Jurgen Klopp wasn’t keen to get bogged down in the details when discussing why Liverpool had abandoned hopes of landing Jude Bellingham this summer.
In comments relayed by Neil Jones on Twitter, the German insisted that there was ‘nothing to say’, refusing to give weight to speculation.
Jürgen Klopp asked about this week's Jude Bellingham stories
"Nothing to say. If I don't speak about players we sign and don't sign, why would I now speak about this kind of speculation?"#LFC
— Neil Jones (@neiljonesgoal) April 14, 2023
Of course, news that the Merseysiders will not be attempting to sign the Englishman this summer is far from being speculation, at the very least judging by the sheer number of patch journalists that announced the u-turn online.
READ MORE: Fabrizio Romano: LFC just ‘approached’ 24-year-old’s camp as summer exit ‘expected’
Where that leaves Liverpool is difficult to determine after a half-decade of neglect in the middle of the park.
We clearly need quality – that much is clear from the respective declines of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho – but it’s likewise clear that one stellar signing (even of Jude Bellingham’s calibre) won’t be enough to fix the glaring holes in the department.
Quantity as well as quality then and all for affordable prices. That’s one hell of a challenge for a recruitment team with a lot to prove and a lot to make up for after the latest transfer debacle.