Once Liverpool had seen a bid worth up to just over £6.5m accepted for Calvin Ramsay, the message from inside Anfield was clear. The Scotland Under-21s international would be the last addition to Jurgen Klopp’s squad this summer.
Parting with an initial fee just over £4m for the 18-year-old, it took Liverpool’s immediate spending to just over £73m after also agreeing deals for Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho. With sporting director Julian Ward tasked with refreshing the team's attack, in consideration of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino all being the wrong side of 30 and out of contract in 2023, club bosses were left more than happy with their incoming business.
By signing the two forwards and a right-back understudy for Trent Alexander-Arnold, having also brought in Luis Diaz back in January, club sources confirmed Liverpool had signed exactly what they felt needed and wanted when setting out their plans for the summer earlier in the year. With confirmation for Ramsay following on Sunday, the Reds had successfully managed to complete their summer business with two weeks to go until the start of pre-season. A job well done by all.
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Of course, the squad will still look different by the time the campaign actually gets underway away at Fulham on Saturday, August 6. For starters, Mane is closing in on a €41m move to Bayern Munich after a fee was agreed while the likes of Takumi Minamino and Neco Williams could also follow the Senegalese out of the exit door.
With a new midfielder now the priority for summer 2023, Liverpool’s strategic model is proving to be rather logical as they continue the soft launch of the next generation of Klopp ’s side. Whether you agree with the decisions or not, there is a clear vision and plan in place that the club follows and that ultimately is judged by results on the pitch. And considering the success of recent years, those results currently speak for themselves.
But while the Reds might have their house in order, it’s a very different story at Manchester United.
And, in fact, Liverpool have played a small part in the Red Devils’ current struggles as they look to revamp their own squad, having seen Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata all depart on free transfers, after a decade of disappointment following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.
New manager Erik ten Hag had wanted to sign Nunez himself but United were beaten to his signature by Liverpool, with the Mirror reporting the Dutchman acknowledged it was unwise to use the bulk of his transfer budget to battle to sign the Uruguayan when the club has other priorities. Perhaps they were wary as a result of expensive misfires in transfer windows past?
Meanwhile, according to The Athletic , the Red Devils had a meeting arranged with Benfica to discuss signing Nunez back in March, only for club president Rui Costa to cancel after being struck down by food poisoning. United were said to be reluctant to re-enter negotiations, with suggestions the postponement was viewed as a deliberate snub and missed out the striker as a result.
Compare that to Ward’s Portuguese contacts enabling him to conclude straight-forward negotiations with Benfica and it was the latest example of Liverpool’s superiority behind the scenes compared to their bitter rivals.
Having missed out on Nunez, the Red Devils are yet to sign a player this summer, with Ten Hag’s vision for his new club on the verge of tatters following further disappointment in the transfer market.
According to the Mirror , Jurrien Timber has already told his former Ajax boss that he has no intention of joining him in Manchester before the World Cup, leaving Ten Hag stunned as a result, while a deal with Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong remains ongoing. The Catalans are said to be demanding £80m for the midfielder after knocking back United’s initial £60m offer, with Old Trafford bosses believing they are being held to ransom by the cash-strapped La Liga outfit.
But that hasn’t stopped Ten Hag from wanting to reunite with De Jong, with him believing the 25-year-old, who he reportedly wants to build his team around, to be worth every penny as his marquee signing. And while they might have to pay a premium to land the Holland international, he believes that can be compensated by partnering him with Christian Eriksen on a free transfer.
Yet negotiations for De Jong, which are being conducted by football director John Murtough, were potentially dealt a blow after United CEO Richard Arnold was secretly filmed by fans at a pub on Saturday as he was quizzed about the club’s transfer strategy.
“For this summer, the money the manager [Erik ten Hag] and director of football [John Murtough] wants is there […] and this is the bit where, what’s my job as CEO, I make sure John does his job on football,” he said. “Get some f*****g players in. Money’s there, OK? Get on with it John.
"Money is not a consideration on who we want. The manager wants him [De Jong] and they have actually done the work. He's a great player. Is it 100 or 200 [million]? I don't know. Get who you f*****g want. Do you want me buying the players? Does that not ring a bell?"
Despite money seemingly being no object in the pursuit of De Jong, Arnold was also critical of the club’s transfer business, following a number of over-priced and ill-advised purchases in recent years, as he bemoaned how United have “f*****g burned through cash”.
“We spent a billion pounds on players. We have spent more than anyone in Europe,” he admitted. “I’m not thrilled where we are. It doesn’t sit easy with me and I worry how we get this sorted for the future.
“What’s happened is we have f*****g burned through cash. You can’t go to our training ground and say, 'show me where the £1billion is' because we haven’t spent money well historically.
“I’m not here to defend [chairman] Joel [Glazer]. He must speak for himself. But you have taken the time to come here and make your views known - and I respect that. We’ve blown through an enormous amount of money.”
So have the Red Devils learned from past mistakes or not? While fans will arguably agree with Arnold’s comments, it’s still embarrassing for the club. And such claims from within show the stark difference in approaches between United and Liverpool.
Liverpool's incoming business for the summer is done and, two weeks before the start of pre-season, their plans are already firmly in place for the upcoming 2022/23 campaign. In contrast, the chaos at United continues as they desperately try to rebuild.
Whether Ten Hag can make them title contenders once again, only time will tell. But with Liverpool and the Red Devils set to face off in pre-season in three weeks’ time in Bangkok, before locking horns again at Old Trafford just three games into the new season on August 20, one of the great north-west rivals are already a step ahead and much better prepared than the other.
Given Liverpool's fortunes under Klopp and FSG over the past seven years, in juxtaposition to United's freefall, the sad truth is their ongoing struggles and failings are no longer even a surprise.
