Since returning to Liverpool in October 2015, Jurgen Klopp has had a huge impact, and his success in the transfer market since coming to England is evident.
When it comes to Premier League transfers, few can match Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool’s recent track record.
The Reds have completed a number of astute transactions during the German Premiership, which will finish in the summer, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, and Sadio Mane all impressing after arriving for relatively low fees.
Even Klopp’s high-profile signings, Virgil van Dijk and Allison, who cost £75 million and £56 million, respectively, have lived up to the promise and established themselves as key players in the club’s recent success under the former Borussia Dortmund coach.
Klopp has always had a large influence in the comings and goings at Anfield, and he deserves a lot of credit for his remarkable job in the summer transfer window, which drove his revamped club – dubbed Liverpool 2.0 – into title contention in what will be his final season.
In addition to establishing explicit criteria for signing new players, Klopp claimed in 2020 that there is an unwritten agreement with all new acquisitions that requires them to give all – and in return, Klopp gives them everything he has.
“When we had this agreement, everything was fine and good, which is why we talked and signed you, but from now on, I expect much more,” Klopp previously told Liverpool club media.
“For that, he receives more than he ever has: more attention, more education, and ideally greater training – that’s a given. If he is dissatisfied with one of these sections, he might come to me and say, ‘You told me that, it didn’t happen.
“If I’m not satisfied with one of the things we agreed on, I’ll go to him and say, ‘You said this and that, but you didn’t do that – why?'” This is a clear bargain, but it is only a handshake, not a formal agreement.”
The opportunity to work with one of the game’s top coaches has paid off for Liverpool in the market. Alexis MacAllister and Dominik Szoboszlai were both tempted to Anfield in the summer and have already made an impression on the field.
After breaking Liverpool’s 30-year top-flight title drought in 2020, Klopp came agonisingly close to completing an unprecedented quadruple in the 2021/22 season.
And, following a difficult season last year, Klopp and Liverpool are again on course to compete for big accolades – he is obviously keeping his end of the bargain with the transfer agreement.
