Jurgen Klopp has become rather fond of splashing the cash since his 2016 quote about clubs’ excessive spending.
In 2018 alone, Klopp’s Liverpool have spent over £200 million on players and after the Merseyside club made Alisson Becker the most expensive goalkeeper in history, the Reds manager was reminded of what he’d said on the subject of Paul Pogba’s return to Manchester United two years ago.
Here’s what Klopp had to say about the transfer which, at the time, was the highest fee ever paid for a footballer:
“Other clubs can go out and spend money and collect top players. I want to do it differently. I would even do it differently if I could spend that money.”
The German has apparently had a change of heart since that comment and Liverpool fans have been quick to defend Klopp from the taunting of rival supporters.
Klopp held a press conference in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday evening and he was prepared to answer a question on his quote being dredged up now that his club could be accused of doing what he’d criticised just a couple of years ago.
“That’s the problem these days, you say something and whatever bullshit you say, nobody will forget it!” Klopp said, via This Is Anfield.
“I could not imagine that the world would change like that – two and a half years ago, £100 million was crazy money, since then the world obviously changed since then.
“In this moment we signed the world’s most expensive goalkeeper; there will be a few, nice transfers in this window still. It will happen a lot.
“My responsibility is for this club to be as successful as possible. It is not for me to push through my thoughts about that and say ‘no, I don’t want to pay big money’ (because) in the end if Liverpool FC is not successful it doesn’t work.
“We have a really good team, a really good squad, to improve a squad like this is expensive, because to find better players than we already have; they are not waiting around the corner.
“When we are convinced about it (signing a player), then our ownership believes that much in the project that they say ‘ok, let’s do it.’ And I really think it is a really good year for us; very good squad.
“We don’t care about what the world around is thinking. Like Man United didn’t care what I had to say about it (Pogba).
“It’s only an opinion in that moment. Did I change my opinion? Yes. That’s true. It’s better to change an opinion than to never have one.”
