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The coming weeks will invariably feel long and drawn out for Jürgen Klopp, though he will be anything but idle. There are, after all, players to sign and futures to resolve.
Will Liverpool’s reboot involve Jude Bellingham? Bellingham and Mason Mount? Or perhaps Moisés Caicedo, Matheus Nunes, João Palhinha, Alexis Mac Allister, Nicolò Barella, Gavi, or another of the multitude of midfielders linked with Anfield recently.
Change would have been in the air even if the Champions League second leg against Real Madrid had defied all logic. As it was, a 1-0 loss and elimination with a whimper against the holders should crystallise minds.
Liverpool supporters will hope that a rivalry is now resumed with familiar foes over Bellingham, who would have watched events at the Bernabéu and the original tie at Anfield three weeks ago, when the Spaniards secured a 5-2 success, and been mindful of the gap between two of his potential suitors.
Borussia Dortmund’s teenage tyro remains the apple of Klopp’s eye and the Liverpool manager will believe that with the 19-year-old on board, what has appeared at times as a chasm would narrow overnight. He considers Bellingham a transformative figure and that is a vision that Klopp would be keen to share with the England midfielder.
The price of such a deal would be eye-wateringly expensive, though. For every rumour that suggests Bellingham will eventually arrive — and there are plenty of those swirling around Merseyside — there is someone else who is prepared to exercise more caution.
They wonder if spending more than £100 million on a single player is the equivalent of putting too many eggs in one basket for a club who need two midfield additions to go straight into the starting line-up next season. Injuries restricted Klopp’s options on Wednesday night, admittedly, but Cody Gakpo, the £37 million attacker signed from PSV Eindhoven in January, and the 37-year-old James Milner were the No 8s.
Liverpool have spent heavily previously and lavishing £75 million on Virgil van Dijk in January 2018 would be the equivalent of a £100 million deal now, given how prices have kept on rising.
However, where Van Dijk and the goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who was signed for £65 million six months later, were signings that resolved a problem in a specific position, there is an alternative train of thought that one player is not going to fix the issues in Klopp’s engine room.
If Liverpool need at least two midfielders — and there are also defensive recruits to consider — then it is largely to smooth a problem of their own making. Overtures were made to recruit Aurélien Tchouaméni from Monaco last summer, but he chose the lure of Real and was on the substitutes’ bench as Carlo Ancelotti’s side progressed into another quarter-final in their favourite competition.
Not pivoting to plan B left Liverpool exposed; a little like how in 2020-21 they did not replace Dejan Lovren and then suffered unprecedented injuries to Van Dijk, Joël Matip and Joe Gomez which scuppered their title defence.
Mount’s contract stalemate with Chelsea means he is likely to be offloaded with a year remaining on his deal this summer. He may cost half the Bellingham fee, but the list of clubs interested in the 24-year-old will also be long and there are personal terms on top of the transfer fee to be considered.
A long list of names is being surveyed to ensure money is spent in the best way possible. What is clear is the willingness of Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), to oversee the strategic signings that it believes can restore the club’s standing.
Neither FSG — nor perhaps Klopp, despite his disappointment at this season — would accept the portrayal of Liverpool as a crumbling, ageing team who need a complete rebuild. Roberto Firmino is a confirmed departure, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will follow, while Milner is also out of contract.
Meanwhile, Ibrahima Konaté, Darwin Núñez, Gakpo, Diogo Jota, Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic have all been recruited in recent seasons in the knowledge that a period of transition was looming. There remains plenty of talent in the starting line-up too, notwithstanding an unexpected drop-off in some individual performances.
What also appears apparent from the way Klopp has been talking is that FSG’s commitment this summer is independent of its search for extra investment in the club, a process which was formalised in November and is continuing.
It is independent, too, of player sales. Should it transpire that there are outgoings — Philippe Coutinho’s £142 million move to Barcelona five years ago offset the expensive arrivals of Van Dijk and Alisson — then that could mean there is more to spend.
It may also have to be independent of qualifying for the Champions League next season. As Liverpool were slipping out of Europe’s elite club competition, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford both won in the league on Wednesday night, meaning the race for the top four is tighter than ever.
Although Liverpool’s sporting director, Julian Ward, is leaving at the end of the season, he remains involved in the process of freshening up the squad. The club believe they have the structure in place which will allow them to carry on that work while his replacement is identified and brought in.
One guarantee, once this summer is in the books, is that tiredness cannot be an excuse. Liverpool’s season will reach no more than 52 games, the lowest number of matches since Klopp’s first full campaign (2016-17, 47 games), when the team did not play in Europe.
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Jude, plus a freebie in midfield and centre back is the absolute minimum. Ramsay needs to get into the team next season with wee mad Ben.
