Jurgen Klopp has disclosed why he decided to go back on his word and shell out an £85million fee on Liverpool record signing Darwin Nunez.
The German had slammed Manchester United 's decision to spend a similar amount of money on Paul Pogba back in 2016. At the time, he insisted that it was something that he would never do as he took aim at the Red Devils.
"The day that this is football, I'm not in a job anymore, because the game is about playing together. That is how everybody in football understands it. You always want to have the best, but building the group is necessary to be successful," he said.
"Other clubs can go out and spend more money and collect top players. I want to do it differently. I would even do it differently if I could spend that money. If I spend money, it is because I am trying to build a team, a real team. Barcelona did it. You can win championships, you can win titles, but there is a manner in which you want it."
Klopp has now changed his stance though, going back on his word in order to sign Nunez from Benfica. The striker will be Liverpool's record signing if certain add-ons are met and paid out by the Reds.
With Liverpool requiring a new striker this summer amid the departure of Sadio Mane, Klopp has now insisted that he was left with little choice but to change his stance from six years ago. Though he did admit that he has been left surprised at the need to pay out such a large amount.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Are you concerned about Darwin Nunez's start to life at Liverpool? Comment below.
"When you want to sign a striker as exciting as Darwin in, it's the market and you have to pay the price. I've said so many things in my life and life caught me then later and showed me that my imagination was obviously not clear enough for how quick life can change," he said.
Klopp handed Nunez his unofficial debut in Liverpool's opening game of pre-season. But as the Reds were hammered by Manchester United, the Uruguayan endured a night to forget, blazing over a gilt-edged chance in the second-half.
Despite that poor performance in his first Reds outing, Klopp is not feeling worried about Nunez's form. Instead, he cautioned that it would take time for him to settle into life at his new club.
"I'm not worried at all. The general judgement [on Nunez] is absolutely nil interest [to us]. It will be like this, and we all know it. It's kind of a game or a joke for some people to pick out some situations where a player's not doing well. That's only a game from [fans of] other clubs, which is normal," he said.
"Our fans probably do [the same] with signings of Manchester United. We cannot take this seriously. The only real important thing is how I judge the situation for the player and I couldn't be more calm - completely convinced about his potential.
"And actually, what our people - all Liverpool supporters in the whole world -- should know is that new players need time and get time. We should be the first ones to delete the fee we paid [from our thinking]. Just delete it - it's not important. It's like this with strikers."
