Thanks for summarizing, and yes we do know that all these players, and plenty more, have been monitored and linked at some stage.
However taking that as proof for how they were ranked at a potential wishlist is unserious. Branding Mane a second choise to Teixeira and Goetze based on newspaper reports on all of them is speculative. Goetze were available for free, and is a versatile forward that could add strength to our forward line. Klopp has worked With him before and thought he could do it again. That doesn't mean he was higher ranked than Mane in who we looked at. They are different players, comes With different packages and add different strengths to the team. One doesn't exclude the other. As for Teixeira, it was reported that we denied spending € 38 Mill on him. Still we spent that sum on Mane. Hence it is at very best pure speculation to say who we wanted more. Klopp has allways been talking about doing business only on right terms, so when paying for Mane at 32 M pounds, and leaving the hunt for Teixeira at the same price it shows that Mane was a first Choice, but Teixeira could have been an alternative at a lower price (but was maybe not for sale at the lower price).
We probably seriously montiored Dahoud, and my Guess is that we haven't completely left him out yet. But he is a long term prospect were Gini comes With PL experience and is a differnt player. Zielinski Ahead of Gini? Specualtive reports from the polish guy and his agent that we have been interested... Hmm I am not sure if they are correct. We would be able to compete With Napoli on salaries, probably outbid them seriously if we really wanted him. Again nothing to bombastic conclude that we ended up With a Third Choice?
Brandt Ahead of Salah? Were is the proof for that? We were linked to him in January or so. But that link just died out and there is nothing saying we actually bid for him. Noone knows how serious that link actually were. And we nailed Down Salah quite early in this window, so there is not much suggesting we had many others on the radar. The Pulisic link is real, but died long ago when he stated he was staying With Dortmund. After Klopp having a full year With this Squad who knows what he felt was right for his wide position? Salah seem very much a early target, and not ranked behind many others.
And so we can look at all dubious links to players, without knowing the motivation behind the link, and Draw bombastic conclussion on how Things work and how we are screwed. It doesn't make it accurate at all. I think Klopp has shown that he is purchasing players he wants, and that he feel can strentghten the team. The Keita and VVD saga's are examples that if he doesn't get who he wants he neccessarily doesn't just buy another guy. Hence that strengthen the argumentation that Mane and Salah is not some kind of third sortiment that we just had to settle with.
Each transfer lives a separate life, and where some rules out others, other will not. But I am damned sure that when Klopp has identified Keita and VVD as the ones he want it is done on a far broader basis than someone sitting behind a computer, looking at youtube, and then being baffled that Klopp and the staff doesn't realize that there are better options out there.
