Jurgen Klopp will not leave Liverpool if he is unable to sign Jude Bellingham, stating, “This is my club.”
The Reds manager said he is far too professional to become enraged, and that even if he did, it would make little difference to Reds’ finances.
Though he did not specifically mention Bellingham, Klopp made it plain that he does not believe it is prudent to chase a player who may not be available or is outside of Liverpool’s budget when the club needs multiple large acquisitions in the summer.
When it was pointed out that he could choose from a list of clubs that could afford such a signing, he said: “But this is my club. Nothing. You want to suggest I quit here and wait for the next top job? Really? This is my club.”
Jurgen Klopp in Liverpool’s pre-match press conference ahead of Leeds clash
At the press conference at the AXA Training Centre on Friday, ahead of his side’s Premier League trip to Leeds United, Klopp was asked about Liverpool’s withdrawal from the race to sign Borussia Dortmund star Bellingham this summer, and specifically about the decision-making process that led the club to change tack and pursue alternative targets.
He was questioned if the decision had been made above his head by the club’s owners owing to budgetary restrictions, and if so, how did he feel about it.
In response the German said: “What you want to know is, as I sit here, am I angry with our owners that we can’t do this or that? No I am not. I am not. I don’t agree all the time with everything we do, but I am employed here. I am not here to be angry about things that will work out or not work out. The way we did things in the past is the way we will do it in the future, that is the way.
“So it’s rubbish [to get angry], it’s not ok – I’m too much of a professional. You work with it. Make the best of it. We are not children.”
The German even used erstwhile speculated target Kylian Mbappe as an illustration of the hole that can be left when a target is missed near the conclusion of the negotiation process.
Klopp explained: “You cannot fight for Kylian Mbappe from now on and say ‘that’s the offensive player we want and realise then, in the end, he goes to Real Madrid or stays at PSG. For example.
“The prices, maybe you know it, maybe you don’t know it, and prices change over time, we just have to make sure.
“We have to make these decisions for the team, for the club. We cannot dream and be angry if we don’t get this or that.”
It remains to be seen how the club will replenish the midfield in the summer window, but Friday’s statements may raise more questions than answers among supporters.
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