A recent video of Jurgen Klopp discussing transfers with a table of kids have led to a slew of predictable jokes about the unmasking of Liverpool's transfer committee, such has been the club's chequered history in the market since Fenway Sports Group were foolish enough to assign a name to the club's process of player recruitment.
Despite the fact that Liverpool are one of the most storied football clubs in history, and enjoy an extremely healthy turnover in relation to most clubs across Europe, they cannot compete financially at the very summit of both English and European football.
The club are perhaps unable and certainly unwilling to pay the kind of wages that United, Arsenal, Chelsea and City do, meaning they are forever doomed to be at a disadvantage in their nigh-existential quest to win a league title.
Thus Liverpool have to be creative in the transfer market, something that they have failed to do on almost every window since Brendan Rodgers took over in 2012. (The exception here is January 2013, a window in which they signed Daniel Sturridge and Phillippe Coutinho for less than Kenny Dalglish paid for Stewart Downing).
Jurgen Klopp is a manager who thrives in charge of the underdog, however. To Klopp, it is easier to convince an underdog to play with the kind of manic intensity that he demands which is an essential part of his overcoming a superior team, as he says that "you have no control over the other team. If they are really good you have to bring them to your level. On your level, you can kill any team".
As Manchester United spend money like its going out of fashion, while Man City have access to endless reserves of cash and Chelsea and Arsenal have the luxury of offering sky-high wages along with an address in London, Liverpool are being blown out of the water by their rivals in the transfer market.
This is not to pity the poor paupers of Liverpool - hell, they've spent almost £60 million, although some of this can be put down to the value-distorting inflation on transfers between two Premier League clubs - but if any of the four clubs previously mentioned want a player that Liverpool want, chances are the Reds will miss out.
Not that this bothers Klopp. Sadio Mane - other than tenuous links with Man United - and Georginio Wijnaldum were not top on the list of priorities for any of the biggest clubs, but they suit Klopp perfectly, as he aims to fuse the pacy, intense pressing game he instilled last season with a need for goals. In an excellent interview with James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, Klopp explained his new signings:
When you remember last season, there were a lot of games when we were really dominant.
When we were good with the ball, passing and moving, overlapping, things like this, but in the end we didn't finish it off enough.
You need players for whom it's natural that they go there (into the penalty area). We have these players.
In this moment we have four or five strikers. Five, including Roberto (Firmino), for the roles behind. You need the numbers to push everyone.
While it may seem odd that Klopp stresses the importance of buying goals only to sign another to attacking midfielders, these stats goes some way to explaining why Mane and Wijnaldum were of interest:
76.7% of Mané's shots last season came from inside the box. 77.8% of Wijnaldum's shots came from inside the box. Might be a trend here.
— nate (@natefc) July 22, 2016
Incidentally, LFC took 53.9% of its shots from inside the box last PL season. only Watford, Swansea, B'Mouth, Villa, and Stoke took lower %.
— nate (@natefc) July 22, 2016
Klopp has clearly identified an issue and is intent on fixing it.
If he can sort out the left-back position, Liverpool are going to be a very interesting prospect next season.
See Also: Paul O'Connell's Cousin Has Scored A Beauty For Celtic Against Leicester
