The 'dream' signings to forget Loic Remy

Now that the Remy deal is off, Rodgers should be back in the market for another striker unless Divock Origi doesn't go back to Lille on loan, but I'm sure that was a non-negotiable part of the deal.  There are plenty of options out there, though the more experienced may be harder to convince to leave their current clubs and the younger ones are risks due to lack of experience.  Then you have the older, temporary solution, who hardly ever make mistakes, but don't always adapt well and produce.

Two of these 'dream' signings would be either Pedro or José María Callejón. The chances of Rodriguez leaving Barcelona are little to none, he would have to be 'sold' into coming to Liverpool, it would take more than just money to convince him and who says Barca would let him leave? It really depends on whether he is willing to play fourth fiddle to Messi, Neymar, and Suarez, when the Uruguayan becomes eligible, or be a starter and get all the minutes he wants at Liverpool.  His numbers the past five seasons in La Liga and in Europe are not mind-blowing, but far from shabby:

npg90	ap90	gc90	cc90	ccv	pass%	sacc%	shot%	TTI90
0.44	0.22	0.67	1.33	16.2	88.4	48.6	20.6	10.98

Callejón may be easier to convince to leave Napoli.  Rafa may even take a player or two in exchange for the Spaniard, who had a breakout season last year, his first in Italy.  His stats from the last five seasons of La Liga, Serie A, and European competitions are comparable to Pedro, though less impressive:

npg90	ap90	gc90	cc90	ccv	pass%	sacc%	shot%	TTI90
0.31	0.17	0.48	1.39	12.1	81.6	42.5	12.9	11.18

I highly doubt we could pry either one of these players from their respective clubs, but it wouldn't hurt to inquire.  Barcelona are interested in Agger and though I'd rather we hang on to the Dane, if it means getting Pedro, it'd be hard to pass up.

Two others come to mind and I've written about both before.  Seydou Doumbia has been tearing up the Russian Premier League and the Swiss Super League for years now.  You can read more about his amazing production here. 

I've briefly mentioned the torrid scoring rate of 21-year-old Jesé Rodríguez.  The Real Madrid forward is off to a blistering start in his career and the sky seems the limit.  His influence on his club is beyond just numbers though, in the 18 matches he featured last season, Real earned 47 pts, in the 20 he did not, they only managed 40.  He is coming off injury though, which is a worry.  Before so, he posted these ridiculous numbers:

gc90	cc90	ccv	pass%	bp%	sacc%	shot%	TTI90	gopd
1.3	1.94	30.7	83.2	52.40	52.40	23.80	10.90	1.24

Oh yeah, then there's Marco Reus.

Next I'll write about some lesser known, less expensive, but certainly less sexier picks like Nolito, Kevin Gameiro, and Max Kruse.

The best 'unknown' striker in the world and why Rodgers should sign him

Seydou Doumbia is not completely unknown, Arsenal and Newcastle have both been linked to him in recent years, yet he continues to terrorize defenses of the Russian Premier League.  Prior to that, he made minced meat of the Swiss Super League, winning player of the year honours in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

The 26-year-old Ivorian's scoring rate at CSKA Moscow is Suarez-esque, 54 goals in 82 matches, but that's not the only indication he is worthy of a £25m transfer fee.  Here are his stats for his club from last season:

npgp90	gcp90	ccp90	ap90	ccv
0.81	1.45	1.34	0.41	30.4
pass%	bp%	sacc%	shot%	TTI90
77.3	45.2	51.7	31	10.1
gap90	gsp90	gop90	tgop	gopd90
0.7	2.56	1.86	0.77	1.09

Those numbers in blue are outstanding and he's been posting such for six years now.  Sure, the RPL and the SSL are not the EPL, but even if his production drops by a third, he'll still produce a goal a match.

It's not just goals though, it's his efficiency. A 30.4% chance created value combined with a 31% goal for shot rate is ridiculous, Sturridge was the closest player for us last year with a 23.3% ccv and a 21.2% shot percentage.

His feet are quick, but not Suarez-level quick, few are.  His finishing is not clinical, it's extraordinary.  He also has the knack to be in the right place at the right time, which is something that can't be taught.  He's a unique talent who knows how to score no matter the given situation and that's why Rodgers should try and sign him.

Need more evidence? Start with this video.