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In Loic Remy Liverpool FC have arguably already tied up the signing of the summer.

An £8.5million deal from newly-promoted Queens Park Rangers is close to completion after the Frenchman agreed personal terms and passed a medical in Boston last week.

Read More: Remy deal collapses at 11th hour

Paper work is the only delay but Liverpool won’t mind the wait.

The fee is simply a steal for a player of his quality.

The departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona will have some Liverpool supporters questioning this sentiment.

That’s because the Uruguayan leaves a 30 goal gaping hole in the squad but what fans must understand is that in Remy, the Reds haven’t bought a direct replacement.

You simply cannot replace a player like Suarez like-for-like, but what you can do is what Brendan Rodgers has astutely recognised so far this summer.

30 goals from one player is a huge amount, but spread that workload across three or four players and that seems far less daunting.

And in Remy, Rodgers will have one forward who can ease that pressure.

In two campaigns in the Premier League, the France international’s goals tally stands at 20 in 41 appearances.

That in itself is a decent return but he offers much more than that.

Just ask former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier.

During the early stages of Remy’s fledgling career, Houllier was there to see the talent blossom.

The 66-year-old was manager of French side Lyon between 2005-2007 and he was the man to give Remy his professional debut in the Derby du Rhone game against Saint-Etienne as a second-half substitute.

It was at Lyon that Houllier saw the early signs of promise.

“I always thought he had some international quality because he is very quick,” says Houllier, who is fondly remembered on Merseyside after securing the Cup Treble in 2001.

“Fans in England will have seen that last season while he was at Newcastle but he can add goals to that.

“He can create chances as well but I think importantly for Liverpool he is a modern striker.

“Loic is always on the move.

“He is very dynamic, he can play on the left side as well as up front.

“Brendan Rodgers could also use him in behind Daniel Sturridge because his link-up play is equally as impressive.

“He’s a very nice guy as well. Quite quiet but very focused on his job.

“I don’t doubt he’ll be loved at Liverpool both by the fans and the players because he has a superb work ethic. He’ll settle in very well and he has always adapted well to his surroundings.

“The fact he’s been in England the last two years he’ll have learnt the language, he’s not soft, and he has proven record in the Premier League which is also very important.

“But unlike some strikers he isn’t obsessed with goals or targets, for him it’s about producing for the good of the team. He is the perfect example of a team player.”

Team player, that was one description Houllier was keen to emphasise.

Remy has one thought in his mind and that is to help the team win.

Not personal glory, not goal tallies or Player of the Year gongs but winning as part of a team.

That is what Rodgers is building with the funds made available.

It is unlikely a so called ‘marquee’ player will be signed but there is no need for one when the squad is as strong as the boss is building.

And Remy has all the facets in his game to be a success on Merseyside.

With his back to goal his hold-up play and link-up play is excellent.

Not only does he find pockets of space but he very rarely wastes the ball when in possession - handy for a side who rely on quick transitions in the final third.

On loan at the Magpies last season, he scored 14 goals for a team that appeared almost disinterested from January onwards.

In an attacking team like Liverpool, that tally will rise.

Now, statistics are certainly not the be all and end all but with Remy they do highlight the great potential he has.

His shot conversion rate (21.54%) was better than both Suarez (20.39%) and Wayne Rooney (20.99%) last term.

But the 27-year-old has one asset that stands out – pace.

Rodgers’ attacking brand of football is built on a foundation of speed.

Harrying the opposition high up the pitch before breaking rapidly through Daniel Sturridge or Raheem Sterling.

It’s easy to see Remy fitting in with this sweeping style of football.

Vitally, he combines this searing pace with intelligent movement – although that could need a tweak having been caught offside on 32 occasions last season.

The attributes to complement the Red men’s style of place is unquestionable.

But where does he fit?

Houllier believes he will fit in comfortably at the Reds and that one of the key factors in Rodgers’ attraction to Remy is his flexibility – an attribute that is a prerequisite for new signings under the boss.

“Loic doesn’t shy away from the defensive side to his game,” the former France manager adds.

“He’s very clever, he knows when he needs to defend and when he can attack and his pace makes him a huge asset in both those phases because he can close down quickly and he can break at speed.

“His versatility is important and it’s the reason why they like him in the national side.

“He has the potential to become a regular for the French team but there is a lot of attacking talent with Giroud, [Karim] Benzema and [Frank] Ribery, but he is in that pool of four or five players pushing for a starting position.

“They like him also because Loic is a good team-mate and if he wasn’t Liverpool would have said right away ‘don’t touch’.”

Houllier continues: “When you’re a striker you’re worth more than any other position but the fee represents good value.

“Where ever Loic goes he scores goals he’s proven that at Marseille and Newcastle and he will do the same at Liverpool.

“He likes to run into the spaces behind the defenders. You have players for France like Oliver Giroud and he would prefer to pick the ball up between the defenders with his back to goal but Remy offers something different.

“He’s had Champions League experience with Marseille and that will be crucial.

“Of course Stevie Gerrard has a lot of experience in Europe but there are players in the squad who don’t.

“Remy has scored on that stage and he knows what it’s all about.”

Indeed, Liverpool know what Remy is all about and equally the striker knows all about the Premier League.

After all, his hero, Thierry Henry, made a name for himself in England.

Comparisons have been made between the two and while they may be a little extreme, Remy is of the same ilk.

If he can make even half the impact at Anfield as his compatriot did in London, something his potential points to, then the Reds have just pinched Remy for a pittance.

Three moments of Remy magic

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A man-of-the-match performance against Cardiff City gave the Premier League a glimpse of just what Loic Remy can produce.

His two goals that afternoon topped an explosive display that proved why the Frenchman is considered one of the most dynamic forwards in England.

Long since the 27-year-old was introduced into the youth system at Lyon have the comparisons with his compatriot Thierry Henry followed and there was one goal that afternoon that gives some credence to the comparison.

Remy drifts out onto the left wing and accelerates through the gears before twice dropping his shoulder and nudging the ball into the bottom corner – Henry-esque.

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Remy is adept when it comes to scoring against the big sides and his goal against Chelsea last season was superb.

Already one up with minutes to go the France international added the cherry on top of the sweetest of cakes.

Vernon Anita wriggled past Ramires before squaring the ball into the crowded penalty box for Remy.

Taking it first time he strikes a firm left-footed shot on the turn with the ball going in off a post to leave Petr Cech with no chance.

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The best of the lot is a late goal in a Queens Park Rangers shirt against Wigan.

It had pace, intelligent movement and raw power in the finish.

A poor free kick from Wigan is cleared away to Stephen Mbia but right there with him is Remy.

Speeding past him to his right, Mbia slides the ball in front of striker who hammers it first time into the far corner.

It was the perfect way to finish off a sweeping counter-attack and would have been a worthy winner of any game had Shaun Maloney not equalised.

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