Jurgen Klopp, the former manager of Liverpool, recently revealed that the club could have signed top talents like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham,
Jurgen Klopp, the former manager of Liverpool, recently revealed that the club could have signed top talents like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Erling Haaland if they had “unlimited” financial resources. Klopp, who concluded his tenure at Anfield at the end of the 2023-24 season, reflected on his near-decade-long stint with the club during a farewell event at the M&S Bank Arena.
Klopp, who joined Liverpool in October 2015 after a successful spell at Borussia Dortmund, established a unique identity at the club through his distinctive playing style and remarkable achievements. Under his leadership, Liverpool won every major trophy available, except for the UEFA Europa League, where they finished as runners-up in his first season. One of his most notable accomplishments was securing Liverpool’s first league title in the Premier League era in 2020. Klopp was also known for his shrewd signings, bringing in stars like Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Alisson.
Despite these successes, the financial constraints imposed by Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, were evident. Since Klopp’s arrival, the club had a net spend of £345 million, the lowest among the Premier League’s ‘big six’ clubs. During his farewell speech, Klopp mentioned how the club’s financial limitations prevented them from signing players like Mbappe, Bellingham, and Haaland: “Can you imagine LFC as the club with unlimited money? Imagine Kylian Mbappe came here. Imagine Bellingham came here, Haaland. It is not us. It just does not fit. We won what we won, and we did it the Liverpool way. We had hard conversations and other clubs didn’t do that in the same time” .
Klopp’s final match at Anfield saw Liverpool secure a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on May 19, marking the end of an era. His successor, former Feyenoord manager Arne Slot, has been appointed to lead the club forward.
In his last season, Klopp led Liverpool to a respectable finish, although it fell short of the spectacular. The team was in contention for an unprecedented quadruple but ended up third in the Premier League, nine points behind Manchester City, who achieved a historic four-peat. Liverpool was also knocked out in the FA Cup quarterfinals by Manchester United and suffered a similar fate in the UEFA Europa League, losing 3-1 on aggregate to Atalanta after a heavy first-leg defeat. Nonetheless, Klopp managed to secure one last piece of silverware, winning the EFL Cup with a 1-0 extra-time victory over Chelsea .
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