Fans are frustrated with the lack of business, but WHO is to blame?

It’s that time of year again. With rivals making signings, Liverpool’s transfer approach under Fenway Sports Group is under scrutiny.

Spurs have added Archie Gray to their ranks, Manchester United are closing in on Manuel Ugarte after already signing Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkee, Aston Villa have been and will continue to be busy, while Manchester City and began summer spending with his arrival. Savio.

By comparison, Liverpool’s only named summer target has just joined Manchester United after the Reds appeared to agree on the money involved in bringing Yoro to England.

Reliable journalists have poured cold water on the Marc Guehi and Mohamed Simakan links, while the Anthony Gordon stuff at the start of the summer appears to have been pushed by Newcastle United, a club who were supposed to be raising funds at the time for PSR purposes, May rather than Liverpool.

With just four weeks until Arne Slot takes charge of Liverpool for the first time in the Premier League, the Reds are yet to make a signing, yet to settle the futures of skipper Virgil van Dijk, vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold and legendary striker Mohamed Salah .

Of course, the latter two will be on extended leave after their involvement in the Euros. However, it means their contract situations could only be resolved once the new season is underway, if at all.

In general, Liverpool fans are frustrated. It’s a combination of things.

FSG or Klopp to blame?

The Reds no longer have the Jurgen Klopp factor. Rivals, at least on paper, are getting better. Key players could leave Anfield in the next 12 months. And the team has yet to add reinforcements.

For many, the FSG is to blame. As a result, graphs of net spending start popping up on social media and the same debates take place over and over again.

Indeed, FSG are to blame for this current predicament. They should be criticized. But not because they are “penny pinchers” or because they “are cheap”, but because they have moved away from their successful model to give Klopp more control behind the scenes.

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Liverpool’s approach to the transfer market has always been about smart business. They want the most for their money. They want value for money. If their model was successful, their net expenses were always going to be low. There is nothing wrong with that.

The Reds signed Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane for a similar fee to what Arsenal paid to sign Nicolas Pepe. Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez cost less than Jack Grealish when he moved to Manchester City. The Gunners paid more for Declan Rice than Liverpool paid for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Liverpool spent money

Finally, if you’ve improved the team, should net spend even count? And let’s not pretend Liverpool haven’t spent money in recent seasons. The Reds spent more than £150m last summer and more than £120m during the 2022/23 campaign and around £80m the previous season.

This is an outlay of around £300m. Yes, others spend that in one transfer window. But it’s pointless to compare Liverpool with other clubs. The truth is that the Reds have spent £300 million on players, but they need at least a centre-back, a left-back, a defensive midfielder and another striker. And that’s before something happens with Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold and Salah.

Luis Diaz Darwin Nunez

The point here is that Liverpool stopped being a smart club in the transfer market the moment Klopp was allowed more control.

Paul Joyce revealed that it was Klopp who pushed for Nunez, although it was clear he would have to adapt and develop. The spending on the striker was massive.

Pep Ljinders, in his book, revealed that he favors Diaz. We also have to assume that he had a role in the Cody Gakpo affair. Was Dutch really needed? Perhaps not, and that could be why, 18 months on, he is still yet to establish himself in the Liverpool team.

Could Klopp have spent better?

Couldn’t the Gakpo money have been spent on a far right to balance things out? Instead, there are a number of players for the left, but only Salah for the right. It means that despite massive investment in attack, this is still an area of ​​the team that needs investment.

Likewise, the same thing happened in midfield.

Wataru Endo has been a short-term solution and that’s why many believe a defensive midfielder is needed this summer, despite the £140m investment in the central third last year. Ryan Gravenberch could find a home in midfield this season, but at the moment he appears to be the odd man out, with the Reds having a number of players battling for the No. 8 from the left. Couldn’t that money be better spent?

Liverpool would have had even more money to spend on revenue if they had been able to maximize their revenue. But Klopp was reluctant to oblige players who played for him, so most of them ended up leaving on free transfers. Yes, they cleared wages, but the coffers weren’t increased when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gini Wijnaldum, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana, Thiago or Joel Matip left.

FSG are often accused of not supporting their manager, but if anything they have supported Klopp too much and that is why Liverpool are in this current predicament.