Michael Edwards is a genius in the transfer window. Liverpool’s sporting director has made a habit of acquiring brilliant players for bargains and then watching Jurgen Klopp develop them into the very best on the planet.
See Sadio Mane, Mo Salah, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson et al.
But where he also shines is the ability to make a profit on players Klopp no longer considers first-team options.
As James Pearce tweeted last night, the Reds received £53.2m in transfer fees upon the close of the European window – without offloading a single player in the manager’s plans.
#LFC sales this summer:
Ings £18m rising to £20m
Kent £6m rising to £7.5m
Mignolet £6.5m rising to £8m
Camacho £5m rising to £7m
Ejaria £3m rising to £3.5m
Duncan £1.8m
Johnston £300,000Plus loan fees for Wilson (£2.5m), Grujic (£2m) & Awoniyi (£600k). £53.2m in total.
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) September 2, 2019
In the past, we’ve cashed in on Jordon Ibe, Brad Smith, Dom Solanke and a heap of other average players – which essentially pays for our occasional extravagant purchase.
This summer, we didn’t buy a single first-teamer bar Adrian, who arrived on a Bosman, so whenever Klopp decides he needs to strengthen his squad again – he’ll be financially well within his rights to do so.