‘The day that this is football, I’m not in a job anymore’. “Other clubs can go out and spend more money and collect top players. I want to do it differently. I would do it differently if I could spend that money”. Liverpool manager reaction to Manchester United then record breaking transfer of £89.3m for Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016. He did not believe in breaking the bank to sign players. Barely 16 months after, Liverpool signed Virgil van Dijk for £75m from Southampton in a record deal for a center back in January 2018. Yesterday, Liverpool announce another record deal of £66.8m for Allison Becker from AS Roma; the goalkeeper transfer fee is almost twice the amount Manchester City paid for Allison compatriot Ederson last summer who broke Gianluigi Buffon world record fee from Parma to Juventus in 2001. In addition, Naby Keita and Fabinho have joined Liverpool for a combined fee of £99m this summer and there is a feeling that more investment would still be required.
What has changed?
Liverpool had an amazing run to the UEFA Champions League final with a team bang average team who have three fantastic forwards and one strong center back. The Liverpool board and manager appear to have an alteration in philosophy after the final in Kyiv last May. Real Madrid superiority in playing personnel swung the victory in favor of the Spanish giant.
The need to invest by spending big on the right players is in full swing at Anfield compare to the ideas of the Fenway Sports Group when they took over nearly a decade ago. The idea was to make Liverpool the club of choice for the best upcoming talents from anywhere across the world. This philosophy was shared by manager Jurgen Klopp when he joined the Anfield club. After more than two and half years in charge and suffering three cup final defeats (including two European finals), it appears the club is moving away from its initial policy. Their idea of operating differently while ensuring they can compete at the top end of the Premier League where other rivals are spending heavily must have influenced the owners and manager decision with the way Manchester City breezed past all rivals on their way to Premier League glory last season. From a moral point of view, it is ludicrous but the stark reality of today’s high level demand means top clubs need top players to be as competitive as possible.
The owners believe they have a manager steering the club in the right direction and are willing to back him appropriately in the transfer market. FSG do not have the spending powers of the Middle-East owners, neither does Liverpool have the commercial viability of Manchester United but they are carving out their own space in the transfer market. Criticism reeled on Paul Pogba’s acquisition will always be a reference or reminder to Klopp but Kyiv final where Real Madrid had the luxury of bringing on Gareth Bale from the bench to become the game changer is enough proof that spending big money on the right type of player can brings results.