Klopp opens up about Chelsea’s purchasing gambol and makes an injury claim against Arsenal.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp discussed Chelsea’s recent expenditures at his pre-match press conference ahead of the two teams’ Premier League clash on Saturday.
Chelsea have already signed five players during the January transfer window, with the most high-profile signing being Arsenal target Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk for £88 million.
They also paid £9 million plus salary to capture Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid, while Benoit Badashile cost the Blues £35 million.
Youngsters David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos have also joined the club, while the team has reached an agreement with PSV sign England youth international Noni Madueke for £29 million.
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Liverpool, in contrast, have only brought in one permanent signing in January, with Cody Gakpo joining from PSV for £39 million.
They did spend heavily in the summer, signing Darwin Nunez for a club-record cost, but it was also far less than the sum spent by Saturday’s opponents, which stood at more than £250 million.
Klopp discussed expenditure levels in an interview ahead to the Premier League match.
Klopp on Chelsea and Arsenal spending
When asked about Chelsea’s purchasing power in comparison to Liverpool’s, the German manager stated “Interesting. Let’s observe how Chelsea solves things differently than we do.
“If the figures [on spending] are correct, it’s quite astounding. I am a firm believer in coaching, development, and team building, yet there are so many good managers out there these days. If they start spending appropriately and coaching, you cannot not spend or you will have a problem.
“We are in pretty good hands – we know the responsibility we have. We can’t worry too much. You don’t need to build a new team every year. You have to allow players to develop, and we have a few of those players.
“It’s not worrying that other teams are spending, it’s a matter of fact. We have to react to that as well, but not just to that. I can’t see investment stopping in the future, and that means we have to do it as well.”
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Klopp also praised Premier League leaders Arsenal, and put forward a hypothetical scenario of Arsenal having several key players out injured.
He said (via Liverpool’s official website): “Arsenal deserve where they are, they play outstanding football. Top, top, top.
“But cut out five players, or three of their offensive players, and nobody would think, ‘Arsenal, where are you?’ That’s how it is. Injuries are a massive problem, and Chelsea have them as much as we have. It’s not the only problem, but it’s a big problem.”
