Jamie Carragher has criticised Liverpool's recruitment policy after they backed out of the race to sign Jude Bellingham this summer.
Jurgen Klopp appeared to confirm his club's reluctance to break the bank for Bellingham, 19, on Friday morning. The news will come as a huge blow to Liverpool fans, who were hoping to see the England international walk through the door after a difficult campaign.
Klopp's side are eighth in the table, with most critics accepting they need to bring in a couple of new central midfielders this summer. Yet Bellingham is highly unlikely to move to Merseyside, much to the disappointment of Liverpool legend Carragher.
"Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp built a level of trust with regards to transfers which was the envy of Europe," wrote Carragher in The Telegraph. "That trust has gone with news they will not be pursuing Jude Bellingham this summer.
"It must be won back in the next transfer window because Klopp, his recruitment team and owners Fenway Sports Group have been granted a free pass for the dire performances of the last eight months, especially away from home."
Klopp told reporters on Friday morning: "We cannot have six players in a summer, everyone for £100m... We are not children; when you ask a five-year-old what they want for Christmas and they say a Ferrari, you wouldn't say, 'Oh, that's a good idea'.
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"You would say, 'No, that is too expensive and anyway, you cannot drive it'. If this kid is then unhappy their whole life because he cannot get a Ferrari, it would be a really sad life. You look what you can do, and you work with that.
"What we need and what we want, we try absolutely everything to get it, but there are moments when you have to accept that this or that is not possible for us - you step aside and do different stuff."
Liverpool narrowly missed out on winning a quadurple last season but have failed to replicate their form this time around. The Community Shield winners will end the campaign without a major trophy and are set to miss out on Champions League football next term.
Carragher believes Liverpool have benefitted in recent years by signing the right player. They have previously broke the bank to bring in the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Darwin Nunez, rather than go for a cheaper option. Yet it appears that policy is over.
Carragher is staggered at Liverpool's unwillingness to pay more than £100m for Bellingham. The Reds icon added: "How can the club suddenly baulk at a valuation exceeding £100 million? They know that is the going rate for the best in class."
Carragher has also criticised his former employers for failing to sign a fit central midfielder last summer, when it was clear they needed to act. The Reds eventually brought in Arthur Melo on loan, but the Brazilian hasn't featured in the Premier League.
"Plenty did [see Liverpool's problems coming] last summer," summarised Carragher. "If those in power at Anfield did not, they took their eye off the ball."
