Liverpool Transfer News: Loss of Sotiris Kyrgiakos Distances Reds from United

It's becoming more and more apparent that Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are vying for the Premier League title, and the rest of the league is just trying not to fall farther behind.
The latest bad news for any team not named United, City or Chelsea is Liverpool's loss of Sotiris Kyrgiakos to VfL Wolfsburg on a two-year deal.
Kyrgiakos, signed in the summer of 2009 as more of a stop-gap, instead flourished for the Reds, ending up making 49 appearances for the club as an important role player.
The 32-year-old hasn't exactly been a premiere player for the club and he is aging, but his loss means Liverpool has to plug up their central defense. And although Martin Kelly has the ability to switch from full-back, it likely means the Reds will have to make another signing.
That could mean they aggressively pursue Gary Cahill, Ryan Shawcross or Scott Dann, players they've been linked to this year.
And right now, the Reds don't have a choice but try to acquire a high-impact player. A stop-gap like the Kyrgiakos signing isn't going to cut it anymore. United and City have led the charge before the transfer window closes, and Liverpool is running out of time to keep up.
Liverpool may even be farther than a big-time signing at one position. They have a lot of pieces that move around a lot but pale in comparison to the product that United and City is putting out onto the field right now. The squad certainly has depth, but simply not enough difference-makers. It's like trotting out a multitude of players that would be backups on the favorites and hoping they wear down the superstars they're pitted against.
Losing players who produced for you certainly isn't the way to curb this trend.