Wayne Rooney thinks the Reds were making a mistake when they tried to sign the RB Leipzig forward as a possible backup striker at Anfield
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Wener was looking certain to move to Anfield before the global coronavirus crisis reached an overwhelming state. Liverpool were believed to have tabled a fee around £50million and a five-year contract for the Germany international.
The Reds were close to signing Werner but due to the recent impact of the coronavirus crisis on sport activities their spending power significantly dropped and they were no longer ready to pay the player's £47.5million release clause.
Chelsea had not such concerns, though, with Frank Lampard swooping in to snatch the 24-year-old from under Jurgen Klopp's nose last week.
Reflecting on the just concluded transfer saga, former Manchester United frontman Wayne Rooney suggests Liverpool need to adjust their thinking when it comes to signing a reinforcement for their brilliant front trio, considering the calibre of players who would take the offer.
Reflecting on the just concluded transfer saga, former Manchester United frontman Wayne Rooney suggests Liverpool need to adjust their thinking when it comes to signing a reinforcement for their brilliant front trio, considering the calibre of players who would take the offer.
"Transfers-wise, the one thing Liverpool could strengthen is their bench," Rooney wrote on his column for the Sunday Times.
"They could do with more back-up for that front three but passed on Timo Werner partly because they couldn’t offer a player of his calibre a starting position.
"It's a bit like the Harry Kane situation at Tottenham in that you would hesitate to join Spurs as a No 9 because you know you won’t play ahead of Kane.
"Any forward approached by Liverpool will be thinking, 'How am I going to get into that front three?' Top players don't want to sit on anyone’s bench.
"Maybe the solution for Liverpool is to get a brilliant young forward, like Manchester City did with Gabriel Jesus, who is willing to go there for a couple of seasons and learn.
"Liverpool's front three is a brilliant machine.
"Roberto Firmino operates like Francesco Totti did at Roma, coming deep to allow — just as the opposition centre-backs relax — two fast, wide attackers to make diagonal runs into the space.
"It must be horrible for full backs and midfielders playing against Mo Salah and Sadio Mane: you’d be constantly thinking, 'Where are they?'".