Liverpool cannot afford to play ‘fantasy football’ – Klopp

Jurgen Klopp has insisted that he isn’t jealous of his rivals’ spending this summer, adding that Liverpool can’t afford to play ‘fantasy football’ in the transfer market.

Klopp has made just two signings thus far in the window: Harvey Elliott and Sepp van den Berg, both teenagers who are unlikely to have an impact on the first-team this forthcoming season.

Klopp in the window: Five things to know…

• Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have spent just shy of £400m on signings.
• However, their big-money transfers have been partly subsidised by the sales of Philippe Coutinho, Christian Benteke, Mamadou Sakho and Dominic Solanke among others.
• In 2018, the Reds spent over £200m on the likes of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho
• Despite winning the Champions League, Klopp says the club still has bills which need paying.
• Premier League champions Manchester City have already spent £67.9m.

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However, the German says that Liverpool ‘have to pay bills’ and that the club ‘cannot be compared’ to the likes of PSG and Manchester City.

He said: “This year is not the end of Liverpool FC. Next year there will be another transfer window. This team is really good and we have invested a lot in it. Now we have to work with that.

“I can’t say anything about what other teams are doing. I don’t know how they do it. We have to pay bills. Sorry. Everybody has to pay bills; we have to pay bills.

“We invested money in this team. Now it looks like we are not. But we are not in this fantasia land where you just get whatever you want. You cannot do it constantly.

“It looks like there are four clubs in the world who can do it constantly. Madrid, Barcelona, (Man) City and PSG. Whatever they need, they do. You cannot compare that. That is the situation.

“It is not a criticism. I know how people will take it, that I am jealous or whatever. I am not at all jealous.”

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Do Liverpool need reinforcements?

Having just won the Champions League and achieving the third-highest points total in Premier League history, it seems bizarre that Liverpool would be worried at their lack of signings.

However, outgoings and injuries have left them looking quite thin, particularly at full-back: the departure of Alberto Moreno and Nathaniel Clyne’s recent ACL injury means they now have no out-and-out back-up for either side of their defence.

Despite this, their main ‘targets’ this summer were rumoured to be forwards. For the last few seasons, opposition fans have loved to point out that Liverpool have a supposed over-reliance on their front three. Last term, however, they were able to beat Barcelona 4-0 without Mohamed Salah or Roberto Firmino.

As the old adage goes: ‘if you’re standing still, you’re going backwards.’ Whether this holds true for the Reds this coming season remains to be seen.