Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool changed transfer plans because of one player
Jurgen Klopp has admitted he changed Liverpool’s summer transfer plans after seeing one player in pre-season training.
The Reds completed an £150m midfield overhaul last year, bringing in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch. But while the former two were signed at the start of the summer and Klopp knew there was a chance of landing the Dutchman long before his actual deadline day switch from Bayern Munich, it was a different story when it came to landing the Japan captain.
Sanctioning the exits of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho following unexpected interest from Saudi Arabia, Liverpool were unexpectedly in the market for an additional midfielder. After facing disappointment when moving for Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, and Andre, they eventually settled on Endo.
However, were it not for such a search, the Reds had intended to switch attention to a new centre-back, with Klopp confirming interest in such a player was on the radar the previous May. It was only after the exits of Henderson and Fabinho that the club’s priority changed.
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Klopp has since insisted that he has no intention of signing a new centre-back in January, partly thanks to the breakthrough of Jarell Quansah, despite Joel Matip suffering a season-ending ACL injury. However, such a stance could change in the summer with the Cameroonian out of contract.
And insisting that Liverpool don’t ‘ignore potential issues’ at centre-back when reflecting on their defensive search, he confirmed that the Reds decided to change their transfer plans after
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