8.6 million

[LeTallecWiz]

The stat below is ridiculous. I remember Brendan, of blessed memory, was railing on this big time ... Most of us were in his camp ... it was worrying that after such a good season last year, where our brilliance was still not enough to win the title, we were investing in two kids. However, everything went our way ... and the rest is history.

Do we feel a similar outlay this year can still see the same result? Or do we have to spend to ensure this is the start of ensuring that no matter how much Man City, Chelsea and Newcastle (or whatever other fucking rich club pops up) will be challenged by us for the holy grail?

 

[dantes]

Those thirty years were a result of being too loyal to the players, allowing them to grow too old at the same time, and missing the chance to cash in and replace them.

 

[Modo]

Do we have a choice?
With the world looking like it is, the club needs to be smart.
I think the plan was to spend cash this summer, but that all went down the toilet. So I guess it's looking like another summer of inactivity.
We need to sort out Gini's contract or sell him and we also need to sell Lovren.
If Shaq and Grujic wants to go, so be it.
But if 3-4 players leave we really need to buy.

 

[Modo]

Do we have a choice?
With the world looking like it is, the club needs to be smart.
[hl]I think the plan was to spend cash this summer, but that all went down the toilet. So I guess it's looking like another summer of inactivity.[/hl]
We need to sort out Gini's contract or sell him and we also need to sell Lovren.
If Shaq and Grujic wants to go, so be it.
But if 3-4 players leave we really need to buy.

Sometimes you just throw something against a wall to see f it sticks...(it did)
https://www.goal.com/en-us/amp/news...rpool-boss-klopp-on/ud4zzohgiy011qnnyndisxp4v

 

[Modo]

Jürgen Klopp backing youth to strengthen Liverpool's squad

• Manager admits financial fallout could pause transfer plans
• Klopp beieves academy talent can improve the champions

Andy Hunter
Mon 29 Jun 2020 22.30 BSTLast modified on Tue 30 Jun 2020 10.32 BST

Harvey Elliott, Neco Williams and Curtis Jones were in the Liverpool squad that won the Fifa Club World Cup in December. Photograph: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Jürgen Klopp has said the financial fallout from Covid-19 could “pause” Liverpool’s transfer plans but he believes his title-winning squad will improve regardless next season thanks to emerging academy talent.
Klopp admits there is uncertainty over his transfer budget and that incomings and outgoings will be affected. He is extremely confident of keeping the Premier League champions intact, however, and feels players such us Neco Williams, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott can provide back-up for a team that demolished the competition this season.
“I am very confident that we can keep the team together but all the rest of the planning is ongoing without knowing,” the manager said. “We have no idea at the moment. Nobody knows how the future will be, which is very strange. I don’t know when the new season will start.



“Three months ago nobody knew anything about how it would be and now we act a little bit like everything will be fine again. It is a little bit early to guess that. And in football now we get confronted with how much do you want to spend? How much can you spend if you don’t know how much you can have? That is exactly the situation.
“It is about how influential the coronavirus crisis will be on all financial parts of life. It’s not only football. We all will pay a bill in the end. Hopefully it is over soon but nobody knows exactly how big the bill will be. I think it’s completely normal in this moment that we wait a little bit longer with some decisions or just say: ‘We pause and try it again with this [squad].’ We should not start taking for granted it all will be fine.”
Liverpool cooled longstanding interest in Timo Werner during lockdown, allowing Chelsea to sign the RB Leipzig striker for £47.5m, although the club maintain that was not a purely financial decision. Klopp has always been keen to leave a pathway open for academy talent – Trent Alexander-Arnold being the prime example – and believes uncertainty in the market offers opportunity for more to follow.

“Covid has influenced both sides, ins and out,” he said. “It’s just not likely that it will be the most busy summer in the world. But maybe at a later point in the year, if the transfer window is still open, we will know more. But this squad – just look at it. It is not a squad you have to change now and say: ‘OK, we need this position and this position.’ What we want is to create our transfers internally. So now, the first glimpses of Neco Williams. Bring the boys up. Curtis, Harvey, Ki-Jana [Hoever], Sepp [van den Berg], Yasser [Larouci], Leighton [Clarkson], Jake Cain: all these boys have done really well.
“We want to strengthen this squad and this squad is strong. The problem is how do you improve a strong squad on the transfer market? It works with money, obviously, but it never works only with money. You have to be creative and we try to be creative. We try to find solutions internally. And there is still a lot to come. We have three or four players who can make big, big steps. People will be afraid that these boys will get lazy [after winning the league]. These boys, like they showed against Crystal Palace, cannot get lazy. It is just not in their nature.”



Klopp believes the 4-0 dismantling of Palace last week demonstrated perfectly why Liverpool were able to secure the club’s first title for 30 years with a record seven matches to spare. “The Palace game sums it up, sums us up, because all of what these boys did, they did for the club, for the people and for what we stand for. Nobody was there but we were still together. I really wouldn’t have thought it was possible to play like that, in this situation, with the Everton game three days before which was like: ‘Didn’t like that too much, are we really where we want to be?’
“Then you play this game and it really sums us up because it is like they wear the Liverpool shirt and go with all they have. Whenever, wherever, which time, whatever necessary, they go. And I love that. That is what brought us into the position we are in – it is all in this game. Eighty-sixth minute, losing the ball, chasing it down, winning it back and shooting on the Palace goal like you have never scored before. Such desire. That was the moment when I thought: ‘Yes, we will be champions.’ It was the perfect moment.”

 

[dantes]

Well at least they'll be like new signings alongside matip.

 

[Squiggles]

I have no issue with us not spending vast sums of money given what we're achieving on the pitch. Klopp seems happy and content here and understanding of the current situation. We've invested big in a new training ground, have the Main Stand to pay off as well as the Annie Road end to develop.

The net-spend argument in isolation effectively criticizes the club for getting some outrageous deals. Basically swapping Andy Robertson for Kevin Stewart, offloading Ibe and Solanke for 35M to Bournemouth, Gomez at £3M, Matip free, Milner free, the list goes on. They also chose, at Klopp's request, to reward success at Liverpool instead of splashing in the transfer market. We've increased our wage bill to maintain a squad, allowing them to develop and win more together. Klopp saw his Dortmund side decimated and ensured that couldn't happen here. We've reaped the benefits of those decisions. We've now got elite players who want to finish their career here, not out of some childhood loyalty like Gerrard, because they feel we are the team to deliver all their dreams and ambitions. Given how it's going, who can blame them? I feel this is like criticising Usain Bolt to running a bit funny when he's just broken two World Records.

Rather than net-spend, a better metric is really what our squad worth now. Pre-COVID 19 I'd argue at least half our first team could be in the £80-150M bracket. There are no complaints there.

We should have spent more and I'm particularly disappointed with how the Werner deal fell through. Klopp deserves better after all he's proven. I hope once the dust settles and the club gets some clarity we can return to the market and find another exciting attacker and back up LB.

 

[Mors]

I don't think it bodes well for maintaining a high standard for a prolonged period of time, personally. It smacks more of doing 'a Leicester', more than doing a utd and dominating for 10+ years.
I just hope that this year is purely a one off due to covid, and next summer we'll go back to buying 1 or 2 top quality players a year and a sprinkling of youth prospects.

Klopp is having a giraffe if he thinks the kids are going to step up and have the same impact as buying a werner, sancho, havertz, koulibaly would have had on the team. They'll be handy when we're 3-0 to give a first teamer a rest, but starting them in place of any of the starting 11? Nah

 

[peterhague]

You can't argue with results, and even this year we're not really desperate for reinforcements.

But even with covid I can't see how we can possibly be short of money.

We've spent less than virtually every other club, over a sustained period. We got to the final of 2 of the last 3 CLs. We've just won the title.

How can we not afford a player like Werner, who was good value and ideal for us, and who the manager apparently wanted?

It's weird.

 

[Frogfish]

Sometimes you just throw something against a wall to see f it sticks...(it did)
https://www.goal.com/en-us/amp/news...rpool-boss-klopp-on/ud4zzohgiy011qnnyndisxp4v

Door firmly open ...

“It's just not likely that it will be the most busy summer in the world. But maybe at a later point in the year, if the transfer window is still open and we know more, then maybe something could happen.

 

[Frogfish]

We can't replace all of our aging players in one go ... the replacements never all fit in and it would cost a fortune, smashing FFP. We need to invest in 1-3 players a year over the next 3-4 years (assuming a 50% fail rate) by which time all our 28-29+ year olds will be on their last legs for us.

 

[rurikbird]

Let's look at it another way: who will leave this season?

Lallana - you could say Minamino is a replacement
Shaqiri – should have plenty of offers from the Continent
Lovren – should have plenty of offers from fans willing to drive him to the airport/smuggle him across the border if necessary
Clyne – ghost from another era. I think at this point he won't overtake Neco, let alone Trent.

There is also a matter of Milner probably retiring next season and prudent managers like Klopp usually like to bed in a replacement early – hence an idea of someone like McGinn sounding appealing (and the fact that he can probably slot in at LB, so it's two birds with one stone). And while it may be premature to say so until we know what he thinks, I suspect Origi will want to try to become the main striker somewhere and Klopp won't stand in the way, because he knows a player in his prime will stagnate with limited minutes (perhaps we're already seeing it with Origi).

So even though we don't intend to spend serious money this summer, just the natural turnover of the squad will compel us to bring some new players in – and I'm not sure the youngsters we already have at the club would naturally fill every need.

 

[Judge Jules]

Those thirty years were a result of being too loyal to the players, allowing them to grow too old at the same time, and missing the chance to cash in and replace them.

Those thirty years were the result of Sir John Smith stepping down from the chairmanship and that amiable dunce David Moores replacing him. What you describe above was certainly one of the symptoms, but Moores and many of the decisions for which he was primarily responsible were the root causes.

 

[SummerOnions]

Why am I seeing all this talk of McGinn at LB. What have I missed?

I also think maybe Gini might deputize a bit next season

 

[Modo]

Why am I seeing all this talk of McGinn at LB. What have I missed?

I also think maybe Gini might deputize a bit next season

It's because he's left footed and good at defending. Personally never seen him play as a left back.

 

[gkmacca]

So many fans haven't experienced winning the league, but even fewer have experienced us retaining it. Retaining the title is incredibly hard, mentally and physically. Everyone is at you, every game. All your rivals are stronger. It's like winning the longest marathon of your life, taking a short break and then starting all over again, surrounded with hungrier rivals. Mentally, especially, it's shattering.

This is what I think is being pretty much ignored by the Echo cheerleaders. It really isn't the same as just pushing a bit more. It's about coping with massive extra pressure - every slip-up gets blown up as a sign it's all over, every sign of doubt or fatigue or internal tensions gets hyped up into a major crisis. Fans get nervous, some players get nervous. It's a completely new form of pressure. If you don't start well for the first ten games, you're deep in the shit. And if you don't keep your focus and your drive after that, you're finished.

So, yes, I think we really do need to strengthen. Even if all the first choices stay fit and in form - a huge presumption - we need more competition and more options. Champions who declare they're already strong enough tend to spend the next summer regretting it. The Liverpool sides who retained titles were pretty much running on empty from March onwards, relying on killing games off and running down the time after about an hour. God knows how the team would have coped if the new back pass rule had already come in.

But then we could get more or less who we wanted. Now we're already capable of being outbid by our rivals. And that's before FSG started this premature policy of pulling out of the major deals. I just hope someone in that organisation, at the club, is spelling out to them just how critical this transfer window could be.

It's a new challenge, not an old one, and they really need to appreciate that.

 

[Jerry Laser]

I'd hope we can at least bring in 1 top player, I think thats needed to just keep everyone on their toes at least....

What position that would be I am not sure.

 

[King Binny]

 

[rurikbird]

Why am I seeing all this talk of McGinn at LB. What have I missed?

I also think maybe Gini might deputize a bit next season

He's never played LB, but did play 81 games at LM, scoring 4 and assisting 9. Pretty sure he could step in at LB in Klopp's system no problem. Personally I think having a specialist LB on the bench is kind of a waste of a bench place – much better someone who can play 2 positions.

 

[Modo]

He's never played LB, but did play 81 games at LM, scoring 4 and assisting 9. Pretty sure he could step in at LB in Klopp's system no problem. Personally I think having a specialist LB on the bench is kind of a waste of a bench place – much better someone who can play 2 positions.

Perfect replacement for Milner.

 

[Mamma Mia]

I'd like to think that we actually did win the title off the back of an 8.6m outlay. Except that we did it when we bought Coutinho.

And Rafa was instrumental in that signing too, so I'm giving a portion of the credit to him.

 

[rurikbird]

So many fans haven't experienced winning the league, but even fewer have experienced us retaining it. Retaining the title is incredibly hard, mentally and physically. Everyone is at you, every game. All your rivals are stronger. It's like winning the longest marathon of your life, taking a short break and then starting all over again, surrounded with hungrier rivals. Mentally, especially, it's shattering.

This is what I think is being pretty much ignored by the Echo cheerleaders. It really isn't the same as just pushing a bit more. It's about coping with massive extra pressure - every slip-up gets blown up as a sign it's all over, every sign of doubt or fatigue or internal tensions gets hyped up into a major crisis. Fans get nervous, some players get nervous. It's a completely new form of pressure. If you don't start well for the first ten games, you're deep in the shit. And if you don't keep your focus and your drive after that, you're finished.

So, yes, I think we really do need to strengthen. Even if all the first choices stay fit and in form - a huge presumption - we need more competition and more options. Champions who declare they're already strong enough tend to spend the next summer regretting it. The Liverpool sides who retained titles were pretty much running on empty from March onwards, relying on killing games off and running down the time after about an hour. God knows how the team would have coped if the new back pass rule had already come in.

But then we could get more or less who we wanted. Now we're already capable of being outbid by our rivals. And that's before FSG started this premature policy of pulling out of the major deals. I just hope someone in that organisation, at the club, is spelling out to them just how critical this transfer window could be.

It's a new challenge, not an old one, and they really need to appreciate that.

It's all true, but how does a new signing, no matter how "big," help us in those first 10 games? It takes time for anyone to adjust to Klopp's side and to the league – and we have no obvious "holes" in the squad, so they would also have to win a competition against players who already know the system inside out. Long-term yes – I'd love to sign someone like Havertz or Sancho (was less keen on Werner). But in terms of coping with the pressure of defending the title and starting the new season well the only thing that matters is whether the current group are actually focused and hungry for success – if they are not, new signings won't help.

Fortunately I think we do have a group of winners here and they won't be satisfied with just one PL title. They will treat the extra attention of rivals as a challenge that will motivate them to improve even further.

 

[RedStar]

I think part of this is down to Klopps psychology. Not only does he prioritise having a solid core group of players he relies on rather than a sprawling cast that rotates but he also has the memory of his Dortmund days. At Dortmund he built a brilliant team and then watched as his prize assets were lured away seasseasons after season. He doesnt look at keeping the squad static as a negative, he sees it as a considerable advantage.

He has a point, weve seen Liverpool teams with fantastic talent over the last 20 years that came close to titles but couldnt go the final step because we were always either selling to buy or trying to replace a departing superstar. Klopp doesnt need to do that, hes got the team he wants playing the way he wants.

But that strategy has a short self life, this team has been playing full throttle for 2.5 years. How much longer can it sustain this momentum before we start to see a drop in fitness or performance levels? 1 more season, maybe. 2 seems a bridge too far and realistically the rebuilding process needs to start soon.

 

[lfc.eddie]

The problem with overachieving like Klopp is resulting in the suits not having to work hard in their own areas. As long as Klopp is happy, I am fine, but how long are we going to stretch this man and his squad? At the tail end we looked lethargic, we got a bit of a break to have that 3 months off due to Covid-19. We looked a little slower, results being a bit too patchy and we did looked like we were hitting brick walls.

So if we continue down this road, we have to make sure we keep finding Klopp after Klopp, when he eventually pack up his bags and leave. We also need to be extremely patient with the manager and his squad, hope and wish him well every season without any big hiccups. We have to allow him to go through a dip, no matter how long, he deserves our patience since these bunch of suits not laying out cash as much as many thought they did.

I am known to not be happy with the owners ever since the G&H crap. Football owners are not one of us and should never be seen as one of us. I don't give them praise when we win the title, and neither do I praise them for selling a player on super high price (that is down to the players' ability and how the coaches developed him). And to see that these fellas not really spending as many thought they did, while bought our club on a cheap (25% discount from a £400m that DIC willing to pay in 2006), if they pisses Klopp off, there need to be a march against them!

 

[Judge Jules]

Not all owners are the same (if they were, we'd have been in administration by now) so it doesn't make any sense to paint them all with the same brush. It's quite legit to ask questions about FSG's decisions, but some of your post above makes it sound as though you reckon they're just another version of the two cowboys. Sorry but, if that's what you're actually saying, it's nonsense and incredibly badly timed nonsense at that, considering what we've just accomplished..

By contrast, much of your second paragraph makes sense. Most of it would apply under any circumstances though. .

 

[gkmacca]

It's all true, but how does a new signing, no matter how "big," help us in those first 10 games?

By, first of all, providing competition. Take Ray Kennedy - he was signed as a forward, but he mainly just kept the existing strikers on their toes, and then was converted to left midfield. But the first job was done. Psychologically it provides a huge boost to strengthen even if the signing takes time to bed in - it tells your top players that the club isn't resting on its laurels, and it reminds them that no one is guaranteed a place. Then other benefits follow.

It also sends a message to other coaches - who have obsessed over how to stop your existing players, partnerships and formations - that they now have an additional problem with which to contend.

 

[Red Bird]

Why am I seeing all this talk of McGinn at LB. What have I missed?

I also think maybe Gini might deputize a bit next season

Mostly because there is a lot of talk about Grealish; I personally think McGinn is the more effective player in that Villa midfield.