Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has made comments that will certainly bring down expectations of what the club could/might/will do this summer transfer window. It remains to be seen whether this is mind games or not, but it’s quite clear that this summer will not be like 2018, the best summer transfer window in their history.
Beyond that, it was among the most fruitful transfer windows that any outfit anywhere has ever had. The Merseyside club spent north of £170 million on goalkeeper Alisson, and midfielders Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri.
The end resulted was a Champions League title and a runner-up finish in the Premier League that accumulated the third most total points in the history of the competition.
Don’t expect a sequel this summer, although Klopp’s quotes on the topic tonight, don’t exactly square with what he said just three weeks ago about summer transfer business (that all clubs must spend big in order to keep pace).
After being Tranmere Rovers 6-0 in Prenton Park to kick off the 2019 preseason, the German was asked whether or not his club would be active this transfer window.
“We brought them already,” Klopp responded when asked if the club would be active in the summer transfer window.
“(Alex) Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rhian Brewster, they didn’t play last year. All the young boys today, they’re all new players for us.”
“The transfer market is open I don’t know exactly until when, when does it finish?” [Interviewer: August 8].”
“August 8! This wonderful country, the whole of Europe had the idea to close the transfer window early and the only country who did it was England finally. So we close it three weeks before the others.
“We will see what we do, but I don’t think it will be the biggest transfer window of all time.”
Thus far, Anfield has only bought one player, 17-year-old defender Sepp van den Berg, but there are numerous reports indicating that a second acquisition, Fulham whiz kid Harvey Elliott, is imminent.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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