Liverpool don’t get a trophy for it, but they are certainly the champions of the off-season/preseason. Now the 2018-19 season should be the time to get that first piece of silverware of the Jurgen Klopp era, as they have a squad that’s locked and loaded.
With £179 million spent on new players this summer, the expectations are nothing short of ending the 28 year long Premier League title drought. You can’t really point to a true weakness anywhere in the side. The only question here is- have they done enough to close the gap at Manchester City- who are coming off a record breaking campaign?
We have now passed the deadline for which Premier League clubs are allowed to buy players. They can still sell players, abroad only, until August 31 as no other league has adopted the earlier deadline.
Liverpool FC Team Season Preview: go to this link
Notable Liverpool FC Additions:
Naby Keita – RB Leipzig- £54m, Fabinho – Monaco – £45m, Xherdan Shaqiri – Stoke – £13m, Alisson – Roma – £67m
In successive transfer windows, the Merseyside club has broken the world transfer fee record for both a goalkeeper and a defender. Although Chelsea went and broke the goalkeeper transfer fee record just three weeks later.
So far, 2018 has helped vanquish the narrative of LFC as a so-called selling club/stepping stone for elite of the elite, world class players. When Philippe Coutinho left for Barcelona in January, the selling club club motif came back a bit, with a deal that somewhat evoked memories of Luis Suarez bolting for Barca in 2014.
However, Liverpool didn’t miss a beat without Coutinho, and the team finished runners-up in UEFA Champions League. They have since locked down long term two of their fab three (which was a fab four when Coutinho was still with the club).
Notable Liverpool FC Subtractions:
Yan Dhanda – Swansea – Undisclosed, Ovie Ejaria – Rangers – Loan, Emre Can – Juventus – Free, Danny Ward – Leicester – £12m
Ben Woodburn – Sheffield United – Loan
Analysis:
When you have triggered the manager of your greatest rival, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho, it’s the greatest compliment that can be paid. United have spent more than anyone in England, save Manchester City, since 2016 and yet he’s still griped a couple times about how much money Liverpool were able to spend.
It’s all set up for Klopp to succeed now- he certainly has no excuses in 2018-19.
Immediate, Knee Jerk Reaction Grade (True, Authentic Grades Can Only Be Earned Over Time): A
Not sure what else there really is to say here. If you’re a Liverpool fan, then I now tweet you the GIF of Leonardo Di Caprio as The Great Gatsby toasting a glass of champagne with fireworks going off in the background.
Transfer Window Grades Links:
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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