Jurgen Klopp feels the transfer deja vu, but Liverpool’s decks need to be cleaned up first

Jurgen Klopp can be forgiven for a sense of deja vu when he left Wembley on Saturday night.

Defeated on penalties at the Community Shield amid an increasingly anxious fan base over the club’s lack of transfer activity, Klopp found himself back in the same boat as 12 months ago.

Liverpool, however, moved on to the competition en route to their first league title in 30 long years at Anfield.

But if the Reds coach could have thought, with some considerable justification, that his success on the field between June 2019 and ’20 allowed Liverpool a total ban on criticism of the recruiting strategy, he would appear to have miscalculated the temperature.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, it seems.

Once again, the Reds are heading into a Premier League campaign with the critical noises about the size of their transfer budget growing louder.

They are champions of England, but are being accused, in some parts, of ‘standing still’. Even if standing still means another finish near the 100-point barrier in the Premier League.

Klopp addressed the concerns head-on last week, saying: “We never had, and never will have, that kind of relationship that I’m going into. [FSG president] Mike Gordon and says ‘that’s the money I need and without that we can’t survive.’

“Every year it was more or less the same, I don’t think I ever bought enough players in a transfer window to satisfy everyone. It was always ‘aaargh, we need another one.’ But so far it worked.”

Such a lament from those who do not place absolute faith in the structure that brought Liverpool to this point may overlook a number of pertinent issues.

After all, the Reds finished 18 points clear at the top of the Premier League last season. They were down 15 in the entire campaign, and two-thirds of those who arrived after the restart of soccer in June.

Up to eight were lost once the title closed in a record time of just 31 games.

After being pressed so hard to the ground when the championship was at stake, it was understandable to see the foot come off the pedal once the number 19 was confirmed.

Also consider the ongoing stipulations imposed by the lack of football between mid-March and the end of June.

With virtually no income via key game-day and television sources of income, Liverpool continued to pay towards one of the biggest salary bills in football at £ 310 million.

Since the beginning of March, the Reds have paid nearly £ 155 million in wages alone.

Liverpool generally make around £ 3 million per home game and have not played in front of an Anfield live assist since leaving the Champions League at Atletico Madrid six months ago.

Plans to put a shovel in December for the £ 60 million redevelopment of Anfield Road have been postponed 12 months, while work on the £ 50 million training base in Kirkby continues behind the scenes.

Kostas Tsimikas’ arrival was largely paid for by Dejan Lovren’s departure for £ 10.9 million to Zenit St Petersburg and the Greek left-back so far represents the total high-level income at Anfield.

So with less than two weeks to go before the new season kicks off, what does Klopp need to figure out in a truncated preseason schedule like no other?

Get key players in shape

Liverpool headed into the Wembley showdown on Saturday with up to six first-team players out with injury.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Divock Origi, Joel Matip and Xherdan Shaqiri were all lost, but it was the absences of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson in particular that hurt the most.

The Reds looked like a different team without the best right-back in European football in Alexander-Arnold and momentum, dynamism and determination are always conspicuously absent when Captain Henderson is absent.

Klopp generally prefers his numbers to be fit, but he’ll need as much of that half a dozen back as soon as possible with Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United on the horizon in less than a fortnight.

Core themes

It was telling on Saturday afternoon that the only coverage Liverpool had in reserve as a center-back was Billy Koumetio, 17.

The French defender has improved his reputation in style this summer, drawing the attention of spectators at the Reds’ training base in Austria, but is currently lacking regular playing time as a senior player.

A re-jig in the second half forced Fabinho to take on the role alongside Virgil van Dijk, instantly leaving the private champions of the world-class quality the Brazilian provides in the role of defensive midfielder.

The funds may be stretched more than usual this summer, but can Liverpool really enter the new season with just three senior center halves?

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Sources have told the ECHO that Brighton’s Ben White was screened extensively last season while on loan at Leeds.

But with the Seagulls turning down offers of up to £ 30 million for their defender, those close to the player believe more concrete interest may come next year.

Liverpool seems unlikely to move for White this summer at that kind of price and a new deal has been discussed at Amex.

Could Liverpool perhaps use the loan market?

Whats Next?

If they are going to spend significantly between September 1 and October 5, all signs suggest that a roof cleaning will need to be completed.

The Reds still have some sizable assets in the trio of Harry Wilson, Marko Grujic and Xherdan Shaqiri and all three are in the showroom, even if the club has been filled with loan deals.

In the case of Wilson and Grujic, Liverpool will only consider permanent offers, with the Reds demanding more than £ 20 million. Newcastle, Southampton and Leeds are three that have made contact over Wilson.

Shaqiri was attracting the interest of Roma and Sevilla in January, but the club rejected both with all necessary hands on the deck as they closed in on the title.

A starting price of £ 25 million was privately set for this summer at the time, but as no interest has yet surfaced, the Swiss international is likely to stay at Anfield.

Loris Karius has no future at the club and is free to discuss a move with other clubs, while Sheyi Ojo and homeless Yasser Larouci are also at the window.

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