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Jurgen Klopp issued 'hugely important' Liverpool transfer message to copy Man Utd tactic

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been advised to add to his squad in this summer's transfer window.


Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been urged to do as Sir Alex Ferguson often did with his Manchester United teams and ensure he adds some fresh faces to his first-team squad to keep competition for places high next season. The Reds have romped to their first ever Premier League title, and their first championship since 1990, in record-breaking fashion this term.

With 30 wins from just 34 top-flight games, Liverpool can go on to break Manchester City's 100-point record with three victories from their final four matches.

Their title triumph follows Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup successes over the last 13 months, with only glory in domestic cup competitions evading Liverpool under Klopp.

But the task for the Merseyside outfit will be for them to retain their status as English champions next season, when Pep Guardiola's Manchester City - who won the league in both of the previous two campaigns - are expected to be doubly hungry to reclaim their status as title-winners.

And ESPN FC's Craig Burley believes in order to do so, with City having won 100 points and 98 in their two title-winning seasons, it is vital that Liverpool's German manager consults the transfer market this summer.

The coronavirus pandemic has reshaped the reigning European champions' thoughts, with it previously having been expected that they would sign Timo Werner from RB Leipzig to strengthen their attack.


Jurgen Klopp issued 'hugely important' Liverpool transfer message to copy Man Utd tactic (Image: GETTY)



The German has since signed for Premier League rivals Chelsea and while Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara is linked to Anfield, there are currently very few - if any - concrete links to players ahead of the transfer window.

But Burley has warned Klopp must freshen up his side, even with just a few senior additions, as Ferguson's United often did across his trophy-laden 26-year stint at Old Trafford, which saw him win 13 league titles - including three in a row, on two different occasions.

The former Scotland and Chelsea star told ESPN FC: "We know they missed out on Timo Werner because of what we think was financial reasons because of the pandemic and the rerouting of the budget but I think it's hugely important for Liverpool that Klopp does go out when the window opens and refreshes this squad.

"Because the worst thing that they could do in my opinion would be to just keep with what they've got.

"What they've got is great but I always think it's important that when you're on the top of your game you go out and you freshen it up and you keep people on their toes.

"I think it's imperative Liverpool do that this summer to come out strong and refreshed again next year, and the players know they'll have to be on their toes to get game-time.

Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol added: "Clearly the better quality of player, the more chance they'll have of coming into the system.

"In different parts of the field, there's no question that Klopp has different ideas of what's needed.

"If you look at the middle of the park, every single one of the players, you could say, is a blue collar worker; nose to the grindstone, get the miles in, get the ball back and get it to the front three.

"The front three, pretty much, are, 'I want you up the other side of the field 90 per cent of the time, I want you with pace and I want you to be greedy, to take shots and get after it.' And so he obviously has a certain type of player.

"Again, the problem you have where you're sitting where Liverpool are is how do you tempt a world-class player to come and not be able to guarantee him a spot? That's about as hard as it gets.

"But no question he's got his eye on a certain type of player and from the players they've brought in that's clear.

"There's a couple of big-money signings we've all talked about, [Virgil] van Dijk and Alisson, but the rest have all been good, smart, business-like, good football decisions, your [Sadio] Manes, your [Mohamed] Salahs, your [Roberto] Firminos.

"So, they've definitely got a way of recruiting a certain type of player and that certainly makes it easier to bring a player like that to Liverpool rather than a superstar already."



Speaking about possible transfers this week, Klopp - who has spent less than £10million across the past three windows - said: "Are there players out there on the market who could help us as well? Probably, yes.

"This is a challenge to us to improve a really good football team. But time is a challenge as well.

"Nobody knows what the future will hold for all of us, so how can we make decisions, really expensive decisions, about how we deal with it?

"This team is how it is. It does not mean we do not want to strengthen it if we have the opportunity or if we have the financial resources. It will always happen. We will always try.

"But at the moment it is a difficult time and this team makes pressure on each other, by itself, internally in training the quality is high.

"This is a difficult year for all football clubs in the world and it is not just a time when we talk about transfers as if the rest around us has not happened. It is not possible. At least, not for us. We cannot do it like this.

"Other clubs maybe can, but this club is lead in a specific way. This is our way and here we are. Is it the best way? I do not know, but we will stick to it."

Earlier in the week he said of the trio of blossoming Reds youngsters Neco Williams, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones: "The more players you can produce yourself is better it saves you money.


"I'm so happy with the two boys' new contracts [Jones and Elliott]. We are here for preparing careers until the boys are ready to play week in, week out.

"I proved in the past at Borussia Dortmund and here it is not about how old you are but how good you are."