Scott Minto believes Jurgen Klopp needs to ask FSG about how much money he will be given to spend in the summer but has tipped the German to ‘rebuild’ Liverpool in the way Sir Alex Ferguson did at Manchester United.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss has tasted huge success since his arrival at Anfield in 2015 but the Reds are struggling for consistency this time around and are currently nine points behind fourth placed Spurs (albeit with two games in hand).
The Merseysiders were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace last night and Minto has looked ahead to how the summer transfer window may look for Klopp and co.
The former Chelsea man said on talkSPORT (via Football365): “First of all, Jurgen Klopp needs to look in the mirror and see if he can go again. I genuinely believe he can and he’s earnt the right to do that with what he’s done. It’s one bad season.
“He needs to rebuild in the way Sir Alex Ferguson has done [at Manchester United]. He needs to go to the board and say, ‘how much money have I got?’
“It’s all very well saying Liverpool need two midfielders – how much is Jude Bellingham going to cost? How much is a Declan Rice, or someone like that, going to cost?
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“If you’re going to bring in another central defender or someone else, how much money do they have to play with? Because as much as we say this, we’re playing Football Manager here. How much money has he got? Does he have to sell players before he can buy?
“For Liverpool to be up there, I’d love to see a Jude Bellingham go there. I think the fit would be perfect. He’s exactly the type of player he needs.
“But where else does he need to do it? The defenders need to step up their performances. Even Virgil van Dijk, not long ago one of the best central defenders in world football, he’s a million miles from where he was.
“Trent, I’m sorry, it’s not lazy punditry to say that defensively he’s not very good. I’d be fascinated to know if he came off tonight with a niggle or not, or whether it was a tactical thing to put James Milner at right back when you’re chasing a game.”
It’s hard to understand how much this group of players have dropped off in just a few months – last season we were two games away from winning a glorious quadruple but this time around we’re facing a real challenge just to finish in the top four.
It’s expected that Klopp will be active in the transfer market come the summer and Jude Bellingham is believed to be our main transfer target.
If we’re not competing in the Champions League next season, however, who’s to say that the talented teenager will come to Anfield?
When you look at our performances this season, though, more than one player is required to get us back to our best.
FSG need to back Klopp financially in the summer to ensure that we remain as competitive as possible on all fronts for the foreseeable future.
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Why do we pay attention to these non entities who didn’t achieve a lot when they were playing but now can tell people how to do their job.
It will come good again with JK. Every successful team has a transition time at some point.
I have been a Red for over 60 years and seen all the great managers – Shankley and Paisley included – have these to deal with and produce great teams again.