Under Michael Edwards, Liverpool were pretty much the envy of the entire Premier League. Particularly due to one key factor. The club’s ability to sell players for much greater than their perceived value.
With Edwards at the helm, Jurgen Klopp was able to sell players like Dominic Solanke, Philippe Coutinho, Jordon Ibe and many more for huge transfer fees. Those transfer sales were than generated into Liverpool’s transfer budget, and the club reinvested it in players like Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Diogo Jota.
It was a model which worked perfectly, and has meant FSG has never really been in danger of breaching financial fair play measures. With Edwards back at FSG, it’s also a model that is expected to continue for years to come.
However, it’s a model that apparently not everyone is convinced by. Recently, Danny Mills has labelled Jurgen Klopp as being very lucky to have benefitted from this transfer strategy. And he even named one player who he thought the club sold for ‘ridiculous money.’
What Danny Mills said on talkSPORT about Jurgen Klopp transfer
Speaking on talkSPORT, Danny Mills has claimed Jurgen Klopp has not had as impressive of a record as many think.
“He’s won one Premier League in nine years,” Mills said. “Ranieri won it, Chelsea won it. A manager came into Chelsea and won it in his first season. And they’ve been their like two seasons and won a Premier League. So if you’re going to go down, what’s better?”
Mills was pushed on his views, with the presenter explaining how the clubs he had mentioned had spent a lot of money. However, Mills remained adamant that Liverpool had spent an equal amount. He even suggested Liverpool got very lucky with the signing of Philippe Coutinho.
“Hang on a minute Liverpool have spent their fair share,” Mills said.
“Liverpool have been fortunate that they’ve sold players for lots of money. You know when you look at Coutinho. What a ridiculous fee that was. £120 million and he never played for Barcelona did he? So, they’ve spent money and their wages are ridiculously high.”
Why Danny Mills is wrong about Jurgen Klopp
Mills’ assessment of Klopp’s time at Liverpool is completely unfair. Yes, Liverpool have spent big money but nothing in comparison to Manchester City, who have been the club’s biggest rivals during the period.
Liverpool have always had to operate within budgets and within their means. At City, that wasn’t always the case. They didn’t always rely on player sales. And Liverpool did not get lucky selling Coutinho and other players either. It was excellent negotiations by Edwards, which secured such high transfers fees for the club not ‘luck’ or ‘fortune.’
Not to mention, Klopp didn’t just win a Premier League, he won the Champions League, and several other trophies during his time at the club, making him the most successful manager in Liverpool history in the 21st century.
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