Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp backs owners by asserting he would not last at any cash-rich Premier League club
Jurgen Klopp defended the Liverpool owners by asserting that he would not last at any high-spending Premier League rival club. Klopp worked under a restricted budget at Liverpool to bring success and rejuvenate the club, challenging numerous high-spending competitive rivals.
Fenway Sports Group faced criticism from a section of the Reds fanbase that demanded more spending from the American owners. Despite the criticism, Liverpool enjoyed a steady growth in their reputation and structure under FSG while respecting the financial rules.
FSG saved Liverpool from the administration after taking control of the club from the controversial Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Liverpool have enjoyed gradual positive changes in the club’s infrastructure alongside success on the pitch once FSG appointed Klopp.
Meanwhile, several rival clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have struggled despite throwing endless money into the market. Even Arsenal have too little to show despite their rise under Mikel Arteta after he spent a significant money.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have maintained their dominance, with only Klopp’s Liverpool challenging them in the past half-decade. Man City are facing 115 charges for financial breaches in the last decade with serious punishments as potential consequences.
During the Q&A session hosted by John Bishop and Peter McDowall (via The Guardian), Klopp defended the Liverpool spending. He said:
“Can you imagine LFC as the club with unlimited money? Imagine Kylian Mbappé came here. Imagine Bellingham came here, Haaland. It is not us, it just does not fit. We won what we won and we did it the Liverpool way. We had hard conversations and other clubs didn’t do that in the same time.”
The 56-year-old further addressed the significant improvement in various assets under FSG which includes the training facility and Anfield. He added:
“We built two new stands, a new training ground, we bought Melwood back – the dumbest idea I ever heard was that we sold it in the first place. The owners do what owners do. Surprise! The owners want to earn money. Sorry to tell you that. It’s not like they earn money on a daily basis: they invest something and that’s how the whole world goes. We should be really happy that we have these owners and not guys who bought London clubs and other stuff.”
Klopp rightfully pointed out that his project required time, something that the high-spending clubs do not provide to their manager. He said:
“I wouldn’t have survived a year at Liverpool (with them in charge). ‘Great development but not good enough, sack him!’ A year later: ‘Sack him’. Then finally they play football where people think they might be back and they sack the manager anyway. People always think the grass is greener but we have owners who really feel responsible for the club and work really hard as well to be successful. I felt supported. We did it as good as we could have done and I’m fine with it.”
Klopp’s comment further justifies the core Liverpool fanbase’s defence of their owner and the gratitude they have shown. The section of the fanbase that demands high spending is oblivious to the downside of spending money without any plan.
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Liverpool have navigated intelligently through an environment where rival clubs believe relentlessly spending money is the only solution. While many football fans, gripped by video games and fantasies enjoy the rush of the same method, the reality demands structure and finesse on the business side.
