How did Liverpool fare in the Summer transfer window?

So the Big Ben strikes 11pm on Monday, the 2nd of September and Jim White in all his glory reports that the summer transfer window of 2013 is finally closed. Some managers will be climbing from underneath their desks with a big sigh of relief whilst others may be looking to get back under it after doing some expensive last-minute trolley dashes.

Others may have woken up the next day realizing that they had just brought an overpriced bulldozer, with extremely large elbows and an afro, but I wouldn’t want to point any fingers here. Peter Odemwingie finally got to be a part of transfer deadline for all the right reasons and the comical Dave Whealan also had his say on deadline day by constantly being on the phone to some sky sports news reporter being mobbed by the cast of shameless.

I know that I am not alone in saying this but it was such a nice feeling on deadline day to just sit there watching the Mancs running around like a dog on heat trying to buy anyone and everyone with a pulse just so David Moyes could put his stamp on the premiership champions.

As the dust finally settles on what has been a long and hectic summer, let’s see how our beloved LFC done. Did Arsene Wenger finally make a big move at the Emirates? How did we fair in what was the most expensive premiership transfer window ever? Did we send any impostors to Bilbao? And did Stewart Downing ever fulfill that potential?

Where best to start than the Luis Suarez saga. After all of the flirting, the whining and stamping of feet the Uruguayan is finally staying at LFC for at least 4 more months but he has left more than a sour taste with a lot of fans including myself. The £40 million + £1 contract debacle made Suarez and his agent look like a pair of rabbits caught in rather large headlights, whilst making a complete laughing-stock out of Arsene Wenger’s transfer policy. The futile bid to obtain one of the best players in the world of course fell on death ears, leaving Wenger to wonder if there was any change left over in that oversized coat. Also Real Madrid did come calling, but the phone was off the hook.

Reports suggest that he will sign a new contract with every lawyer and their dog reading through the small print this time to make sure that Suarez can indeed leave if LFC do not make the champions league this time around. So the plan is that we should now be in a decent position when Luis does return to the first team by winning our first 3 games of the new season.

The impact that a quality player like Suarez can do to an ever improving team should be massive and not underrated by anyone. Yes, I have seen the stats showing that we have won a higher percentage of games without him – which is interesting – but I am not totally buying it.