It just had to happen. Whatever we end up doing in the transfer window, Liverpool are always questioned. Jurgen Klopp broke the goalkeeping transfer record by signing Alisson from AS Roma and one of Klopp’s comments from the past resurfaced.
This was about Paul Pogba’s then record move to Manchester United where Klopp spoke about the almost £100m paid for the Frenchman.
Klopp was speaking to the Liverpool Echo (h/t Eurosport) where he said:
“If you bring one player in for £100m and he gets injured, then it all goes through the chimney.
“The day that this is football, I’m not in a job anymore, because the game is about playing together.
“That is how everybody in football understands it. You always want to have the best, but building the group is necessary to be successful.
“Other clubs can go out and spend more money and collect top players. I want to do it differently. I would even do it differently if I could spend that money.”
This time around, he was questioned regarding the signing of not only Alisson but also the fact that we have spent huge amounts on Virgil van Dijk, Naby Keita and even Fabinho.
The BBC (h/t Evening Standard) quoted Klopp as saying he didn’t care what others thought and how football had changed since he made that comment two years ago.
“We don’t care what the world around us is thinking.
“The world has changed completely.
“Better players than we already have are not waiting around the corner. You can’t get the world-class goalkeeper who had a really long contract at Roma on a free transfer.
“It is not for me to say we don’t want to pay big money because in the end Liverpool is not successful. That doesn’t work.”
While Klopp has taken out his guns, a number of rival fans have gone ahead and poked fun at the statement he made on Pogba.
However, Klopp is certainly not in the wrong and here is why.
Still sticking to his policy is Klopp
First things first, Klopp has not spent £100m on a single player yet. Not Van Dijk, not Fabinho, not Alisson, none of these players cost that much and his comment was referring more to the fact that we cannot keep all our eggs in one basket, or expect one player to do it all.
Pogba was supposed to be the great messiah at Old Trafford and completely change their playing style by doing a Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, all the talk now has been about him leaving and United don’t seem to have the right players around him to do better.
Klopp was also right in suggesting that the game is about all the players and that is exactly what he is doing, he is building a team.
Keita and Fabinho together will make our midfield better. How can we improve the defence without getting a quality keeper in? Well, we addressed exactly that.
As for trying to create success rather than buying it, Klopp has done that too. The likes of Dejan Lovren, Loris Karius and even Alberto Moreno were given ample chances to prove their ability but if we cannot make them better, should we not try to replace them?
Would it make sense for us to spend, say, £20m to get a decent goalkeeper in, who might not become better in the years to come or sign one of the best keepers in the world, even if he has had just one good season under his belt?
Klopp tried giving chances to players and we have given a number of young players the chance to impress too.
Andy Robertson, Ben Woodburn, Harry Wilson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez are just a few youngsters who are actually in the squads for their national sides.
It is a little difficult to maintain a challenge for any trophy without making an investment in the side and if Klopp is looking for a quality player, the price will be high given the crazy transfer market we are in.
People scoffed when we bought Mohamed Salah from AS Roma and he turned out to be a gem and scored goals for fun last season. The only way to shut the critics up would be with fantastic performances, not only from the new players but from the team as a whole.
Winning a trophy is the only way we can get some people off our backs and with world-class players in almost every department, we seem to be ready to shut a number of doubters and well, critics too.
