Liverpool readying for run at top 4

Last year was a year of turmoil for English powers Liverpool.  The club slumped to a 7th place finish in the English Premier League in embarassing fashion.  They'll miss playing in the prestigous Champions League this coming year.  There were concerns top squad players would leave to other clubs and that Liverpool would have trouble attracting top talent via signings.

Well seems as things might just be ok at Liverpool this year.  New boss Roy Hodgson is on hand and he is making things happen.  The roster is falling into place and there is renewed optimism throughout the club and with the supporters.  On Monday the club announced the signing of former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole.  He should make an immediate impact in the team. 

"He's one of the best attacking midfield players in England," Hodgson told the club's official website. "His appearances for Chelsea and England over the years have shown that."

More great news arrived as Steven Gerrard pledged his future to the club.  Gerrard had been linked with a move to Real Madrid this summer after Liverpool's failure to qualify for the Champions League but, having spoken to Hodgson, it appears he is happy to stay at Anfield.  "I made it clear that I simply needed to concentrate on the World Cup and then have a decent holiday with my family," he told the club's official website. "I wanted the chance to meet Roy Hodgson privately and, having done so, I'm very impressed with his plans for the future. I can't wait for the new season to start."

Today came a £5 million deal for Rangers defender Danny Wilson and the roster continues to take shape.   Wilson made made 25 appearances for Rangers last year which included Champions League action. A Scotland Under-19 international, he won both the PFA Scotland and Scottish Football Writers' young player of the year awards.

Throw in the previous signing of striker Milan Jovanovic from Standard Liege and Liverpool are looking to make some waves in the EPL this coming year even though there are still some questions yet to be answered.  It looks more and more as if Javier Mascherano will be departing for Inter Milan.  Nothing has been booked as of yet, but all the chatter points to the move.  All eyes will also be on Fernando Torres to see how he can recover from the injuries of the past months and his miserable World Cup performances.  Will he still be in the squad next year or will Chelsea make the rumoured swoop to acquire Torres?

Liverpool will face a Europa League qualifier on July 29th against either Rabotnicki of Macedonia or Mika from Armenia and then they will open EPL play with an attractive home clash with Arsenal on August 15th.