Noel Whelan has suggested that Liverpool were right to limit their transfer dealings in the summer window, specifically praising the club for its decision to invest further in the development of Anfield.
The 46-year-old was also keen to highlight the potential on offer from the likes of teenager Harvey Elliott who he felt was an ideal replacement for former Red Xherdan Shaqiri.
“I think Liverpool is in a really healthy place. They felt they didn’t need to go out and spend,” the Leeds United star told Football Insider.
“They got rid of [Xherdan Shaqiri and had Harvey Elliott. He is that replacement for Shaqiri.
“They’ve brought in young players for the future and now that’s coming to fruition. Why spend when you’ve got it already there? Just for the sake of it?
“You’re going to have to develop your stadium at some point. You’ve got to plan. Do they need to buy anyone? No, they don’t.
“That gives you that money to develop the stadium and host events there. You want to be keeping up with the Joneses and having stadiums that can cope with the demand and put on a spectacle.”
The Premier League outfit was officially given the go-ahead earlier in the summer to pursue plans to further bolster Anfield’s capacity with a £60m extension of the Anfield Road End.
Whilst we at the Empire of the Kop would argue that two further additions beyond Ibrahima Konate this summer would have been ideal, the performances we’ve observed have been far from unsatisfactory.
Prior to sustaining a serious injury in our 3-0 victory over Leeds United, Elliott’s early contributions in the season were particularly impressive following a season spent on loan in the Championship.
We’ll still be gambling on our current injury list not expanding significantly after having lost one of our most reliable starters in Gini Wijnaldum, though we’ve enjoyed a superb start to the campaign regardless.