Liverpool transfers: Fans are frustrated at lack of business but WHO is to blame?

It is that time of the year again. With rivals making signings, Liverpool’s transfer approach under owners Fenway Sports Group is scrutinised.

Spurs have added Archie Gray to their ranks, Manchester United are reportedly closing in on Manuel Ugarte having already signed Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkee, Aston Villa have been and will continue to be busy while Manchester City have kicked off their summer spending with the arrival of Savio.

By comparison, Liverpool’s only named summer target has just joined Manchester United after the Reds seemingly baulked at the money involved in bringing Yoro to England.

Reliable journalists have poured cold water over links to Marc Guehi and Mohamed Simakan while the Anthony Gordon stuff earlier in the summer appears to have been pushed by Newcastle United,  a club needing to raise funds at the time for PSR purposes, rather than Liverpool.

With just four weeks until Arne Slot leads Liverpool out for the first time in the Premier League, the Reds are yet to make a signing, They are yet to sort out the futures of skipper Virgil van Dijk, vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold and legendary forward Mohamed Salah.

Granted, the latter two will be on extended leave following their involvement in the Euros. It does, however, mean their contract situations might only be resolved once the new season is underway, if at all.

Generally speaking, Liverpool fans are frustrated. It is a combination of things.

FSG or Klopp to blame?

The Reds no longer have the Jurgen Klopp factor. Rivals are, on paper at least, improving. Key players may be leaving Anfield over the next 12 months. And the squad is yet to add any reinforcements.

For many, the blame lies with FSG. As a result, the net spend graphics start to pop up across social media and the same debates take place, over and over again.

In truth, FSG are at fault for this current predicament. They should be criticised. But not because they’re ‘penny pinchers’ or because ‘they’re cheap’, but because they moved away from their successful model to give Klopp more control behind the scenes.

Liverpool’s approach in the transfer market has always been geared towards smart business. They want the most bang for their buck. They want value for money. If their model was successful, their net spend was always going to be on the low side. There’s nothing wrong with that.

The Reds signed Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane for a similar fee to the one paid by Arsenal to sign Nicolas Pepe. Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez cost less than Jack Grealish when he moved to Manchester City. The Gunners paid more for Declan Rice than Liverpool paid for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Liverpool HAVE spent money

Ultimately, if you have improved the squad, should net spend even matter? And let’s not pretend as though Liverpool haven’t spent money over recent seasons. The Reds spent over £150million last summer and over £120million during the 2022/23 campaign and roughly £80million the season prior.

That is a spend of circa £300million. Yes, others spend that in a single transfer window. But it is pointless comparing Liverpool to other clubs. The fact is, the Reds have spent £300million on players yet still need at least one centre-back, a left-back, a defensive midfielder and another forward. And that is before anything happens with Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold and Salah.

The point here is Liverpool stopped being a smart club in the transfer market the moment Klopp was allowed to have more control.

Paul Joyce revealed it was Klopp who pushed for Nunez even though it was clear he would need to adapt and develop. The outlay for the striker was massive.

Pep Ljinders, in his book, revealed he favoured Diaz. You also have to assume he had a part in the Cody Gakpo deal. Was the Dutchman really needed? Perhaps not and this could be why, after 18 months, he’s still not carved out a set position within the Liverpool team.

Could Klopp have spent better?

Could the Gakpo money not have been spent on a right-sided winger to balance things out? Instead, there are a number of players for the left but only Salah for the right. It means, despite investing heavily in attack, this is still an area of the team that needs investment.

Likewise, the same thing happened in midfield.

Wataru Endo was a short-term solution and it’s why many believe a defensive midfielder is needed this summer, despite the £140million investment in the middle third last year. Ryan Gravenberch might find a home in the midfield this season but, right now, he appears to be the odd man out with the Reds having a number of players battling it out for the left-sided No8 position. Could that money not have been better spent?

Liverpool may have had even more money to spend on incomings if they had been able to maximise their outgoings. But Klopp was reluctant to force out players who had performed for him, so most of them ended up leaving on free transfers. Yes, they freed up wages but the coffers weren’t boosted when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gini Wijnaldum, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana, Thiago or Joel Matip departed.

FSG are often accused of not backing their manager but, if anything, they backed Klopp too much and this is why Liverpool find themselves in this current predicament.