Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool to give him the ‘resources’ to rebuild the team, while stressing the importance of qualifying for the Champions League.
It has been a thoroughly disappointing season for last season’s runners-up, currently sitting eighth in the Premier League, out of both domestic cup competitions, and facing a Champions League exit following their chastening 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid.
Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he knew this season would always be a turbulent one, insisting the prospect of a rebuild was why he signed a new deal last season, but now he has urged the club to give him the ‘resources’ he needs.
The German is wary of the spending power of Liverpool’s rivals, but says it is all about bringing in ‘the right player’.
“I have nothing to do with [the budget],” said Klopp at his pre-match press conference. “So I think we’ve played five years in a row in the Champions League, which is massive and we went to the final three times in that time, which is massive from a money point of view. We built a stand and a training ground and the club is in a really good place.
“My job is to make it 100 per cent clear what we need from a sports point of view and then other people are responsible for giving us the resources.
“But around us, a few people are speeding up a little bit and you cannot ignore that. You cannot ignore that. It’s still about bringing in the right players – it’s not about bringing in a lot.
“It’s about the right player. And thank God in the world of football there are a lot of right players. Not all of them are affordable, or want to come but there are a lot of really good players out there. That is it.
“The only reason I don’t like to talk too much about it now is because there are a lot of games to play. This (current) team is the basis for what we do and it always was the basis.
🗣️ “We need points for that. We don’t have to talk about The only way to get there is to win more points that our opponents.”
Jürgen Klopp on the goal for the rest of the season being a top four finish for Liverpool. 🔴 pic.twitter.com/L5APrHxPEW
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 24, 2023
“I always have the same say. I cannot decide, at all, about money. Not about one penny. It is always the same. The old-school managers maybe had a budget and could work like this, it is not that way.”
John W Henry said earlier this week that the club is not up for sale, but added that he is optimistic that they can source additional investment into the club.
“I am optimistic when he is optimistic because it is his business,” said Klopp.
“I am not involved in the search for investors. Not yet! That would be funny! I can be, by the way, I did that at Dortmund once!“
Despite being eighth, Liverpool still have a reasonable chance of qualifying for the Champions League once again, the Reds currently seven points behind fourth-placed Spurs having played two games less, and Klopp has stressed the importance of qualifying for Europe’s elite competition.
“It’s not helpful [if we don’t get into the Champions League] as money always has an impact,” said Klopp.
“But this cannot be that much of an impact, let me say it like this. But of course it is influential but this is a summer where we have to be in the market, definitely.
“I’m sorry we cannot guarantee the Champions League at this moment but it’s not done yet, we will fight for it, so we don’t have to talk about it as though it is not possible.
“But it is tricky and difficult and if [we qualify], it will be a late decision, I guess.
“We have to start doing work earlier than before we know where we will end up position-wise so these things are clear here.
“Now you know what we will do, not exactly, but what we will do. From now on we can talk about the wonderful football we play, when we play it.”
