2 weeks ago
58
Jurgen Klopp joked that "nobody ever told me it was possible" to spend as much money on transfers as the Reds did during the summer transfer window.
Liverpool spent over half a billion dollars on new players, with the club committing over $100 million each to signing Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz. Klopp said in 2022 that it was "not possible" for Liverpool to compete with clubs like Manchester City in the transfer market, but the Reds' spending over the summer proved that is not the case.
Appearing on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Klopp said he has no issue with seeing Liverpool spend heavily under Arne Slot, despite not being handed the same level of backing himself.
"We built three stands and a training ground," Klopp recalled. "I had no clue that this was possible, nobody ever told me that it was possible that we could spend like that!
"My last year at Liverpool. The adidas deal, the new stadium, all these kind of things they earn more money, but I could never have asked for that amount of money - but that was not a problem.
"I love the fact that we were as successful as we were, and built new stands, and built a training ground, because you talk now about the transfer window in the way you want to talk about it.
"There's no discussion about the stands and no discussion about the training ground. They are second to none. The training ground and the stands are wonderful. At the same place where Anfield is, they could build a new stadium without leaving the old one.
"That's a fantastic story and that will stay forever. Maybe at one point they will decide the Kop could have even more people in it. That's what I love about it.
"I want that a club benefits from the time we worked together after we left."
Despite Liverpool currently going through a rocky patch, Klopp backed his old club to get back to winning ways soon.
The podcast was recorded before Liverpool's loss to Manchester United on Sunday, but the Reds have now lost four games in a row — something which had last happened under Klopp's predecessor, Brendan Rodgers.
"Change always has an impact and change always needs time," Klopp said. "If he had kept the exact same team like last year, with Nunez and Diaz, but they started playing and have problems. People would say, 'yeah we needed change.'
"The new players are really good players and it's not working out at the minute. Development needs time, people need to adapt, so it's all in place."
He added: "Isak is an incredible striker. Flo Wirtz, you all will eat your words, he's an incredible talent. Ekitike, incredible player. It's a really, really, really good squad.
"If the young center half (Giovanni Leoni) had not got injured, it's the perfect squad. Two super left-backs, two super right-backs... you don't have to worry about Liverpool - they will be fine."
English (US) ·