Liverpool have done something Jurgen Klopp believed was ‘not possible’ when he was in charge
Jürgen Klopp became a legend at Liverpool as one of the greatest managers to ever sit in the dugout at Anfield, before departing in 2024.
Arne Slot succeeded Klopp at Liverpool and what happened next was unprecedented, as he immediately won the Premier League title and has now overseen a ruthless big-money squad rebuild.
Klopp won every different trophy on offer during his near-nine-year spell at Anfield, but was beaten to the Premier League title by Manchester City by the thinnest of margins on several occasions.
Liverpool were not as aggressive in the market then as they are now, with Alexander Isak arriving for a British record fee, and Klopp’s old comments about his transfer strategy are now very interesting.
Jurgen Klopp never believed Liverpool could sign Alexander Isak
The signing of Isak took months to complete, but he arrives as one of several huge-money additions, with Liverpool ending the window as the highest spenders in Europe.
While this has been offset by sales, Liverpool, as champions, have spent over £300m on three different signings, with Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike joining, and other areas of the squad strengthened.
This is a far cry from the spending levels seen under Klopp, and in October 2022, he called out clubs with higher spending and richer owners, including Man City, after they signed Erling Haaland, as champions.
Now, Isak has joined as the best striker on the market, as the most expensive transfer in Premier League history, and will join a title-winning team with a big-name forward in Ekitike already in the squad.
“Nobody can compete with City,” he stated in a press conference.
“You have the best team in the world, and you put in the best striker on the market. No matter what he costs, you just do it.
“I know City will not like it, nobody will like it, you’ve asked the question but you know the answer. What does Liverpool do? We cannot act like them. It is not possible. Not possible. It is just clear and again you know the answer.
| Liverpool signings – 2025/26 |
| Florian Wirtz |
| Alexander Isak |
| Hugo Ekitike |
| Milos Kerkez |
| Jeremie Frimpong |
| Giovanni Leoni |
| Armin Pecsi |
| Freddie Woodman |
“There are three clubs in world football who can do what they want financially. It’s legal and everything, fine, but they can do what they want.
“They will say: ‘Yeah but we have …’ but it’s exactly the fact. We have to look at it [and say]: ‘We need that and we need that and we have to look here and make it younger, and here a prospect and here a talent’ and that is what you have to do. And you compete with them.”
Arne Slot is doing what Jurgen Klopp never did
Although Klopp did enjoy some heavy spending during his spell at Liverpool, with Alisson and Virgil van Dijk arriving for then-record fees for players in their positions, the Reds had never had a summer window like the one Slot just enjoyed.
After their previous Premier League title win in 2020, Liverpool signed Diogo Jota, Thiago Alcantara and Kostas Tsimikas, in a strong but ineffective window as they dropped down to fourth place.
They did not address every area of the squad with true quality as they have now, and Klopp’s comments did indicate a frustration that he could not pad out his squad properly.
Now, Slot and owners FSG have ensured that the deadwood has been cleared out, and that funds have been allocated for transfers to add world-class players to the squad to build upon their success.
Klopp never won back-to-back titles, but Liverpool are now favourites to do so under Slot, and this ruthless spending, which the German previously criticised, is a big reason why they will remain competitive this season.
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