Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool need to tinker, but sense will rule in silly season
- While two summer windows of inactivity would appear to verge on the absurd, the Premier League champions can afford to be choosy in the transfer market
- With Manchester City emboldened by the decision to reverse their two-year ban in the Champions League, Liverpool will need to improve
The season ends and the silly season begins. Liverpool’s triumphant title campaign is not yet over but the biannual frenzy of transfer speculation has already begun. It will go into overdrive a week on Monday when the summer window for sales opens.
Traditionally, Anfield has conducted its best business from a position of strength. In the 1970s and 80s the rationale was simple: buy after success to build on victory. Players want to join clubs that win trophies. Alex Ferguson and Manchester United took a similar approach. It works.
Liverpool’s recent policy seems to fly in the face of such logic. They did not upgrade in any significant manner after winning last year’s Champions League. There were concerns that this would leave the squad short-handed but those worries proved unfounded.
Jurgen Klopp’s team had the Premier League in their grasp long before the season was put on hiatus in March. Can they repeat the trick? Some of the policies of Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have been counterintuitive over the years but two summer windows of inactivity would appear to verge on the absurd.
Fans are concerned that Timo Werner was allowed to go to Chelsea. Red Bull Leipzig’s asking price of £48 million was judged to be too high in an environment where coronavirus is hitting revenues. This should not be read as a declaration that Liverpool will not be spending over the next few weeks.
FSG have always been concerned with the cost/benefit balance of any transfers. The owners have always prized young players who have room to develop – and add to their sell-on value. In the five years since Klopp took control the recruitment business has become more pragmatic.
The links with Thiago Alcantara, who at 29 would not have appealed to FSG in the first half of their decade in charge, illustrate this. Liverpool will spend if they can find the right man and Klopp wants him badly enough.
The next question is where can the manager upgrade? Alisson Becker is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and three of the back four positions are solid. If Joe Gomez can remain fit the defence is secure, notwithstanding their uncharacteristic sloppiness in the 2-1 defeat by Arsenal this week.
There is no question about Klopp’s favoured front three. The quest for a high-quality backup will continue but it is unlikely that the sort of big-money arrival supporters crave would be happy to come to Anfield to back up Liverpool’s preferred attack.
Takumi Minamino, a January signing, gives Klopp flexibility in this area and the Japanese has had a chance to feel his way into Premier League football over the past seven months. His opportunity will come.
That leaves the midfield. There is a constant clamour to get more goalscoring production from the central trio but while the wingbacks are effective it would be foolish to tinker too much with the system. The job of the central players is not that of a conventional midfielder who surges forward.
Liverpool’s midfield provides balance and allows the front three and full backs – in reality an attacking five – the latitude to play with freedom. If and when opponents come up with tactics to stop Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson ranging forward, the central areas will need to be restructured in a more adventurous fashion. Until then, the champions will carry on playing the way that won the title.
There are options even if the rest of the division catches up with Liverpool. A more attacking approach in the central areas would suit Naby Keita, whose impact has been lessened because the midfield have taken a back seat in Klopp’s strategy. The manager can afford to be choosy in the transfer market because he has a stable first XI and players at hand who can change the team’s style.
There is also plenty of confidence in the youth system at Anfield. The likes of Curtis Jones and Neco Williams, both 19, have been given playing time after the restart and will be nursed along next season. There are high hopes for 17-year-old Harvey Elliott. These are youngsters who are familiar with Klopp’s methods and tactics and have the potential to grow into high-quality squad members.
It makes sense to bring new faces to Anfield, though. The dressing-room dynamic is freshened up and an outside point of view can sweep away any complacency. Competition for places forces first-team regulars to up their game. Nevertheless, Liverpool are in a relatively good position. Their main rivals are being forced into the market to close the gap with the champions. Klopp can choose to strengthen at his leisure.
Even so, Liverpool will need to improve. Manchester City have been emboldened by the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to reverse their two-year ban from the Champions League. Pep Guardiola will spend to strengthen his defence. Chelsea have bolstered their squad with attacking quality, although Frank Lampard needs to shore up his back line. There is growing positivity at Old Trafford that Manchester United can compete. The Premier League will be much closer next season. Klopp knows this.
Yet this is not the time for structural change. Liverpool need a refresh rather than a rebuild. The team requires nips and tucks, not major surgery. Anfield’s activities in the transfer market will reflect that.
It might be the silly season but Klopp and FSG will approach it sensibly. Liverpool will buy but there is no chance of them doing anything daft.
