Jamie Carragher – what now for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp after transfer window closes without midfield signings | Football News

It’s easy to see why Liverpool supporters are unhappy with the club’s lackluster performance in January, but Fenway Sports Group (FSG) should be trusted, which has been a model in the transfer market of late, says Jamie Carragher.

Liverpool have struggled all season, currently languishing in ninth place in the Premier League and in serious danger of missing out on next season’s Champions League.

Despite suffering a long injury list and 10 points off fourth place, the Reds have only brought in Dutch forward Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven for between £35m and £45m in the January transfer window.

However, while Carragher sympathized with Liverpool fans’ frustration at the club’s inertia in January, he was also keen to point out that FSG are owners who are happy to wait until certain targets are available, in a model that has become the envy of Europe. .

“Medically wise, he’s had a really bad season in terms of injuries,” Carragher said.

“Sometimes that can be bad luck, sometimes it can be because of the way the injuries are treated, who is involved. They haven’t replaced the doctor (Jim Moxon) who left in the summer, whether that’s the problem or not. , I’m not sure. But he has a lot of luck bad and have to sort out that medical department one way or another.

“In terms of transfers, I can understand the frustration of Liverpool fans when they see other clubs throwing left, right and centre, and because Liverpool didn’t bring anyone else, they almost gave up on the fight for the top four.

“But what I would not want to be my club, is that when I was still a player, a bit scattergun, panicked at different times, while Liverpool in the last four or five years has become a model for other clubs. the whole of Europe has wanted to follow.

“And what they didn’t do was panic in the transfer market, and I think Jurgen Klopp has shown that in the past he has been successful in buying what he brought in, like Virgil van Dijk, who waited before bringing him in.

“If Liverpool don’t bring players now because they don’t get the money, or the players are not what Klopp wants, that’s a completely different argument that we don’t know, we don’t know that information.”

Carragher, however, said it was unfair to criticize FSG for failing to strengthen in midfield when they tried to bring Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco and would move for Jude Bellingham if Borussia Dortmund showed interest in selling the England international last summer.

As a result, the former Liverpool defender believes the Americans will make up for their lack of spending by spending money this summer, with the Reds reportedly still pushing for Bellingham.

“I’m sure Liverpool will have a big summer, I’m sure a lot of fans want to have a big January, but I don’t want Liverpool to go back to what they used to do when I was playing where you would buy players and hope it works,” he said.

“The frequent signings of Liverpool have worked because Klopp has got the man he wants and they are waiting for time for him and don’t panic.

“That doesn’t mean I’m right, or the club is right, in terms of Klopp, but I think last summer and he knew what to do in midfield and he tried to sign Tchouameni and he went to Real Madrid.

“I think Liverpool were on the stage last summer, they almost won four trophies and they were in the final of the Champions League, so they probably think that to bring in a player, they have to be special, and they feel that Tchouameni is that kind of player. and he moved to Real Madrid.

“Obviously he’s been working on Jude Bellingham’s transfer for a long time. He’s [Dortmund] wouldn’t have sold him last summer, so maybe they thought let’s wait until this summer, and this midfielder can handle it.

“And I’ve said it before, it just blew up in his face and, yes, it’s his job to see these things before they happen, and he’s wrong, there’s no doubt about it. But I know that, so I’m not going to be massively critical of people they did not bring midfielders in the summer because the two players they wanted were not available.

“And this goes back to the point that Liverpool and Klopp at all times in Liverpool want to get the players they want and not just bring the body. Listen, the body can work, players can come in and change things, I’m not denying that.

“But the track record over the last five or six years and how it’s worked has been more often than not, so now I’m ready to wait until the summer.”

Looking ahead to this summer, Carragher thinks that Liverpool should not only invest heavily in strengthening their midfield, but also be smart in their acquisitions.

“FSG need to get investment because they need to spend at least £250m-£300m in the summer and I’m not talking about every problem you have you just spend money, as Liverpool have proven over the last few years. That’s not always the answer,” he said. .

“The answer is to have a smart recruitment and they need to have financial backing as they need three central midfielders. Now when you go to the scouting department or behind the scenes, it is always interesting who takes credit for the signings – these are the people who have scouted them, or is the manager getting the best of them?

“Now, I don’t know the answer because there were some players who were at Liverpool before Klopp and they didn’t do well, so it’s Brendan Rodgers’ fault that he didn’t get the best, or Klopp got it. Roberto Firmino is a perfect example.

“No one will know who the people at the club really take the credit for, but, for me, Klopp is someone who can appreciate what happened at Liverpool and take the credit.

“I’m sure he’s got a lot of help from top guys, and he’s a top guy, a top operator, but I’ll look more at Klopp as to why Liverpool are successful.

“But your football club can’t collapse if you lose your sporting director, there are other people doing the same job, look at what’s happening in Brighton now with the scouting system.

“But what I think Liverpool have done right over the years is not just finding good players and getting good value, not panicking, not making mistakes, not spending stupid money on players and they have to keep doing that. And they need others. to fill the role of head of recruitment, I’m in the process of doing that.

“But again, I go back to the fact that it’s easy to bring players, so they can play well on the most difficult pitches. So I still go back, Klopp is the most important person in Liverpool and has been successful in Liverpool, not someone who is the head of scouting, who picks the players. The manager picks and gets the best on a regular basis.”

As for Klopp’s future at Anfield, Carragher feels that his results are sure to improve next season after this transitional campaign, the German’s position secure as he is the architect behind the club’s revival.

“It’s going to be a difficult season for Liverpool, Klopp has tried a few things, he’s not just sitting there, he’s brought in younger players now, Liverpool have stopped pressing, they’ve stopped,” said the former. Captain Liverpool. “At one stage they played 4-4-2 at the start of the season and did the same at the weekend in Brighton to try and do something different.

“Klopp is trying to find an answer to the problems he is facing now, but you try to play Klopp’s football without Klopp’s players, he doesn’t have the energy or the legs now to do it.

“So Klopp tried different things, it didn’t work, and in terms of how it affects Klopp with Liverpool in the future, you can’t keep having bad seasons as a manager, everyone knows that.

“But for me, the success that Liverpool has achieved, I have said since the day he signed, I would rather lose any player at the club before I lose Klopp as a Liverpool supporter, and I don’t think that will change.”