Former Liverpool winger John Barnes has told Sports Mole that Rickie Lambert will prove himself to be "a great signing" for the club.
England international Lambert was released by the Premier League runners-up as a youngster, but at the age of 32 and having spent time with six different clubs - predominantly in the Football League - he returned to his boyhood club earlier this month from Southampton in a deal thought to be worth around £4m.
With Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emre Can also expected to arrive at Anfield in the near future, Barnes believes that the pair will add greater depth to a relatively small squad that largely avoided serious injuries last term.
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"[Lambert is] a great signing for Liverpool because what they need is players that can keep the momentum going and keep the quality high - they couldn't do that in the past. Although Luis Suarez missed the first six games, they were rarely without both him and Daniel Sturridge, which is just as well because they couldn't replace them," said the 50-year-old.
"Now, with Lambert and Can, the players on the pitch can be replaced with equal quality so the consistent performances can continue. We didn't need that last year because most of the players stayed fit and played well, but that doesn't normally happen and it won't happen this coming season. Someone is bound to lose form or pick up an injury and while they didn't need replacements last season, if they had have needed some, it was in short supply."
Manager Brendan Rodgers is not thought to have ended his summer spending just yet, with Southampton and England playmaker Adam Lallana known to be one of his major targets.
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While adding Lallana to the ranks "would be a big plus", Barnes is also eager to see Rodgers adopt a more defence-minded approach in the transfer market.
"With the two signings that have been made and hopefully more to come, it's hopefully going to be another good season for Liverpool," he added.
"Rodgers is giving British players a chance and Lallana is showing that British players can be just as good as foreign players. Lallana coming in would be a big plus, but we also need to sign two or three defenders and maybe a defensive midfield player. I'm sure [Rodgers] will do that, although they might have to come from abroad."
John Barnes was speaking at the launch of ESPN FC's partnership with TfL to provide live score updates on the Tube throughout the World Cup.
Liam Apicella
