Jürgen Klopp’s conundrum as regards the coming transfer windows is a must-solve issue for Liverpool. The club is potentially on the precipice of becoming another Leeds United or Nottingham Forest. Many of the current players are not of the required calibre to challenge for domestic and European titles on a regular basis. Make no mistake about it, if Klopp can’t deliver, Liverpool could be facing regular mid-table mediocrity and the odd cup run as the limit of their aspirations.
The perilous nature of the situation has been cemented by the failings post the Rafa Benitez era. Liverpool have fallen from regular Champions League challengers, qualifiers, and winners to also-rans in domestic cup semis and finals. The lone success under Kenny Dalglish was ignored by the owners in favour of moving to the now expensive and painfully obvious disappointment that was the Brendan Rodgers era.
Jurgen Klopp simply has to get it right in the next few transfer windows. The plus side is, the German exudes confidence in his abilities which is refreshing and exciting to the fanbase. Klopp also has the pedigree from his Dortmund days, as he shaped a title-winning squad that was capable of challenging Bayern Munich on a regular basis.
Currently, Liverpool have no genuine superstars in the team. Philippe Coutinho and, when fit, Daniel Sturridge come the closest to that standard at the club. The rest of the squad are either young players with potential like Emre Can, exciting players settling in like Roberto Firmino or ageing and workmanlike players such as Kolo Touré, Lucas, and Jordan Henderson.
There are oodles of articles online regarding the players not playing to the high standards expected at Liverpool. Players such as Simon Mignolet, Christian Benteke, Joe Allen and others are within this group that Klopp will have his easiest decisions in terms of moving players on.
A quick research into pundits’ picks for teams of the season so far, will not show current Liverpool players selected. Bygone years always featured Liverpool players near the top of the polls in the teams of the year and the footballer of the year honours. Luis Suárez, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Dirk Kuyt, Pepe Reina, Sami Hyypia and the like were always in the mix when the best players in the Premier league were mentioned.
It is rumoured that Klopp will have a very large war chest in order to purchase the talent he needs. That, coupled with the recent write-off of over £60 million owed to Fenway Sports Group, suggests a new urgency to obtain proven talent in order to make Liverpool immediately competitive next season. It seems a welcome change from the days of the “transfer committee” and Moneyball approaches.
With Pep Guardiola on the horizon at Manchester City and the likely arrival of José Mourinho at Manchester United, Liverpool must have a squad in place from next August to meet and beat these challenges. The next 12-18 months should prove to be a very interesting and pivotal time for Liverpool fans.
