Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is not a fan of the winter transfer window and is unlikely to be making many moves – if any – next month.
Klopp will lose forward Sadio Mane to the African Nations Cup for at least a month after their match at Sunderland on January 2 and is already without striker Danny Ings for the rest of the season because of a knee injury.
However, with Liverpool second in the Premier League and the current squad gelling together, the Reds boss is in no hurry to leap into the market.
“If you don’t have the biggest injury issues in the world and you need players only for the line-up then you should only do things you would do in the summer too, because otherwise you solve a problem for half a year then have another one in the summer,” said Klopp, who a year ago tried to add Shakhtar Donetsk’s forward Alex Teixeira to his squad only to pull out of a deal when the asking price went above what he felt the player was worth.
“We always have an eye on the market but that doesn’t mean we can do what we want always.
“If we have an eye on a player then he is a good player and probably plays in a good club and if this club doesn’t need money then we have no chance.
“We don’t want to convince players with money, we want to convince them with the way we go.
“We want to have players who are ready to develop and that’s not a message for the winter transfer window, it’s a message for the next few years.”
Klopp signed only one player in the previous January transfer window – midfielder Marko Grujic who was immediately loaned back to former club Red Star Belgrade, and agreed a pre-contract with defender Joel Matip to also join up in the summer.
This year he may have additional injury concerns with Coutinho not likely to return until the new year, Matip struggling with an ankle problem and Mane’s impending departure, but that will not force Klopp’s hand.
“I’m really happy with the squad. Of course, in this moment, Phil (Coutinho) is not involved, from the beginning of January Sadio will not be involved, but we still have options,” he added.
“We can change system, we can do a lot of things. The best thing would be that they are all here and we can play them all the time.
“We have two games and then a few more in January until the window is closing.
“You can be sure we are prepared, but that doesn’t mean that we do something.
“We are already looking for summer, that’s how it should be, and maybe we can bring these two windows together and do the right thing in the right moment.
“If not, we will not do it.”
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