ammunition is a prerequisite for the successful season. Owing to the need of the club, the manager has reportedly earmarked Rostov’s forward, Sardar Azmoun, as a potential target in the January transfer window.
We have compiled a brief SWOT Analysis which has been made to provide a bird-eye view of the attacker.
Strengths
Danny Ings’ unavailability due to the long-term injury coupled with Sadio Mané’s prospective absenteeism due to national commitments with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations are the two primary reasons why Klopp is keen to land the attacker.
The 21-year-old is a lethal option in front of the goal, Champions League experience, international stature, immense goal scoring potential and his height in excess of six feet makes him one of the hottest properties in Europe. Moreover, he involves himself in the set-pieces and has the qualities to succeed if his talents are channelized properly.
Nicknamed ‘the Iranian Messi’, he is light-footed, has superb dribbling skills and can play anywhere up front as well as in the no. 10 role (albeit that he has performed the best when devised as a central attacker for Rostov). Azmoun is quick, creates chances, loves to surge into the penalty box to avail himself as an option and invites the attacking midfielders as well which makes him a complete package.
Weaknesses
At Liverpool, Azmoun is probably going to be chalked as a winger at the absence of Mané, which isn’t the place he would like to be at the onset. The 21-year-old, despite being quite a tall commodity, lacks the physicality the likes of Olivier Giroud and Diego Costa possess. Further, the free-flowing role won’t be easy to fit in unless applies his head more than his legs in the Russian Premier League.
Opportunities
Under the tutelage of Klopp, a youngster like Azmoun, who has an abundance of raw talent, can fork out a bright future at Liverpool. The race to kiss the silverware is a long one, and the depth in the squad will be essential to the eighteen-time league champions and the Iranian certainly fits the bill.
Meanwhile, he can learn and improvise himself from stalwarts such as Phillipe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Sadio Mané and in turn, step up when being called upon.
He has bagged 4 goals in 19 appearances in all competitions, which includes goals against Ajax, Anderlecht and Atlético Madrid in the Champions League. He has the ingredients to click and if he eventually moves to the Anfield, a lot of expectations will be bestowed upon him.
Threats
Although the prospects seem to be quite appealing, the pressure of being at a club like Liverpool demands to be very scared of. Further, it is to be underlined that Azmoun will be implemented as a player to bridge the shortage of personnel up front, which is why he is likely to on the bench more often than not.
Players such as Andrey Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko failed to replicate their Russian League’s performances in England, so will Azmoun beg to differ? Who knows?
