Jurgen Klopp has declared himself ready for a “pretty busy period” as Liverpool turn their attention to strengthening their squad in the summer.
The Reds ended a rollercoaster campaign in fitting fashion with a remarkable 4-4 draw at relegated Southampton on Sunday afternoon to conclude the season unbeaten in 11 games.
Liverpool already knew they would finish in fifth place having failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in seven years.
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With Roberto Firmino and James Milner both having now played their final game for the club to join Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and on-loan Arthur Melo in leaving, the Reds are expected to sign several new players in the forthcoming transfer market.
At least two new midfielders are anticipated, with Liverpool now preparing to ramp up their efforts to capture Brighton’s World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, who dropped a major hint he was set leave the Seagulls having been in tears following their final fixture at Aston Villa.
And Klopp is eager to press on with transfer business, and said: “I don’t feel like I need a break, not at all. Honestly I’m completely fine. If you’d have asked me 11 games ago if you want to have a break, then I’d have thought about it, to be honest! But I’m absolutely fine, full of energy.
"I have a break – I don’t have training and those kind of things – but a pretty busy period hopefully starts now as well in a different area of the game and I’m more than happy to do that. I will find time to re-energise and then we start again in July.”
Diogo Jota scored twice while Firmino netted a farewell goal and substitute Cody Gakpo also found the target as Liverpool went from 2-0 up to 4-2 down before salvaging a point.
“You all need a bit of luck and we were actually the opposite (this season),” said the Liverpool boss. “Today you could see the influence of Diogo Jota, not available for most of the season. Luis Diaz, not available for most of the season. Cody Gakpo only came in the winter. Bobby Firmino, not available for big parts of the season. Darwin Nunez completely new.
"We had to be a dominant team and teams were waiting for us when we arrived there, and we couldn’t sort it as good as we wanted. That’s how it started and from that moment on we never calmed it down in the right way to be on it early enough.”
No Premier League team took more points than the 25 Liverpool accrued from the 33 available over the final weeks of the season.
And Klopp said: “If we’d started this series (of results) four or five weeks earlier, we still could have qualified for the Champions League, which would not have been brilliant but would have been outstanding.
“We know the reasons why it happened. We expect from ourselves to sort it quicker, but we work with human beings and sometimes it takes a bit longer.”
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