Rodgers: Owen wasn’t on the radar

Despite intense speculation linking the Reds with a move for former striker Michael Owen, Brendan Rodgers claims that he had no intention of bringing the 32-year-old back to Anfield.

As speculation mounted over the future of Andy Carroll in the build-up to the closure of the transfer window, many news outlets were reporting that Liverpool were poised to turn towards Owen to solve their attacking crisis.

In fact, some went as far as reporting that the only reason Rodgers couldn’t get his hands on the striker was due to the competition from other outfits, with Stoke managing to put together a lucrative package for the former England international.

It now appears as though such reports were absolute nonsense. Speaking to talkSPORT, Rodgers claimed that the club never even considered Owen and he would rather pledge his face in a young player rather than bring experience to Anfield. He said, “Liverpool didn’t consider Michael Owen. If we didn’t get the targets that we hoped to get in the transfer window, I was going to go with what I had. There’s no point putting money into the academy and then not giving young players a chance. Look at the impact Raheem Sterling has made as a 17-year-old. All I’ve given him is an opportunity and he’s gone on and taken it. We’ve got a number of other young talents and hopefully over the coming months we can see them and see how they flourish.”

However, whether or not the Reds do possess enough talent to get them through to the next transfer window is another matter. While nobody can doubt Luis Suarez’s ability, there are question marks over other attacking players with Fabio Borini failing to make a significant impact since his summer arrival. The fact that just two league goals have been scored is certainly worrying and most supporters just can’t wait until January come.