Amidst criticism of the club’s transfer committee, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that he has the final say on all of Liverpool’s player transactions.
Former boss Brendan Rodgers recently spoke on the difficulties of buying players at Liverpool, saying “It was a group decision, really. It was certainly not something that I would have the the final say on.”
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Klopp was asked about the club’s transfer committee in his introductory press conference at Liverpool, as it was believed that the German would not come to Anfield if he did not have total control.
After Rodgers’ comments, Klopp was once again asked about his role in the buying and selling of players, and he confirmed that the club would only get players that he wanted.I said on the first day when I came here it’s like I used to work.
Sometimes my staff or myself have an idea about a player we know or we heard about and then we collect some information together and it’s not my job then to cut videos or things like this.
Then there are players our scouts bring in and say we have seen this player, we have heard about him, we have watched him for a long time. We speak about this.
But in the end it’s like I said at the first meeting and the first press conference, if I don’t want the player to come in here in he will not come.
Currently ninth on the table and nine points outside the top-four, Klopp will likely be busy over the next few weeks to try and sign a few players to improve his side. It will take time for the German to create the squad he wants, but that process starts now in the January transfer window.
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Not only will it be interesting to see who Klopp brings to Liverpool, but also who he lets leave. Christian Benteke cost more than $50 million last summer, but since Rodgers was sacked, the Belgian striker has been primarily a bench player as he doesn’t fit the new manager’s system. If Klopp truly has the final say, Benteke’s time at Liverpool could be short-lived.