17 Jan 2018 01:57:22
I am getting a little hang of Klopp's transfer strategy now. When he joined the club, we were a top6 side at best. He knew top notch players would never join us at that time as LFC were not in a position to offer trophies and UCL participation on a regular basis. So he went for players which we would classify as good, decent or who would get us into the top4. In Klopp's first full season we did that. The signings were Mane, Gini, Karius, Klavan and Matip. Klopp's thinking was that these players solved some problem positions in the team and would get us into the top4 along with the limited quality that Brendan left behind. Klopp would keep those players that not only helped us get top4 but also established themselves as some of the best in the league like Mane has. The rest will continue as squad players in the future or be sold for decent prices.

This season, we signed Salah, robertson, Solanke, OX and VVD. The objective was to improve squad depth due to increased number of games from UCL and maintain our place in the top4. So far so good. There was the Coutinho saga that caused a temporary distraction but we also nabbed Keita from RBL meaning 4 of those players signed walk into our first team and improve it massively. The squad's evolution into Klopp's perfect dream to challenge on all fronts is not quite complete however. Now he knows that holding on to our best players requires us to venture into uncharted territory where LFC have not been in over a decade. Our top players will want trophies and we need to hold onto them at all costs.

This is where interest in the likes of Alisson/ Oblak, Goretzka, Lemar, De Vrij comes in. Klopp does not want players who will simply keep us in the top4. He wants those that will take us to the top of the mountain and help us stay there. The targets now are of the highest calibre. They are players wanted by the elite and Klopp believes that we have the pulling power to sign them over the big guns. A top GK, signing Can to a new contract, Keita finally coming in the summer and getting a replacement for Coutinho and our transition under Klopp into an elite club once again will be complete when Klopp finally fields the squad he envisaged at the start of his LFC tenure.

{Ed0333's Note - super little read that was Indian thankyou. Made me all goose-pimply mate.

1.) 17 Jan 2018
17 Jan 2018 03:29:23
What a fantastic post. Well said.

2.) 17 Jan 2018
17 Jan 2018 04:50:55
Loved that @indian buzzer 👍🏻.

3.) 17 Jan 2018
17 Jan 2018 05:16:45
I've been thinking the same buzza!

4.) 17 Jan 2018
17 Jan 2018 06:17:15
Great post.

Think we need to keep Can. I just hope for Klopp's and our sake that we win a trophy this season. The most realistic one being the FA cup.

5.) 17 Jan 2018
17 Jan 2018 07:25:41
I don't always agree with you indian buzzer but that my friend is a good read 👍.

6.) 17 Jan 2018
17 Jan 2018 08:05:22
Very good read but I had a slightly different take on his approach.

I think first up he realised we had a lot of players that didn’t suit his high energy press/ transition football (like Benteke, Allen etc. ) so he moved them on and focussed on a few areas where we needed to bring in a different style of player to suit his system. Specifically he looked to address a lack of pace upfront (Mane), a lack of agility in midfield (Gini) and then looked to strengthen at the back with Matip, Karius and Klavan.

I agree that apart from Mane who surprised on the upside, many of these were top 4 standard rather than top top class as he was looking to build a base of a squad that could play his system at a reasonable cost.

I think the next window was a but different, as you could sense he could afford to be a little pickier and so went for adding another player with pace to the attack in Salah (seeing how much we lost when Mane was out), Ox to add more drive and energy across midfield and attack (and to protect against a Coutinho departure), and of course Keita being signed as someone to transform the team and a top top talent. Likewise VVD is obviously another example of now focusing on players that can significantly upgrade his starting 11 and drive the team to the next level.

I suspect the summer will be the same, targeting only the best players to upgrade very specific problem areas like maybe GK and RB (to allow Gomez to move to CB) and maybe a top top midfielder, maybe another striker if Sturridge and Ings leave.

I feel we are very very close to being the complete picture with 2-3 more signings and Klopp knows it.

7.) 17 Jan 2018
17 Jan 2018 08:05:58
Excellent post buzzer and i agree with you, hence why i don't think we will get anyone this window as he is prepared to wait for the right candidate rather than fill the squad.

8.) 17 Jan 2018
17 Jan 2018 08:10:37
Great post.

9.) 17 Jan 2018
17 Jan 2018 08:21:04
Excellent post Indian buzzer.

I agree, the first team signings made each window drop to becoming squad players in the next until we have a Klopp squad which just needs a star-quality addition each year and squad replacements for those who leave to play regularly. It’s basically a squad filtration process.

I totally trust Klopp to make the right decisions and hold on for first choice targets rather than spend for the sake of spending. Where we are tempted to criticise, it’s worth remembering there is a plan behind the scenes.

10.) 17 Jan 2018
17 Jan 2018 13:47:21
Three things i think are also key to klopps transfer strategy that nobody ever mentions.

Firstly, the age of the players. In the past we often bought young players in this strange football manager kind of logic that all young players will turn out to be world beaters. Insua, allen, alberto, markovic, manquillo, borini, all spring to mind. Klopp has almost exclusively targeted players who are age 23/ 24 and older from what i can tell. Buying players who are developed and are ready to kick on in their careers has certainly helped the shape of the team as more players step up to the plate more often than under rodgers, which was largely a case of passing the ball to our best player constantly because nobody was willing to step up.

Secondly, a lot of the players we target are english based. Mane, robertson, van dijk, wijnaldum. All of whom were questioned on their quality and price when brought in. Klopp has recognised that having players who are settled and proven in the league, as opposed to flashy names from abroad who nobody has ever seen play, also creates a more mature and settled team. This was something that ferguson was a master of, who would very often have either british or players who had played in england for a long time as part of his squad. Many had questionable ability but as a squad, they had the condidence to get the job done. On the flip side, spurs brought in 7 or 8 players from foreign leagues in one summer, shipping out players who had played in england for years, and it was a disaster. Can you imagine how hard it must be to sit in the dressing room in a new country, new language, new league, everything is different and you are very unsure. You look around the dressing room and on the pitch for reassurance; except every other player also cannot speak the language and equally has no idea what is going on! Klopp has seen that by buying players from within the league, a lot of the hard work he has as a coach is already done for him.

The third thing i have noticed about klopps transfer strategy, and maybe this is more caused by him than something he bears in mind, is that a lot of the players we target really seem to want to come to liverpool. Mane was the subject of interest from united, but joined liverpool. Lemar has rejected potential moves from arsenal and barcelona holding out for a move to liverpool. Van dijk rejected city and chelsea to join liverpool. Keita could of donena coutinho and pleaded for Barcelona to come and get him, but wanted to join liverpool. Oxlade chamberlain rejected chelsea to join liverpool. Now whether this is klopp being extremely good at persuading players, or a case of him targeting players he knows want to join, im not sure. But having players who genuinly, unquestionably want to play for liverpool, as we have seen from oxlade chamberlain, can do wonders. Id sooner have a team of players who were desperate to play for liverpool, than say a UEFA team of the year who were indifferent or being forced to play for liverpool. All of these things i have noticed mean we are targeting players on more than just stats and perceived ability. Passion, confidence, maturity, chemistry, a will to improve, are all far more important qualities to have across your squad than pure ability.