But didn't do any better than him did we. We really really needed another CM in the summer. Can's injury record already looking a bit worrying. Does anyone know if we made enquiries about Alonso?
Do we really need another midfielder though? Gerrard, Henderson, Allen, Lucas, Can, Coutinho all play CM, Lallana is someone many believe will have cameos there, can you really justify another body in midfield? It's all about squad management, it's definitely not about chucking £14m on a player that we can do much better than in 12 months time if the right player becomes available and we move on Lucas and Gerrards role becomes more limited.
I'd love to give Allen, Henderson and Lallana, or Coutinho, a go. Dynamic, energetic, I think the ball retention would be fantastic in the middle of the park. I think we'll see this (or Lucas being in there) quite a bit this season with the added games that Gerrard can do without.