Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has insisted that he is not envious of the spending habits of rival sides, stating that his club are not in “fantasia land” with their budgets.
The Reds have followed up their Champions League-winning campaign with a relatively frugal spend during the off-season, following record-breaking deals in 2018.
While several of their rivals both at home and abroad have splashed the cash since the transfer window opened, Klopp has often explained how the big-budget contracts awarded to stars such as Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson have eaten up a significant part of the fiscal pie, along with investment in their infrastructure.
Some critics have pointed to Liverpool’s lack of transfer action as signs of prospective vulnerability, but their manager has assured fans that his faith remains paramount in his squad while admitting that he is sometimes bemused by the financial outlay of other major sides.
“This year is not the end of Liverpool FC,” Klopp was quoted in The Telegraph . “Next year there will be another transfer window. This team is really good and we have invested a lot in it. Now we have to work with that.
“I can’t say anything about what other teams are doing. I don’t know how they do it. We have to pay bills. Sorry. Everybody has to pay bills; we have to pay bills.
“We invested money in this team. Now it looks like we are not. But we are not in this fantasia land where you just get whatever you want. You cannot do it constantly.
“It looks like there are four clubs in the world who can do it constantly. Madrid, Barcelona, (Man) City and PSG. Whatever they need, they do. You cannot compare that. That is the situation.
“It is not a criticism. I know how people will take it, that I am jealous or whatever. I am not at all jealous.
“There is no guarantee we won't draw with Leicester on a snowy pitch because we make five new signings. There is no guarantee.
“There will be average games – but that doesn’t mean we need different players. It only means we need a team that is ready that day. And that is what we have to do. We have to make sure.”
