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After days of speculation, Liverpool have confirmed the signing of 20-year old Sunderland midfielder Jordan Henderson. The deal is reportedly worth £16million and could also sees David Ngog moving in the opposite direction. The deal marks the start of Kenny Dalglish’s summer spending spree at Anfield and more signings are expected before the beginning of the new season.

Speaking about the transfer Liverpool's Director of Football Damien Comolli told Liverpoolfc.tv, "We are very, very pleased. He has got all the skills technically that we needed. He's good with the ball, he's creative, he's got good passing, he's physically very good. That's everything we wanted in a midfielder and he's versatile as well."

"He's very passionate about football, very committed, a top professional. He's the type of player who'll stay behind after training and do extra work. When you talk to him it's not about money or anything related to off the pitch. Everything is on the pitch: where am I going to play, have I got a chance to play, where can I develop most as a player. Kenny and I were very impressed with that and his commitment and passion for the game."

With regards to the future of David Ngog, Comolli shared that he had been given permission to speak to Sunderland, but no deal had been agreed thus far. "Sunderland have had a strong interest in David, so we've agreed to let David speak to Sunderland about his future to see if he's interested in going there. They've expressed a strong interest, so we'll see what's next for him."

Henderson started his career at Sunderland as a youth player. He moved quickly from their youth side to their reserve side before he was loaned out to Coventry City to gain first team experience on January 2009. During the loan period he made a total of 13 appearances and also scored a goal in the process. The loan experience proved to be invaluable as the next season saw him breaking into Sunderland’s first team.

He was deployed mainly as a right midfielder for the majority of the 2009-2010 campaign, but also played a few matches in the central midfield position in the absence of Lee Cattermole. He clocked a total of 38 appearances, scored two goals, and created another six in his first full season at the Stadium of Light. The 2010-11 season reinforced Henderson’s status as one of England’s emerging starlets as he tirelessly commanded Sunderland’s midfield making 39 appearances and scoring 3 goals in the process.

In his first interview with the club's official website, Henderson said, "I'm over the moon, overjoyed to be here and I'm really looking forward to it. I was flattered to know Liverpool were interested in me."

Jordan Henderson’s signing is in line with Liverpool’s new transfer policy of recruiting young, local talents, who have a resale value, but it will be interesting to see where Kenny fits his latest acquisition. Liverpool are already plush with defensive as well as attacking central midfielders such as Lucas, Spearing, Gerrard, and Meireles and a few of them will have to be moved to the bench to accommodate the new signing. Henderson has also played for Sunderland in the right midfield position, and Dalglish may look to use him in a similar way.

Speaking about the competition for places Henderson said, "Coming to a massive club like Liverpool, there is always going to be competition. Hopefully I can keep working hard, keep improving, and get my chance on the pitch."

The idea of working with Steven Gerrard on a daily basis excited the youngster, "He is one of the best players in the world, you want to be playing with him and training with him to try and improve yourself as a player. I've trained with him once (for England) and he was unbelievable, to be honest. I'm looking forward to it, and there are other good players here who can help me as well. Steven has been a massive, massive player for Liverpool for years now and he still is. Hopefully I can learn a lot from him."

Despite the obvious euphoria of having signed a future England superstar, one can't help but pay attention to some of the murmurs amongst the Liverpool fans questioning whether Henderson was what the club really needed right now. One of Liverpool’s greatest problems in the past few seasons has been their lack of width. With the absence of quality wingers, Liverpool were expected to storm the market in search of a quality player in that position, but with Henderson’s signing and Charlie Adam also reportedly a transfer target, one may be tempted to question Liverpool’s transfer policy. Much will be expected of Liverpool in the coming season, and only time will tell whether Dalglish’s signings will resurrect the fallen giants.