Jurgen Klopp compares Liverpool & Chelsea rebuilds
By Sean Walsh
Jurgen Klopp has stressed that Liverpool's rebuild won't be completed 'overnight' as they are unable to freely spend on players the way that Chelsea are.
The German signed a new contract running until 2026 with the Reds last season, insisting he wants to help refresh their identity and playing squad.
After coming within two wins of an unprecedented quadruple last season, Liverpool have really struggled this term. They currently sit ninth in the Premier League table and face an unfavourable matchup against Real Madrid in a repeat of last season's Champions League final in the last 16.
Speaking on the Mike Calvin’s Football People podcast, Klopp said that Liverpool's task to rebuild is tougher as they can't spend vast amounts of money in the way that Chelsea have been recently.
"I’m not saying it’s the biggest challenge, but it’s a challenge, and it was one of the main reasons why I signed a new contract because I knew it’s necessary," he said.
"It will not go overnight, and imagine the situation now with another coach in the chair. I would be somewhere on holiday and everybody would shout my name ‘with him it would not have happened!’ I’m obviously not a miracle worker. That’s why it’s good how it is, because all the problems you have in a transition time period, we have an awful lot of injuries, and that makes life really complicated. I have no problem with that because I see obviously...I know the majority of the outside world is just interested in the short term but we have to be long-term focused as well, and that’s what we are.
"There are obviously plenty of different ways you can do it, but it’s all based on the situation you are in, especially with the things happening around, Chelsea with the new ownership obviously, nobody knows exactly how they do it, how they can spend this much money. Other teams, nobody likes me talking about that...but transition needs time if you don’t have endless money, otherwise you can change overnight pretty much, bringing in 10 players.
"Last week I got a question if I am too loyal, I’m not too loyal but questioning loyalty in general is a sign of our time, the time we are living in as well, which I really don’t like too much. I never saw anything bad in loyalty, to be honest, to your friends, to your family, to your company, in an ideal world you are loyal, and it’s not a one-way word. That’s an ideal world when both sides feel the same and big things can grow."
On this edition of Talking Transfers, Scott Saunders hosts Toby Cudworth & Graeme Bailey to discuss some of the latest transfer news. On today's agenda: Dusan Vlahovic, Anthony Gordon, Enzo Fernandes, Amadou Onana, Malo Gusto, Nicolo Zaniolo, Pedro Porro, Weston McKennie, Milan Skriniar, Maiximo Perrone & more!
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