Liverpool news: Jurgen Klopp admits he does not always agree with FSG after Jude Bellingham decision

England international considered too expensive by Anfield giants
Jonathan Gorrie14 April 2023

Jurgen Klopp has dismissed any suggestion he is frustrated about Liverpool’s transfer business after the club pulled out of a move for Jude Bellingham.

This week’s news that Liverpool have accepted they are not in a financial position to battle the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City for the 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund star dominated Klopp’s sometimes tetchy press conference on Friday.

Klopp was repeatedly questioned about the circumstances surrounding Liverpool’s decision, and in occasionally terse exchanges he argued he could only make the best of the resources available to him, saying "we cannot dream, we cannot be angry if we don’t get this or we don’t get that".

"It is clear other clubs can do in some situations more than us," he added. "I am the wrong person to ask about that, but that’s it. I am always here explaining it, and that is the bit that is not so cool to be honest. It is not my money we are talking about...

"You know how the process is, what you want to know is as I sit here, am I angry that we can’t do this or that? No, I am not. I don’t agree all the time with everything we do... but I am employed here. I am not here to be angry about things that will work out or not work out.

"If I am angry we don’t all of a sudden have more money or resources to do everything."

And Klopp also batted away a suggestion that, if he wished, his managerial record would enable him to walk into a club with one of the bigger budgets.

"But this is my club," he said. "This is my club. You want to suggest I quit here and wait for the next top job?"

Liverpool’s long-standing interest in Bellingham ended amid reports that Dortmund could ask up to £130million for one of the brightest young talents on the planet.

Klopp sounded eager to dispute the figures quoted, at one point telling reporters "the things you write are so often so far away from the truth, it is unbelievable", but whatever the real price it appears out of reach for Liverpool amid the need for more significant surgery on an underperforming squad.

Off the table: Jude Bellingham won’t be joining Liverpool this summer
The FA via Getty Images

He would not be drawn on the scale of the rebuild facing Liverpool, but the focus is squarely on midfield where Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are out of contract this summer, as is the 37-year-old James Milner, while forward Roberto Firmino will also leave as a free agent.

Klopp did acknowledge the keen interest of fans in the Bellingham saga after months during which his potential arrival has been a salve amid the frustrations of an underwhelming campaign so soon after Liverpool came within a couple of wins of an unprecedented quadruple.

But while supporters might lament what could have been, Klopp said his job was to deal only with what was possible.

"I’m too a much a professional," he said. "You are in this business, you make sure that’s what we can do, work with it. Done. That’s it, make the best of it. Go on the training ground."

And Klopp was clear that, if recruitment is right, he believes Liverpool can quickly be in a position to challenge again.

"Yes, we can become a team again that nobody wants to play against, and that is the starting basis," he said.

"We don’t have to be the best football team to win the league, you don’t have to be the best football team to win anything - you just have to make sure you agree on the way you want to play and go from there, and make something special of it."

Additional reporting from PA

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in