Liverpool low net spend under Jurgen Klopp as perspective and truth dominate Mailbox
Liverpool dominate the Mailbox as the old subject of net spend rears its head again. Plus, some thoughts on the European draws.
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Some Liverpool perspective is required
Regards the email from David, Newport on Thursday morning…
Ignoring the fact that we’re currently trying to bid for Gravenberch (“…now won’t be signing anymore players”), I do often wonder whether I am watching the same Liverpool side as the people who are often published in the mailbox. Perhaps I am being trolled. However..
Bemoaning the loss of Henderson and Fabinho is bizarre, frankly. Neither of them had a single good game last year and Henderson has been a shouting crab for at least 18 months. Most performances led to him being hooked at 60 minutes or earlier and if it wasn’t for Bajcetic in the early moments of the season or Jones having a purple patch at the end of the season we’d have been absolutely nowhere.
Fabinho was just as bad, if not worse, and clearly the attitude towards the bench when being hooked or being bawled at for the 10th stray pass or failed interception showed he wasn’t quite enjoying his time in the system either. Legends both but good riddance, it was the right time for them to go. Mane was deeply inconsistent for the last two years at the squad and clearly flagging, though I will always love him as a player. To pull Bayern’s pants down on that deal was great business?
Gini was a sad end to a great contract, but we couldn’t compete with the four-year megabucks deal PSG threw at him (nor could Barca, who he turned down), and ultimately who is to say that he wouldn’t have gone the same way as Hendo/Fab in terms of fitness and ineffectuality. He’s failed at PSG and injuries ruined his year at Roma.
Firmino I will however agree with, he could have stayed at the club till he was 50 as far as I was concerned. What a fella.
As for the new acquisitions, we all know FSG are tight-fisted as they come but working within these restraints I think we’ve done pretty well this summer actually. Szoboszlai and McAllister look great already (Szobo especially), Endo allegedly great- we’ll see- and now it appears we have Gravenberch coming in as well. Depending what happens with this lad from Bayern we’ve effectively rebuilt the midfield in one window and are currently 7 points from 9 despite two red cards? That’s not that bad is it really.
As for “the Gakpo signing looks stranger,” to who? He was one of the bright sparks last year and seems to fit quite well into the Firmino false 9 guise albeit without the moments of unbelievable flair. As for Nunez, one of the main issues we had towards the end of the Salah/Mane/Bobby era is that we didn’t have the ability to necessarily play direct or out-muscle a defence. He’s a young kid and inconsistent but we just beat Newcastle via his intervention and he scored some unreal goals last year. He may well have missed just as many but that’s all part of the fun, right?
Now, it might be my age talking, but I remember going to Anfield and watching the dying embers of the Souness era, sadly did nearly every game of the Hodgson mess, was there watching us getting turned over by West Ham (at home) under Rodgers when that fell apart.
Compared to all that what’s really so bad about the current set up? Great manager, a promising new spine to the squad. Owners aren’t great, but neither are 3/4 of the Prem’s frankly and no-one can compete with City financially anyway, apart from Chelsea’s current insanity. Have you been to Anfield recently? Ignoring the current contractor issues it’s miles better than it was only ten years ago.
I really don’t what people really expect from football now. Anyway I’ll shut up now.
Paul (Scouser On The Road)
The truth about Liverpool spending
I’m not a fan who is going to scream “FSG out” or go on protests and marches. I can appreciate the good they have done for the club, especially in contrast to the dark period that came before. That being said, I have to pick up on Shaq’s points when it comes to spending.
Yes, it’s true that Liverpool have made some big money signings. No argument there. But the level of spending in general is lower than you might expect, and I think many fans can’t understand why. Also two of their biggest purchases were funded by the enormous sale of one player. All figures here are taken from transfermarkt.com to avoid any accusation of bias.
Since the summer of 2016 (The first transfer window Klopp had money to spend) Liverpool have spent €886m on players. In contrast Chelsea have spent €2bn, Man City €1.4bn and Man United €1.36bn. Now, most of us understand that Liverpool can’t compete with those levels for obvious reasons, but when you see Arsenal have spent €1.19bn and Spurs €932.9m you start to ask questions, especially given Arsenal’s lack of Champions League activity in that time. Both of those clubs have also received less money (€375m & €425m in player sales than Liverpool have (€547.4m) during the same period.
Let’s go further down the table. West Ham have spent €812.5m with €406.9m in player sales. So a similar level of gross spending, with less income from sales. Everton, Villa and Newcastle have all spent in the region of €700m and Everton are the only one of those (and the only one in the top 10) with a lower net spend. Even Wolves (€671.46m spent, €336.28m sales) have a similar net spend to Liverpool.
I don’t really understand football finances, so whether FSG are being stingy or not I don’t know. They have invested in the club, but then Tottenham have built a new stadium and still spent more. I’m not saying that FSG out is correct, but to act as if they have heavily invested, in comparison to other clubs, just isn’t true.
Mike, LFC, Dubai
READ: Premier League five-year net spend table: Chelsea lead Man Utd and Arsenal
PIF targeting Liverpool, is it?
This may have been addressed before, however:
– It is a fact that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) are both a majority shareholder of Newcastle United FC and sole owners of 4 Saudi clubs. Nothing too wrong with that (I mean, minus the human rights concerns).
– PIF has actively recruited and is actively trying to recruit several Liverpool players (Fabinho, Henderson, Salah, Diaz, some others I think)
– Newcastle United and Liverpool are direct rivals for the lucrative Champions League places
That’s factual. Any conclusions that come from that would be pure conjecture.
Philip Law, LA
Champions League draw: Man City get a bye
For all the complaints of United getting home draws… Pretty sure Darren Moore wasn’t rigging it for us. Nor any of the other people they bring in to do it. Think Jon’s been an abu since 95 as it only required remembering three letters.
But City could not have asked for a handier Champions League draw if they paid for it… Really cool that as champions when they were kicked out of the competition they’re given a by to knockouts and won’t have to defend champions league til February.
And no comments on the oil Derby, PSG might struggle to get out of that group if Mbappe has an off day.
Anthony, Dublin
Conference time
The Champions League group stage has been drawn and Man City got their soft AF free pass to the knockouts just like they do every year. Anyway let’s ignore that and focus on a far more interesting competition, The Europa Conference League.
Villa are the favorites but there are a bunch are pretty decent rivals like Frankfurt, Fiorentina, Fenerbahce and AZ Alkmaar. There are also Ferencvárosi from Hungary which is a club I haven’t heard of in forever, not sure if they are good or not but nice to see them there. FC Nordsjælland, Bodø/Glimt, KRC Genk and Besiktas will not be pushovers for the favorites either.
Congratulations is also deserved for Breidablik, the first Icelandic club to every qualify for the group stage of a UEFA competition. Hope they draw Villa in the group stages so I can see them play.
I was skeptical of the Europa Conference League but now I’m a fan. Getting to see clubs you’ve never heard is great and teams not just from the top 5 European leagues getting to the knockout stages is refreshing. Certainly a lot more exciting than the CL which rarely has any surprises these days (seems to be the point because $$$). Hope Villa being in the competition causes more Brits to tune in.
Person McPerson
Defending Trent against God knows what
It is quite obvious that Alexander-Arnold has a lot of haters, and people that say hateful things, and you are one of them or people that work for you. Trent is the heart and soul of Liverpool, without him, they would have never had the amount of trophies they have picked up in the last few years. I understand the hate, because you all don’t have the tenth of the abilities that he has in his left foot, much less his right foot. Give a moron a platform and watch them write garbage about players that they can never be like or play like.
Raphael Layne
Another ‘you’ll do’ signing for Man Utd?
There I was reading vitriol aimed my way by Garey Vance for daring to suggest “our” club were signing mid table players, to be interrupted by the news that Manchester United are now signing Sergio Reguilon on a season-long loan. The same guy dumped by Conte, Simeone and now big Ange. So indispensable to Spurs, they’re loaning him for only the cost of his wages.
Another ‘you’ll do’ signing if ever there was one. Garey makes a pertinent point about City also signing players from mid table clubs- they however are buying players on the rise- prized assets that have outgrown their teams.
I’m not sure the likes of Reguilon, Johnny Evans or even Mason Mount fit that bill. But here we are, the Tottenham rejects society.
Three cheers for mediocrity.
Mike (Lifelong Man Utd fan as it happens) Oxford