Jurgen Klopp has confessed that Liverpool endured a “tricky week” after seeing midfield targets Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia both opt to join Chelsea.
Liverpool spent weeks chasing Lavia, seeing three bids rejected for the Belgian before turning to Caicedo, for whom a £111m fee was agreed with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Caicedo rejected the move to Anfield and ultimately forced through a move to Chelsea, who then ended up signing Lavia anyway even though Liverpool had voiced a willingness to match the Blues’ final bid.
Chelsea made sure to highlight that both players had specifically chosen Stamford Bridge as their new homes during their official unveilings.
As for Liverpool, they went on to complete a shock move for 30-year-old Japan international Wataru Endo from Stuttgart, and Klopp insisted he was happy with how things had played out.
“The last week was a tricky one, no doubt about that. But I’m more than happy with the solution,” the boss told a press conference.
“[Endo] is a really good footballer, 5’10 but jumps through the ceiling, really good in the air and generally defence. Tactically really smart. Good footballer, a big heart, desire.
“I’ve nothing to say about that, absolutely nothing to say. The transfer business is that you talk to people, clubs, agent, players and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Nothing else to say from my point of view.”
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Klopp went on to deny that it had become harder to sell Liverpool to players, arguing that the influx of money from Saudi Arabia has made life more challenging for all European clubs.
“As a normal club, it’s really difficult to catch up with other clubs,” he explained. “Saudi Arabia on top of that has not made things easier. The window here is open until August 31, and then after that their window is still open.
“Not everything is perfect in Europe or where the big leagues are – but the endless money [in Saudi Arabia] causes a problem. It became more difficult, but not to convince players to come to Liverpool, we have to make sure we get them right from our point of view. We have to get timings right. We cannot afford to just spend.
“We will not use money as an excuse for one second. We will just go for it. We do it our way.”
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On this week’s edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Graeme Bailey to discuss Liverpool’s plans for the rest of the transfer window, Chelsea’s chaotic summer and more!
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