Archie Gray has joined Spurs, while Manchester United is reportedly closing in on Manuel Ugarte after acquiring Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkee. Aston Villa has been and will remain busy, and Manchester City has begun their summer spending with the acquisition of Savio.
In contrast, Manchester United just signed Liverpool’s sole summer target, Yoro, after the Reds reportedly balked at the cost of bringing him to England.
Credible reporters have scuttled ties to Marc Guehi and Mohamed Simakan, and the Anthony Gordon scandal from earlier in the summer seems to have been driven more by Newcastle United than by Liverpool—a team that at the time needed to generate money for PSR.
Four weeks remain before Arne Slot leads Liverpool in the Premier League for the first time. The Reds have not made a signing and have not decided what to do with captain Virgil van Dijk, vice captain Trent Alexander-Arnold, or iconic striker Mohamed Salah.
Yes, the latter two will be on long-term leave after their participation in the European Championship. But it does mean that their contract issues might not be settled at all until the new season starts.
Liverpool supporters are generally irritated. It is a conglomeration of factors.
IS IT KLOPP OR FSG’S FAULT?
The Jurgen Klopp factor is no longer present for the Reds. At least on paper, competitors are becoming better. Over the course of the upcoming year, key players may leave Anfield. Furthermore, the team has not yet added any more members.
For a lot of people, FSG is to blame. Consequently, the net expenditure images begin to appear on social media, and the same discussions continue to happen.
Actually, FSG is to blame for the current situation. We ought to be critical of them. But not because they’re “cheap” or “penny pinchers,” but rather because they strayed from their profitable strategy to provide Klopp more administrative authority.
Liverpool has always taken a business-minded stance when it comes to the transfer market. They seek the most value for their money. They seek financial benefit. Their net spend was always going to be quite minimal if their model was effective. That is not inherently flawed.
The amount that the Reds paid to acquire Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane was comparable to what Arsenal spent to acquire Nicolas Pepe. Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz were less expensive than Jack Grealish when he joined Manchester City. Declan Rice cost the Gunners more than Liverpool did for Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.
Liverpool has invested funds.
Should net spend even matter in the end if you have strengthened the team? Furthermore, let’s not act as though Liverpool hasn’t made any purchases in recent seasons. The Reds spent more than £150 million in the summer of last year, more than £120 million in the 2022–2023 season, and about £80 million the season before.
That’s about £300 million in spending. True enough, some use that in a single window for transfers. However, comparing Liverpool to other teams is meaningless. The Reds still require a left back, a defensive midfielder, a center back, and a forward despite having spent £300 million on players. And that is before to anything occurring involving Salah, Alexander-Arnold, and Van Dijk.
The key takeaway from this is that Liverpool ceased to be a shrewd club in the transfer window the once Klopp was given further authority.
Paul Joyce disclosed that despite Nunez’s obvious need for adaptation and development, Klopp was the one who advocated for him. The striker cost a significant amount of money.
Pep Ljinders admitted in his book that he preferred Diaz. It’s also fair to presume that he was involved in the Cody Gakpo transaction. The Dutchman—was he really necessary? Maybe not, which explains why he hasn’t yet established a permanent role in the Liverpool squad after 18 months.
OUGHT KLOPP TO HAVE SPENT MORE?
Is there any way that the Gakpo funds could have been used to offset the imbalance with a right-wing player? Salah is the only player on the right, while there are other guys on the left. It implies that even with significant investments made in assault, this is a team area that still requires funding.
In middle, the same thing transpired.
Despite the £140 million investment in the middle third last year, many feel that a defensive midfielder is needed this summer. Wataru Endo was a temporary fix. This season, Ryan Gravenberch might find a place in the midfield, but as of right now, he seems to be the odd man out as several Reds players are fighting for the left-sided No. 8 spot. Is it possible that Could money have been spent more wisely?
If Liverpool had been able to maximize their outgoings, they might have had even more money to spend on incomings. Unfortunately, most of the players left on free transfers because Klopp was unwilling to part with them once they had shown themselves to him. Sure, they reduced payroll, but the departures of Joel Matip, Gini Wijnaldum, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana, and Thiago did not increase the team’s revenue.
FSG is frequently accused of not supporting their manager, but in reality, they supported Klopp excessively, which is why Liverpool is currently in this situation.
