Raheem Sterling had long been pegged as the next big thing at Liverpool before his play and attitude eventually infuriated the fan base. That’s what led to them being convinced that they were getting an absolute bargain by selling him to Manchester City for 49 million euros. However, Sterling’s departure also added another name to the list of star players that decided they were better off taking their talents elsewhere following in the footsteps of Steven Gerrard and – to a greater extent – Luis Suarez. Liverpool’s lack of star power is pretty obvious but the Reds do have some considerable talent on the roster. So who is the most likely to step up and fill that void? Here is a look at four players with the greatest potential to become Liverpool’s next biggest star.
Philippe Coutinho
Anybody who saw Coutinho’s incredible goal in Liverpool’s season opener versus Stoke understands why the 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder is the most highly regarded of the team’s potential stars. He definitely has the skill set and drive to become the face of this year’s team. Coutinho’s ability to score from outside of the box is a major asset of his. Brazilian soccer legend Kaka recently spoke out about how humble he is and how that will help his drive to become even better. Coutinho is only now entering the prime of his career and he is being recognized as the focal point of the Liverpool attack. He’s the most likely to emerge as the next biggest star at Anfield under Brendan Rodgers this season.
Christian Benteke
Liverpool soccer fans got a rude awakening when Suarez left Liverpool a couple of years ago and after a mostly forgettable stint from Italian striker Mario Balotelli, it became clear that finding a true finisher up front had to be one of the team’s biggest priority. They ended up scoring just 52 goals last season as a result, which was noticeably less than the 83 Manchester City tallied or 73 that Chelsea scored.
Enter Benteke, who the club acquired from Aston Villa after he scored 13 goals in 26 Premier League games last season. The 24-year-old Belgian is exactly the type of pure finisher that the Reds had been searching for and he made an early impact with the deciding goal in the team’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth last weekend. Benteke has the potential to top his goal total from last season as Rodgers’ No. 1 striker up front – especially with the creativity that Liverpool has in the midfield. It will be interesting to see if he can emerge as a star at Liverpool this season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7EprNkDqNc
Daniel Sturridge
It’s pretty easy to forget that Sturridge scored 24 goals in 33 games in 2013-14 and he did his best to pace the Reds up front in an otherwise forgettable season last year. He still has the potential to become a star at Liverpool if he can deliver again with a better supporting cast this year. Sturridge has all of the tools to thrive in Rodgers’ system and while he might never be an elite player, he can certainly be a star who scores the key goals and helps the Reds challenge for a Premier League title this season.
Roberto Firmino
The second 23-year-old midfielder from Brazil to appear on this list isn’t on the same level as Coutinho just yet but he certainly still has the potential to be a star in his own right as he adjusts to the English game. Firmino scored seven goals and added 10 assists in 33 Bundesliga games for Hoffenheim last season and playing alongside his fellow countryman Coutinho should only accelerate his progress as a potential star at Anfield.
What’s interesting is that Liverpool hasn’t done much scoring to start this season, tallying just two goals through two games, so they are going to insert Firmino to see if he can spark a change. He’ll get his first start against Arsenal this week.
