Liverpool should target James to replace Suarez – Heskey

Posted Saturday, July 12, 2014 by Goal.com

Colombia’s World Cup hero James Rodriguez would make an ideal replacement for Luis Suarez at Liverpool, according to Sony Team Ambassador and former Reds striker Emile Heskey.

Liverpool and Barcelona have agreed a fee in the region of £75 million for the controversial Uruguay striker, whose four-month ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini was upheld by FIFA on Thursday.

Heskey believes Monaco’s Rodriguez is the man his old team should pursue, though Real Madrid remain favourites to sign the World Cup’s leading goalscorer, who turns 23 on Saturday.

"Both Alexis Sanchez and James Rodriguez have lit up the World Cup. The latter is only 23, so you would get a lot of mileage out of him. James would be my number one [target] if Liverpool could get him," Heskey told a Sony web chat.

Divock Origi, 19, whose goal in the 1-0 win over Russia made him the youngest scorer in Belgian World Cup history, has also caught Heskey’s eye. "He really impressed me at the World Cup. He wasn’t overawed and was clinical in front of goal despite his age," he said.

Heskey, who made 150 appearance for Liverpool after his £11m transfer from Leicester City, thinks the Merseysiders had little choice but to sell Suarez, last season’s top scorer in the Premier League.

"Liverpool were forced to sell him," he added. "You can’t keep backing someone who misbehaves like this. It gets to a point where you have to wash your hands of the player. The money they are receiving is good from Barcelona."

He also believes the Uruguayan needs help as well as punishment following his third biting incident. "It’s a strange one for someone who has been punished for this before. Obviously he has issues that he needs help with," Heskey concluded.