John Giles fired a broadside at Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp last week, and now his longtime partner in crime Eamon Dunphy has followed suit.
However, while Giles was critical of the German manager’s tactics, insofar as their attacking mentality led to a number of defensive mistakes, Dunphy has instead focused on Liverpool’s transfer policy as the target of his disapproval.
Writing in his Irish Daily Star column on Monday morning, less than 48 hours after Liverpool defeated Tottenham 2-0, Dunphy insisted that the Reds are nowhere while Klopp continues to prioritise player development ahead of expensive signings, saying:
“[Klopp] is going to be judged by what he does in the next transfer window.
“He has to get a top-class goalkeeper, two or three good defenders and a world class midfielder. No ifs, buts or maybes.
“In the current Premier League climate – with the money being spent by their rivals – they are going to have to invest heavily in his squad. When good players are available, you have got to pay real money to get them.
“If he persists with this bargain basement yellow-pack approach to his defensive shopping, Liverpool will go nowhere.
“Nobody is going to win the Premier League now with a net spend of €7.6m. So that nonsense has to stop.”
Liverpool were one of the few clubs in the Premier League to turn a profit last summer as despite spending over £60m on the likes of Sadio Mané and Gini Wijnaldum, the money raised from selling players such as Christian Benteke, Jordon Ibe and Joe Allen ensured that they were in the black for overall transactions.
Klopp’s bargain-hunting saw Liverpool sign Joel Matip on a free and Loris Karius for around £4.3m and while doubts hang over the latter, the former has proved to be a fine bit of business by the Dortmund boss.
Dunphy’s assertion that Liverpool need to spend is shared by many Reds supporters but Klopp himself has a notorious distaste for buying players just for the sake of it – he either buys the right players for the system with and with the right mentality or he does not buy at all.
Where that approach will ultimately take him and Liverpool is anyone’s guess right now but the progress the side has made in the past fifteen or so months suggests that they are on the right track.
Read More About: christian benteke, eamon dunphy, Georginio Wijnaldum, joe allen, joel matip, jurgen klopp sadio mane, Liverpool, loris karius, Premier League
