Fenway Sports Group have to back Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in the summer transfer window because they owe him for deflecting much of the criticism aimed at them according to Gary Neville.
Liverpool have enjoyed a timely upturn in form recently with six successive wins taking the team within a point of Manchester United in fifth place in the Premier League. Qualifying for the Champions League would be seen as a major achievement, given the nature of Liverpool’s at times disastrous campaign.
Regardless of whether they finish four, Liverpool are preparing for a major overhaul in the summer, with midfield a particular area of importance, with James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita leaving. Neville believes it is high time that owners FSG fork out to spend big money to provide Klopp with a competitive squad again.
“Jurgen Klopp has shielded FSG in terms of net spend over the years,” he said on the Gary Neville Podcast. “Yes, they’ve been smart and it's what Sir Alex Ferguson did for the Glazers, where Sir Alex would say there was no value in the market and Klopp has been quite prudent and pragmatic and he’s not panicked, and they’ve waited for players which is the right way to do it you always want to be measured.
“I don’t think Jurgen would go out there and be reckless in the transfer market but there comes a point where if he wants a player they’re going to have to put down the money and it is going to cost them significantly to get back to where he wants to be… He deserves that.”
HAVE YOUR SAY! Do you agree with Gary Neville's take? Comment below.
Klopp has been Liverpool manager since October 2015 and has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, among other trophies, during his spell in charge. Neville believes that his success as manager has allowed FSG to under-invest in the playing squad.
“Jurgen Klopp has to be supported,” he said. “He was supported a number of years ago when they fell short [of the league] and pushed themselves in the transfer market. They’re going to have to go there again this summer because other teams are going to invest.
“Jurgen Klopp’s strength over the last six or seven years has been in the quality of his football but also the strength of recruitment.
"He has been able to get the most out of players that haven’t cost stupid amounts, Van Dijk and Allison aside and Nunez of course is the one he needs to get the most out of next season.
“But you look at those £30, £40m signings of [Diogo] Jota, [Mohamed] Salah, [Sadio] Mane, [Andy] Robertson, they have been absolutely outstanding. They will have to do a bit of that, but they will also have to put down some serious money on a couple of players.”
