Liverpool are struggling to get a couple of high profile deals across the line this summer and as the club’s owners, FSG, enter the Champions League for the second time, they’re floundering in an area of the transfer market they’re not used to dealing in.
While other teams ruthlessly secure deals for their primary targets, Liverpool appear to be loitering around the edges, tentatively feeling their way in with low-level bids as if they were still shopping at the tertiary level of the market they’re so used to.
The Anfield club have only participated in the Champions League once before under FSG, when Brendan Rodgers guided the club to a second place finish in 2014. Playing in this premier European competition usually facilitates the signing of high level, if not world class players in the preceding transfer window, and this should especially apply to a club with Liverpool’s historical European pedigree.
However, their only attempt to shop at the top level of the transfer market that summer was over before it started. Alexis Sanchez was one of very few players in world football with the attributes to replace some of what Rodgers’ side were losing as Luis Suarez departed to Barcelona, but they were brushed aside with ease by Arsenal in the battle to sign the Chilean.
During that transfer window, with Champions League group stage football assured through the league finish — an even stronger hand than they have this time around where there’s still a playoff to contend with — their biggest signings were winger Lazar Markovic, centre back Dejan Lovren, and midfielder Adam Lallana, who each cost more than £20 million.
While Lallana has become an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s squad three years later, these signings hardly sent shockwaves across the continent and the club didn’t make out of their group in the Champions League that season. This summer the club’s main targets have been a winger, a centre back, and a midfielder, which is some indication of the success of the aforementioned trio.
This summer they’ve at least gone for the right targets, and the identification of players who will improve the first team has been almost faultless.
There were no arguments from fans when the rumoured list of potential targets emerged, and three names in particular had them excited for the new season: Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, and Naby Keita would all walk into the Liverpool first team
The Salah signing took a while to get over the line, but if fans thought that deal was drawn out then they were in for even more transfer window torment when it came to Van Dijk and Keita.
According to Klopp, work had been ongoing with their top targets since at least May.
“We have to see. Most of the work is already done, of course,” said the German after his side’s final game of the 2016/17 season.
“Negotiations need to be done. All that stuff. But it’s all good. We are prepared; we will see what works out or not.”
Two months have now passed and only one of the three targets have arrived, while the surreal sagas around the Keita and Van Dijk deals rumble on.
These soap operas have had everything from trips out to Blackpool to a statement from the owner of Red Bull, and these deals have taken on a life of their own beyond football.
Regardless of the reasons, the rigmarole, or indeed the eventual outcomes, Liverpool are struggling to get big deals done before a Champions League season yet again. This time they seem more stubborn, which is probably thanks to the involvement of Klopp and new Sporting Director Michael Edwards, but problems remain.
Could it be that the club’s owners, and Edwards himself, just aren’t used to shopping at the top level? After all, Manchester City signed their top target, Bernardo Silva, with the dust barely settled on the previous season. Guardiola’s side have since secured long term replacements in their problem areas at full back and goalkeeper, spending around £130 million on full backs alone.
Last season’s league champions, Chelsea, snagged German centre back Antonio Rüdiger just before his Confederations Cup hype fully kicked in, as well as highly rated Monaco midfielder Tiemoué Bakayoko, and striker Alvaro Morata, spending over £130 million to build from their position of strength. Even Arsenal splashed the cash on long-time Liverpool target Alexandre Lacazette.
While the Premier League millions of their rivals are flowing like a fine wine at Europe’s top table, Liverpool are still outside negotiating with the doormen.
