EPL: Liverpool will miss Luis Suarez badly

Zee Media Bureau/Rajdeep Saha

New Delhi: There`s no Luis Suarez any more, and will the Reds be able to cope without him in domestic circuit and Europe this season, will present an interesting sight in the offering. Liverpool, who finished second in the English Premier League last season, have made their way back to Champions League football after a gap of five years and manager Brendan Rodgers is keen to add more depth to his squad to challenge for top honours. After already having bought seven players, Liverpool`s transfer activity this summer is set to continue with Samuel Eto`o and full back Alvero Moreno lined up next in their wish list. Eto`o, who is a free agent, has gained the interest of Brendan Rodgers as he begins to prepare life without Luis Suarez. After the sale of the 27-year-old star forward to Barcelona for £75 million, Liverpool haven`t been able to replace the Uruguayan with another world class striker. There has been a rising concern as to who will get them the goals this season after Suarez`s heroic performances in the last two seasons. Suarez scored 31 goals last season and was adjudged EPL`s best player. Now with Champions League looming, Rodgers knows how much will the impact be without the Uruguayan. Former Southampton striker Rickie Lambert was signed to assist Daniel Sturridge upfront, but he will not solve the issues of a Suarez-less squad. Even though Eto`o has passed his prime, he can win matches on his own on his day, but he won`t be able to do it on a regular basis. So therefore, the responsibility lies with Sturridge to be their man in carrying them past the required line. Liverpool will hope they don`t suffer in a similar way to that of Tottenham. The London side finished sixth last season after overspending in the market in 2013. With Gareth Bale making a move to Real Madrid last summer, Spurs used up the cash and bought several promising players but the move backfired. This year, Liverpool find themselves in a similar position after the sale of Suarez and have been the most active amongst the top teams in the transfer market. Rodgers recently cited that he needs more players to have adequate depth, and the number may well pass 10-12 players if the targets come through. Earlier, French forward Loic Remy failed a medical for the Reds and Swansea`s Wilfred Bony is now on their radar to form a partnership with Sturridge upfront. Liverpool kick off their EPL campaign against Southampton on Saturday. In Suarez`s absence, it would be interesting to see who can emerge as their new hero.