Liverpool manager Arne Slot and Jurgen Klopp share a similar stance on the January transfer window
Liverpool manager Arne Slot appears set to follow in Jurgen Klopp’s footsteps when it comes to the January transfer window. The Reds made a number of high-profile acquisitions over the summer, but rumours suggest more players could be on their way to Anfield.
Slot has been given the challenge of reshaping his Premier League-winning squad this season. While Hugo Ekitike was an immediate success, others such as Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have taken longer to consistently deliver top performances in a Liverpool shirt.
The team’s early teething problems have left the Reds trailing league leaders Arsenal by a significant margin with exactly half of the season still remaining. While some managers might be tempted to dip into the transfer market to close the gap, Slot seems set to stick to his predecessor’s policy.
During his reign at Liverpool, Klopp used the January transfer window sparingly. In early 2016, just a few months after he took the helm, young talent Marko Grujic became Klopp’s first signing.
Instead of prioritising big-name signings, Grujic was one of several winter deals that focused on future development. In December 2020, Stefan Bajcetic joined from Celta Vigo, followed by Kaide Gordon’s switch from Derby County a few months later, further demonstrating the club’s long-term strategy.
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In both 2017 and 2019, Klopp’s Liverpool chose not to make any signings in the January transfer window. However, every rule has an exception and Virgil van Dijk was that for Klopp, who forked out £75million for the defender in January 2018.
The current Liverpool skipper has more than justified his hefty price tag, having steered the club to Premier League and Champions League triumphs during his time at Anfield. The only other significant January acquisitions came towards the end of Klopp’s reign.
In 2022, Liverpool seized an opportunity to thwart Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in Luis Diaz, snapping up the Porto winger for £49m. The subsequent season saw Cody Gakpo join from PSV Eindhoven for roughly £40m. Despite the substantial fees, it could be argued that both these deals offered clear value for money.
Upon succeeding Klopp in 2024, Slot did not prioritise bringing in fresh faces. Summer recruit Federico Chiesa was the club’s only new addition as Slot maintained his career trend of avoiding pricey January deals, having signed just three players for a fee in his previous roles before joining the Reds.
This summer, Liverpool narrowly missed out on securing Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi. Giovanni Leoni’s subsequent long-term injury has already left the Reds short-handed at times this season, but Slot dismissed suggestions that Liverpool would target a new defender this month.
“First of all for himself but the injury of Giovanni Leoni is, of course, it has quite a lot of impact,” Slot said. “If you have four centre backs for the season, two right and two left-backs with Wata (Wataru Endo) and Ryan (Gravenberch) who can help you out, but then you have an ACL injury, that is not very helpful. It is tough.”
The Liverpool manager continued: “This is our way of working at Liverpool. The outside world wants to believe we have unlimited money but that is not true.
“You insiders know – and you are the only ones because the outside world only talks about our spending – what we have brought in (money) to spend. That is the way we work over here.
“You then have to accept that in certain games during a season you are short of a right full back. But we are still able to win. I fully believe in that way of working, by the way.”
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