It was concerning to read that Liverpool were planning to offer Andy Carroll in a direct swap deal with Carlos Tevez at the weekend.

At £35 million it is quite clear as far as the best bookmakers are concerned that the former Newcastle forward has not lived up to what might have been expected of him at Anfield in the year he has been with the club, but it is important to remember that he is still young.

In his time on Merseyside, Carroll has knuckled down and worked hard to try and make a success of his time with Liverpool, but as yet it has not quite happened.

But some players need time to adapt. The expectation must have weighed very heavily on Carroll’s shoulders, albeit very broad ones, when he first signed for the club. With the Magpies he had been used to being the main man as such, the chief goal scorer.

It is a whole different story at Liverpool though. He was expected to play his part in a potent stike force with the Uruguayan, Luis Suarez, and while the former Ajax man has gone on to earn rave reviews, Carroll has been left in the shadows.

So the sudden news that Kenny Dalglish was supposedly keen to cut his losses in a bid to try and lure Carlos Tevez to Anfield was certainly disappointing. I just wonder what that will do to Carroll’s confide. Many pundits were starting to compliment his recent performances, but now this…

For all the undoubted quality that Tevez has, he hardly seems like the sort of player that Liverpool fans would warm to particularly quickly.

The whole saga that has surrounded his season at Manchester City so far has only served to prove that Tevez is a young man with a chip on his shoulder, while also raising doubts as to his commitment to the club.

Liverpool fans like players who are prepared to give their all for the club – the passionate sort who will cherish pulling on the red jersey. Can that really be applied to a former Manchester United man who has already stated his desire to be playing his football outside of England?

The truth of the matter is that Liverpool do desperately need another striker in their team. Just a glance at the squad lists of Manchester United and City, as well as the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham simply highlights the matter.

There is no strength in depth at Anfield – the suspension of Suarez has proved that. Sometime-winger, sometime-striker Craig Bellamy is unable to start games on a regular basis because of his dodgy knees, and the problems with Carroll have already been discussed.

Liverpool are creating chances more than most sides in the Premier League right now, but are struggling to convert them.

A world class striker must surely be on the menu, but for goodness sake, don’t go doing it at the expense of Andy Carroll. He has not run his course just yet.