Jürgen Klopp has said Liverpool must act decisively on their transfer plans for this summer regardless of Champions League status or fresh investment because the increased spending power of Premier League rivals cannot be ignored.
The Liverpool manager has long maintained there need to be major changes to his squad at the end of the season, with Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham the leading target for a midfield overhaul. The prospect of Champions League football being on offer is in doubt, with Liverpool trailing Real Madrid 5-2 from the first leg of their last-16 tie and Tottenham by seven points in the race for fourth place, albeit with two games in hand.
Klopp is adamant that the potential loss of lucrative Champions League income should not undermine Liverpool’s transfer plans and that the club, seeking a sporting director to replace the outgoing Julian Ward, needs to move swiftly to secure its main targets.
“It is not helpful,” Klopp said of failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League. “Money always has an impact but this cannot be that much of an impact, let me say it like this.
“Of course it is influential but it is a summer where we have to be in the market definitely. I’m sorry that I cannot guarantee Champions League at this moment but we fight for it and it is not done yet so we don’t have to talk about it as if it is not possible. But it is tricky and it will be a late decision I guess, but we have to start work [on recruitment] earlier before we know where we will end up position-wise and European competition-wise. These things are clear.”
John W Henry, Liverpool’s principal owner, stated this week that he was confident of attracting new investment when confirming Fenway Sports Group does not intend to sell the club. Klopp welcomed the update – “I’m optimistic when John is optimistic, because that’s his business,” he said – but highlighted his team’s role in generating the funds that have transformed Liverpool and Anfield on FSG’s watch. He insisted the club could not afford to stand still given the growing threat around them, with Chelsea and Newcastle under wealthy ownership and Manchester United expected to follow suit.
“My job is to make 100% clear what we need from a sports point of view and then other people are responsible for giving us the resources or whatever,” he said. “I think we played five years in a row in the Champions League, which is massive money, and went to the final three times in that time, which is also massive from a money point of view. We built a stand, we built a training ground, and the club is in a really good place, but around us obviously a few people [clubs] are speeding up a little bit and you cannot ignore that. We cannot ignore these kind of things.
“It is still about finding the right players, not about bringing in a lot, and thank God in the world of football there are a lot of right players. Not all of them are affordable or want to come but there are a lot of really good players out there. The only reason I don’t like to talk about that now is because there are still a lot of games to play. This team is the basis for all what we do and it was always the basis for all what we do.
“Even if people are now in the mood like: ‘He can go, he should go,’ – my God, calm down please. Go on YouTube and watch an old video and think: ‘That’s what he did, he threw his heart and soul on the pitch.’ That doesn’t mean we have to be thankful for the rest of his life but that’s still in there so let’s make a decision after the season. As long as we are together, let’s support this group with all we have.”
