Chelsea have spent more than £400m since the consortium led by billionaire Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over in the summer, with £140m of that in the last 15 days and potentially more to come before the end of the Month.
The Blues have spent more money than Liverpool
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he cannot explain Chelsea’s recent spending spree, saying he prefers instead to focus on “coaching, developing and building the team”. The Blues have spent more than £400m since the consortium led by billionaire Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over in the summer, with £140m of that in the last 15 days and potentially more to come before the end of the Month. That’s a lot more than Liverpool, who, after buying Benfica forward Darwin Nunez for an initial £64m – which could rise to a club record £85m with add-ons – and youngsters Fabio Carvalho (from Fulham for £5m) and Calvin Ramsay (from Aberdeen for £6.5m), added £38m to PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo in what is likely their only January transfer.
Klopp is celebrating his 1,000th game as manager on Saturday
On whether Chelsea’s spending has made the challenge for the Premier League’s top four more difficult, Klopp, who is celebrating his 1,000th game as manager on Saturday, said: “Maybe. It could get worse or better; I don’t know exactly how you want to say it. Interesting spending. I can’t explain it; I have no idea. But if the numbers are right, it’s impressive.” Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group put the club up for sale at the end of last year but appear to be moving away from that now and are looking for additional investors to buy the stake. This means that the next tranche of Klopp’s transfer money, which the American group has always tried to manage responsibly, is likely to be available in the summer as the club chase Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Klopp believes in development and team building
If Chelsea’s spending had raised concerns, Klopp added: “I don’t think Chelsea can do it in the same way for the next ten years – I don’t know, maybe they can. Other teams will have ups and downs, and we must be there. I don’t see investment stopping in the future, which means we have to do it. We don’t talk now because it’s always a little different but in general. I believe in coaching, I believe in development, I believe in team building and using these things 100 per cent. Meanwhile, there are so many good managers out there it’s crazy, so they also believe in it – and if they start to really spend right and do these things as well, then you can’t spend, or you’re going to have a little problem.”
“The moment you create a new team doesn’t mean you have to build a new team every year; you give the players a chance to take the next step. We already have quite a few of them here. Then again, a lot is possible. That’s the plan for the future. It’s not worrying about what other teams might spend; that’s probably a matter of fact. We have to respond to that, but not just that.” Saturday’s meeting at Anfield puts the ninth-place hosts against rivals one place below them, different from the scenario envisioned at the start of the season. However, with this match representing only halfway through Liverpool’s season and with the club 10 points away from fourth-placed Newcastle with a game in hand, Klopp remains optimistic about the change in fortunes.