It took Arne Slot only two summer transfer windows in Liverpool to blow pastor Jurgen Klopp out of the water with regard to the transfer of expenses after the acquisition of Florian Wirtz
Liverpool -Manager Arne Slot will make lost time this summer after opening the transfer in Anfield. And it took the Dutchman only a few weeks to break the rule of predecessor Jurgen Klopp who wanted to adhere to all others in the market.
Klopp, 58, previously made a point to emphasize his morality when it came to keep Liverpool financial solvent. And that did not necessarily mean to spend a par with people like Manchester City and Manchester United, who in the past criticized the former Reds boss in the past.
Of course that changed over time when Liverpool made reimbursements when opening their checkbook so that Klopp could compete. But the German was fervent against issuing £ 100 million reimbursements to individuals when he first arrived in Anfield – a line of Liverpool has now been crossed with the Blockbuster Signing of Florian Wirtz van Bayer Leverkusen in a British plate deal worth a maximum of £ 116 million, with £ 100 million.
“If you take one player with you for £ 100 million or whatever and he gets injured, then it all goes through the chimney,” Klopp warned in 2016 after United had spoken £ 89 million to again sign Paul Pogba from Juventus. “The day this is football is no longer on a job, because the game is about playing together.
“That is why someone has invented fit so that these players can play together. It's not about running with the ball because you can always do it. Building the group is not my unique idea – it is necessary to be successful in football.
“Other clubs can go out and spend more money and collect top players, yes. I have to do it differently? I don't know exactly how much money we can spend because nobody has told me so far:” No, no, no, you can't do this. “
“If I spend money, it is because I try to build a real team. You can win championships, you can win titles. But maybe there is a way you want it. It's about what it's like.”
The MerseSiders have added the 22-year-old Wirtz to their arsenal and can erupt no less than £ 116 million if certain conditions are met. And that addition means that Liverpool has now spent more money in this window than all others in their history so far.
Jeremie Frimpong (also Van Leverkusen) recovered for £ 29.5 million earlier in the summer, while goalkeeper Giorgi Mhaldashvili joined Valencia for an initial £ 25 million, along with £ 4 million in ADD-ONS with that deal that had been agreed last summer against their 2025 spending. Not only that, but a £ 40 million movement for Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez is also in the pipeline.
Provided that the Kerkez -Deal continues as expected, the total expenditure of Liverpool would last this summer to around £ 215 million (if all bonus clauses are met). And despite the fact that the transfer window is open for less than a month, that would be a lot of darkening the previous record for the total expenditure in another window.
The nearest Klopp came when matching that amount in the summer of 2018 when he spent around £ 170 million on new signing sessions. That included Alisson from Roma (£ 65 million), Nby Keita of RB Leipzig (£ 53 million), Fabinho from Monaco (£ 39 million) and Xherdan Shaqiri van Stoke (£ 13.5 million), although the investments were fruit when they won the Champions League.
In the end, Klopp was not far from the supervision of a few nine -digit deals themselves, given Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk and Darwin Nunez signed for £ 75 million and £ 85 million respectively. Van Dijk became the most expensive defender in football history at the time of his move from Southampton, and Klopp later declined his comments about exorbitant transfer costs.
“Things like this happen. If you want to sign a striker that is as exciting as Darwin is, that is the market and you have to pay the price,” he admitted in 2023. “I said so many things in my life and life caught me later and showed me that my imagination was clear enough for how quickly life can change. That is.
“Then [comment about Pogba]We bought a center half for a fairly decent fee [£75m for Van Dijk]We bought a keeper for a fairly decent fee [Alisson]. Our situation is always the same, we try to deliver it somehow [with sales]The things we invest in the boys and in the players we sell, it is a bit that things are not going out of any reach and that worked so far, but I know, I heard it right away. “
At Klot van Slot, he won the Premier League in his debut campaign, despite the fact that he hardly spends last summer. It is only fair that it is taken into account that the distribution of costs, so that its net spending has so far brings a more modest £ 100 million or so per summer window.