Liverpool Champions League winner John Arne Riise thinks his old club should raid one of their Premier League rivals when the January transfer window opens
Former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise believes Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo would be the “perfect” signing this January – regardless of Mohamed Salah’s future. And the 2005 Champions League winner says Florian Wirtz will eventually prove himself as a success at Anfield after an indifferent start to his career on Merseyside.
Cherries winger Semenyo has been linked with a whole host of Premier League giants on the back of his form on the south coast, with a buy-out clause worth a reported £65m said to exist in his contract for the upcoming January transfer window.
Riise, who played for the Reds for seven years between 2001 and 2008, thinks the Ghana international would be ideal at Anfield, whatever happens next with Salah, whose future is the subject of debate after he accused the club of being “thrown under the bus” in an explosive post-match interview at Leeds United last week.
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“I mean he’s on fire and he’s a tricky player to play against and he would suit Liverpool,” Riise, who was speaking for Footitalia.comsaid of Semenyo, who scored twice for Bournemouth on the opening night of this season.
“Obviously we like to play with wingers taking on players and beating them. We have Cody Gakpo doing that at the moment, but adding Semenyo to that would be perfect.
“He’s a great type of player that we need to sign if something happens with Salah. But even if Salah stays, we are lacking that typical wide winger at the moment.
“Regardless of Salah’s future, he’s absolutely a player we should be looking to sign in January if we can.”
On Florian Wirtz, who joined for fee of £116m from Bayer Leverkusen in June, former Norway left-back Riise added: “I don’t think it was a mistake, because you see him playing well in certain games and especially for Germany as well.
“I think he needs more time to adapt to the English game and obviously I think the pressure has come from the outside because of the price tag and everything.
“But we’ve seen glimpses of what he can do and I’m sure we’re going to see more of it during the season. He’s a hard-working player but he needs to adapt more quickly to English football, and the physical side of things.
“Obviously he’s going to get the season to prove how good he is and what he can do for the club.
“But I understand why people are asking if it was a bad signing or a waste of money, because he hasn’t performed as people expected when you look at his price tag, and what he’s done for Germany and his former club, Bayer Leverkusen.
“But he’s an amazing player and I hope that we find the right position for him and we can use him the right way.”
Liverpool return to action on Saturday when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield on Saturday in the Premier League.
