Does Liverpool's squad depth in midfield make them title contenders?

Liverpool have signed Wijanldum for £25 million from Newcastle United. The 25 year old joins a handful of midfield talent at the Merseyside Reds in what will be a tightly contested competition for starting spots. Liverpool possess youth (Can,Grujic), experience (Henderson, Milner), flair players (Coutinho, Firmino) and those with pace in abundance (Mane, Wijnaldum) all in the centre of the park. Assuming Liverpool play a 4-2-3-1 they have a total of 12 options for thes 5 midfield slots in behind of their main threat Sturridge. Who will they choose and who will occupy the bench in frustration?

A predicted 4-2-3-1 formation however a 4-3-3 is also an option

Central Defensive Midfielders:

• Henderson
• Milner
• Can 
• Lucas
• Allen

Central Attacking Midfielders/Wingers:

• Coutinho
• Firmino
• Mane
• Lallana
• Wijnaldum
• Grujic
• Markovic 

Expect Henderson and Can to occupy the holding roles with Milner on the bench. Allen is set for a £13 million move to Stoke whilst Lucas is looking to reunite with former manager Benitez at Newcastle. Can impressed last season with his gritty tackling and confidence on the ball whilst Henderson is a solid choice who will also score the occasional goal.

Further forwards it's not as clear, it's most likely that Klopp will look to rotate the creative 3 for every match depending on each player's form. Mane and Wijnaldum will more often than not play at the same time as their pace and competence out wide will stretch defences and allow Liverpool to operate on the counter attack. The likes of Lallana and Firmino may come into play when Klopp's men are looking to break down a packed defence with a smooth turn or delicate pass. However Wijnaldum should jump in ahead of Lallana given the new arrival was more of a goal threat last season with 11 goals to Lallana's 4 as well as a 20% conversion rate to the former Southampton man's 9%. Overall out of all these CAMs I think Coutinho will be the first on the team sheet given his proven ability in the EPL and Europa League in addition to his magical long shots.

Sturridge will be Liverpool's main outlet up top (assuming injuries are a thing of the past). The 26 year old has returned to full fitness and beats the likes of Origi and Ings to the starting spot, meanwhile Benteke and Balotelli's futures remain in doubt. The former Chelsea and Man City player will be hoping to break his record of 21 Premier League goals in a single season.

Have Liverpool fixed their shaky defence?

Matip will be hoping to nail down a starting spot in defence

Klopp will be hoping the introduction of Karius in net as well as Matip at the heart of defence will help shut up shop for a team who conceded 11 goals from set pieces last season. Karius is a 23 year old German keeper who was voted the second best in the Bundesliga behind Neuer, expect him to replace the inconsistent Mignolet. The arrival of Matip sees either Lovren or Sakho heading towards the bench, most likely Lovren will start after a much improved second season when compared to Sakho's unorthodox defending and poor passing. In terms of full backs Clyne has presented himself in a great light at Euro 2016 where he created 7 chances in a single game. On the other flank Moreno offers a similar attacking eagerness however many Liverpool fans are questioning the Spaniard's defensive qualities and whether a replacement needs to be brought in.

Does Wijnaldum signal the end of Liverpool's transfer window? 

Far from it, Liverpool continue to work the transfer mill with players constantly being linked in and out. Those who may be moving away from Merseyside include Allen (Stoke,Swansea interested), Lucas (Newcastle), Benteke (Crystal Palace), Markovic (Florentina), additionally Balotelli has been told to 'find a new club' by Klopp. Kolo Toure is set to return to Brendan Rodgers in a proposed move to Celtic after a surprisingly positive season for Liverpool.

In terms of further arrivals in addition to: Karius, Manniger, Matip, Klaven, Mane, Grujic and most recently Wijnaldum, the most important area Klopp should strengthen is left back given Moreno's defensive incompetence last season. Potential replacements include Aston Villa's Amavi, Germnay's Hector or even Douglas Santos. In spite of their already crowded midfield Liverpool are still being linked with countless players such as Ivan Rakitic, Max Meyer, Lucas Moura and also Cristian Tello, unfortunately for Liverpool fans these are unlikely to go ahead unless perhaps PSG or Barcelona come calling for Coutinho.

Season prediction: 

At 22 years old Can plays an integral defensive part in the Liverpool set up

I think Liverpool will improve leaps and bounds in defence next season thanks to the key introduction of Matip. Goal scoring should not be a problem, it would not be surprising if Mane, Sturridge, Wijnaldum and perhaps Coutinho all mark over 10 goals next season if they stay fit and start consistently. Unfortunately for Liverpool the mass spending of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea on the likes of Ibrahimovic, Mkhitaryan, (Pogba), (Mahrez), Xhaka and Batshuayi will see the overall EPL quality improve.

New managers in Mourinho, Conte and Guardiola may also see tighter tactical affairs in what could be make or break matches for Klopp. Overall I expect Liverpool to put in an impressive campaign full with flair and pace with a large focus on attack as a result I predict:

Prediction: 4th place
Top Scorer: Daniel Sturridge
Player of the season: Joel Matip
Young Player of the season: Emre Can