Why Liverpool must offload Lazar Markovic in January
Liverpool were millimetres away from securing their first-ever Premier League title in May 2014. A slip against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea and a brain fade at Selhurst Park cost Liverpool the coveted crown. But to overcome these fine margins and Luis Suarez’s departure, the Reds invested heavily that summer.
A large number of players came through the door to increase squad depth and the quality of the squad. One of those high-profile signings was Lazar Markovic.
The Serb joined Liverpool from Benfica for a price of £20million. However, he struggled to adapt to a new country and a new culture. As a result, Brendan Rodgers couldn’t integrate him into the starting line-up straight away. He started only 11 games in the Premier League that season, mustering merely 2 goals.
Markovic moved to Fenerbache on loan but that turned out to be a complete disaster. He started only 14 league games for the Turkish giants and returned to England without scoring a single goal. He did try to rejuvenate his career by trying to move to familiar surroundings by joining Sporting Lisbon on loan but he didn’t receive adequate game time.
After two failed loan moves, he found respite in England when he signed for Marco Silva’s Hull City on a six-month loan deal. The Portuguese manager handed him 12 starts and Markovic responded by scoring 2 goals. But his goals were not enough as Hull got relegated that season.
He gave one final push to his faltering career with a move to Anderlecht in 2017. But upon return to Anfield, he finds himself nowhere close to Jurgen Klopp’s first team.
Since Markovic’s last full season at the club, a lot has changed at Liverpool. A new manager is in place and he has rebuilt the whole team. The arrival of wingers like Mohamed Salah and Xhedran Shaqiri has allowed Klopp to develop his own plans for the club and sadly, Markovic doesn’t feature in it. He was given a few minutes in pre-season and that was the closest he has come to start a match for Klopp.
Liverpool have had him on their books for far too long. It is evident that England is not the right place for Markovic. A move away from the club in the January transfer window would be the best for all parties involved.
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Markovic would get away from all the bad times, and hopefully, restart his career in another country and another club. The Liverpool board, meanwhile, will have an unwanted player out the system.
