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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Dom Smith

Pep Lijnders explains quiet January transfer window for Liverpool as academy stars backed to deliver

Liverpool’s assistant manager Pep Lijnders has explained why the club are unlikely to make many major signings during the January transfer window.

The Reds currently sit top of the Premier League — three points above second-place Aston Villa.

A complete overhaul of their midfield saw them spend £146million in the summer to sign Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo.

Explaining why the Reds have taken a relaxed approach to the January window so far, Lijnders said: “We spent a lot of money in the summer. We really invested in the squad.

“The ownership brought in the right players. This means that even when you have injuries at the moment, they will be back in not that long.”

Lijnders added: “We always believe in the academy as well. You want to produce your own players to be able to compete, fight and win trophies.

“The reason we have an academy with 250 players running and dreaming and hoping [of playing for the first team] is that in these moments when a season gets tough in terms of injuries, they can back you. So far, they always did.”

Liverpool face Fulham at Anfield on Wednesday in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. They reached the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday by beating Arsenal 2-0 away from home.

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