For months, supporters have held out hope that Jude Bellingham would be Anfield-bound during the upcoming summer transfer window.
Ticking all the boxes to spearhead a revival of Liverpool's midfield department, the excitement surrounding the teenager has been palpable for months after a collection of impressive displays for both club and country.
But then came the unfortunate news on Tuesday evening that Jurgen Klopp's side were no longer in the running to recruit one of the brightest talents in world football, prompting a number of questions being asked by fans.
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Missing out on a player of Bellingham's calibre could well be a decision Liverpool live to regret, and it's now down to FSG to prove their alternative plan will pay off. Reflecting on the Reds' withdrawal from this lucrative transfer race, four supporters have shared their views as part of the weekly ECHO fan column.
Rhys Buchanan (city centre, @Rhys_Buchanan) - FSG's latest move creates yet more confusion
I’m slightly baffled by the timing of FSG's communication this season. They could have waited for a break before rocking the foundations of the club when announcing a potential sale, and, with morale on the up as we found some spark to fight back against the league leaders, the flames of negativity across the fanbase have been fanned once again by the news we’re seemingly no longer in the race for Jude Bellingham - a summer dream that’s kept many Reds trudging on through the mire of this bleak season.
I can see the reason behind the decision if it isn’t to be, when the saying ‘total rebuild’ has been thrown around for so long. It’s clear we’re going to need more than one golden player to lift us from this rut.
You also must wonder if it’s simply the club reclaiming a bit of privacy and control over the whole situation. Either way, alternative options are plentiful if we’re willing to spend big for names such as Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister or Declan Rice. This latest transfer development has added another slice of doubt and confusion to this season, when the Bellingham move has felt so right for so long.
Andrew Cullen (Widnes, @brothersred5) - Klopp could pay the price for FSG's lack of ambition
The summer transfer market seemed to be the light at the end of the tunnel, an opportunity to reinvigorate the team. The startling news that Liverpool may be out of the race for Jude Bellingham has had a chilling effect on any optimism that was brewing. Given that the financial books have been well-balanced during FSG’s time at the club, fans quite rightly expected a summer of spending, not a summer of number crunching.
The rationale for bringing in three good players for the price of one excellent player is attractive but, equally, there is little sense in bringing in three players if they re not already established, quality players, with the potential to become world class, because that is exactly what Liverpool need if they are to return to the summit of world football.
If Klopp is not backed this summer with a significant budget, we could face another underwhelming season, which may lead us to lose our best asset: Klopp.
A comprehensive victory against Leeds on Monday may ease the growing tension and frustration that is building and bubbling this season.
David Shams (Washington D.C., @ShamsWriter) - Pressure is mounting on FSG but do they have the answers?
Performance-wise, the Arsenal match was a microcosm of the season with a little glimpse of what we might look like moving forward. A gloomy first half hour, followed by an awakening that brought the version of the mentality monsters we’ve come to expect.
Since the earliest moments of the season, though, it’s been clear that there are missing pieces required to get us over the hump, to put us back into title contention. Jude Bellingham was marketed to us a panacea. Now we're told, the price is too dear and the overhaul too extensive to put our eggs in one basket. If I’m honest, it’s a bitter pill. The very problems we seek to solve in the summer extend from holding off in the last because of our pursuit of the youngster at Dortmund.
No doubt FSG has been a part of the club’s resurgence, but if we end the summer without a clear signal of intent from the owners then it’s hard to imagine they can overcome the damage done. A basket of talented midfielders is required, whether that starts with Bellingham or a handful of others is up to the owners. Doing nothing is not an option.
James Noble (Worcestershire, @james_noble98) - Some sense to Bellingham stance
One thing that can be said about recent days is that they have felt relatively future-focused.
From Sunday’s rip-roaring Anfield draw against Arsenal, to the intensified recruitment-based discussions that followed Tuesday night’s reports around Liverpool cooling their interest in Jude Bellingham, there has been plenty of talk regarding how we build upwards from here.
In relation to those reports, it is, of course, often tricky to know just how to interpret apparent developments on the transfer front and how likely it is that things subsequently change.
If we take the current context in isolation, the apparent approach of pursuing several other players and not overcommitting, appears somewhat logical. Factor in the noises that have been made over recent months, however, and things begin to look undeniably messy and ill thought-out. Some form of clarity will hopefully be found in the coming months.
Back to current on-pitch matters and – looking ahead to Leeds on Monday – it would be excellent if the collective force of will that we displayed against the Gunners, after a highly testing start, could be seen again. That is a trait that certainly has the potential to help us build upwards in the coming weeks and beyond.
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