Here are your Liverpool evening headlines for Wednesday, February 1.
Enzo Fernandez could prove Jurgen Klopp right
When Chelsea owner Todd Boehly woke up this morning, he would have been forgiven for having a tear in his eye, writes Ian Doyle.
After all, the realisation he couldn't sign any more players until the summer transfer window must have hit hard given the manner in which the Londoners have been splashing the cash since he assumed control at Stamford Bridge last May.
The outgoing world champions have splurged an astonishing £540million on 16 players - 14 permanent, two on loan - since the end of last season, with another in France international Christopher Nkunku on his way in the summer.
READ MORE: Liverpool set to axe two players from squad as Luis Diaz 'update' expected
READ MORE: Chelsea take seven months to match what Liverpool and FSG did in three years
Chelsea's centrepiece, though, was the deadline day capture of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica having eventually persuaded the Portuguese side to part with their Argentina World Cup winner after meeting the release clause of £107million.
Liverpool, who have long made Jude Bellingham their midfield priority, had previously looked at the 22-year-old but didn't make any interest concrete. Indeed, the player had been widely valued at barely half before the World Cup in which he was important to Argentina's success.
Intriguingly, however, it appears no other club were willing to do business at that lofty asking price. And, were Chelsea in the market for Bellingham this summer, it seems unlikely they will now look to pursue a deal. Not even Boehly can continue to conjure up both the cash and creativity to continue circumnavigating financial fair play rules.
But there's another undisputed reason for Liverpool taking genuine encouragement from the example set by the transfer. And it's all explained by one glance at the Premier League table.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Chelsea take seven months to match what Liverpool and FSG did in three years
Transfer deals often contain so many clauses that the true cost of them is impossible to ascertain. However, with the publicly available figures it appears that Chelsea have splashed out more in January than the next six biggest spending clubs in Europe combined, writes Andrew Beasley.
They were all inevitably in the Premier League, with Liverpool one of them (even though they only signed Cody Gakpo). No club in Germany, Italy or Spain spent more than £8.5million on a single player – and that was Borussia Dortmund signing 16-year-old Julien Duranville – while Marseille’s purchase of Vitinha for £28million was the top transfer in France. Even the biggest other leagues can’t compete with the money in English football, much less the smaller ones.
It seems the rest of the Premier League is struggling to keep up with Todd Boehly’s lavish project in west London too. Even if we ignore the amount Chelsea have spent (and we shouldn’t), the number of players they have signed this season is bewildering. It certainly puts Liverpool’s efforts from recent years into the shade.
It will be fascinating to see if their seemingly scattershot approach pays off. While Nottingham Forest obviously operate much further down the football food chain, they too performed a massive squad overhaul in the summer. Having lost seven of their first 10 league games, they’ve only been beaten twice in the last 10. Their process appears to be working.
The Blues signed eight players for fees in the last window, though few of them have made too much of a positive impact. Marc Cucurella has had the most league minutes of the new recruits but has been in poor form while Raheem Sterling would have hoped to score more than six goals by this point.
Wesley Fofana was the most expensive signing they made in the summer, though his £75million fee has been trumped by the £107million Chelsea have just spent on rumoured Liverpool transfer target, Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine World Cup winner has been joined at Stamford Bridge by a further six permanent recruits in January, plus Joao Felix on loan.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
READ NEXT:
- Inside story of Liverpool transfer window as 'blocked' deal sums up curious January
- Liverpool could look at two free agents to solve midfield transfer problems
- Liverpool face new competition for Jude Bellingham after Enzo Fernandez transfer warning
- Roberto Firmino's agent breaks silence on Liverpool contract talks
- January transfer reality has left Liverpool and FSG with no other option
