Sadio Mane Roberto Firmino Mohamed Salah Emre Can Liverpool 2017Getty Images

Salah, Firmino & Mane plunder 63 goals but Liverpool need to sign a striker, says Barnes

Liverpool boast a fearsome front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane but still need to sign a striker, says John Barnes.

The Reds may have lost Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona midway through the 2017-18 campaign, but their attacking ranks were already so well stocked that his departure has barely registered.

Jurgen Klopp has been able to keep his side ticking over in the final third, with his leading men having taken their collective goal tally to 63 for the season.

Article continues below

Salah has contributed 30 of those, Firmino 21 and Mane 12, but former Reds star Barnes still believes that the club need to find an “out-and-out goalscorer” this summer.

He told talkSPORT: “They need better all-round players.

“The front three are great, but I don’t feel that they are necessarily going to continue to do this for the next two or three years.

“Salah is not a centre forward, I don’t think he is a player who can score goals consistently over a period of time. We don’t have players like that.

“We have players like Salah and Mane and, although Mane scored a hat-trick against Porto, they are not out-and-out goalscorers.

“So, as funny as it may seem, I think if they could get a centre forward, a penalty box player and play Firmino slightly deeper, I think it will be better for the balance of the team.

Liverpool need a striker John BarnesPlaying Surface/Getty

“Yes, we’re scoring lots of goals but can we see Mane and Salah continuing to score this amount of goals on a regular basis? 

“I think we need to get better individual players now.”

If Liverpool are to dip back into the transfer market for another frontman, then that would appear to spell the end for Daniel Sturridge at Anfield.

The England international has already been moved out on loan to West Brom and may need a permanent switch elsewhere in the summer after slipping down the pecking order under Klopp.

Advertisement