Jamie Carragher has hit out at Liverpool 's transfer chiefs and Jurgen Klopp for not signing a world-class midfielder last summer - and claimed that they are at fault for the Reds' struggles this season.
Liverpool suffered yet another dismal defeat as they were thrashed 3-0 at Wolves on Saturday to leave them in 10th in the Premier League table, 11 points off the Champions League places. It was also the first time the Reds have lost three Premier League losses on the bounce since 2012.
Klopp's side made one midfield signing in the summer in the form of Arthur on loan from Juventus, but the midfielder has made played just 13 minutes of first-team action since his move. However, the Reds had the chance to sign now-Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, but the Frenchman chose to make the switch to La Liga instead.
And Carragher has admitted his fury that the Reds missed out on the opportunity to sign Tchouameni, who was one of the most sought-after midfielders at the time. Jude Bellingham was also being linked with a switch to Anfield but he decided to stay put at Borussia Dortmund.
He told Sky Sports : "There was money there for a midfield player, they tried to buy the lad who went to Real Madrid for £60-£70 million. They couldn't get him and Jürgen Klopp and his staff or the recruitment team decided that we don't need to buy a midfielder.
"That is on them. They've got to the start of this season, and from day one at Fulham, they haven't been able to cope with the intensity of a Premier League game of football and they've been ran over in every game that they've played."
Before Liverpool signed Arthur, Klopp admitted he would only sign a midfielder if there is a "right solution" and they decided that the Brazilian man they wanted. Arthur picked up an injury following the defeat at Napoli, however, in his only appearances for the club.
"I understand the question but I don’t understand it as well," said Klopp, in August, when pressed if the club would sign a midfielder before the transfer window closed. "Because if there was the right solution we would have done it already, we are not stubborn, it’s just about the right thing to do.
"When people told me at the beginning of the season that we lack a specific kind of midfielder, I didn’t understand that, because if you search for specific things then you always lack something.
"If there would be the right player and there would be an opportunity we would do it, but I don’t see it because we had a lot of conversations already and it doesn’t look like something will happen."
