Jurgen Klopp met with Fenway Sports Group chief John Henry this week, though the Liverpool manager insisted it was “not like” what fans expect.
FSG founder and Liverpool owner Henry was spotted at the London Stadium during the Reds’ 2-1 win over West Ham on Wednesday, prompting speculation.
With the transfer window looming, it was suggested that the 73-year-old flew in for talks over plans for the rebuild of Klopp’s squad, with a busy summer expected.
Recruitment will have been on the agenda in a meeting Klopp described as “good,” but speaking to Sky Sports, the manager said it was “really funny” how far the story stretched.
“I find it really funny, what the expectations probably are from a talk like this,” he said.
“[People think] I sit there and put my ideas on the table and John just [says]: ‘How much is this? How much is that? How much is this?’. It’s not like this.
“We have a really good relationship, he’s a really good guy, cares a lot about us.
“We will do business. And I understand. Football is crazy, that means everybody expects: ‘Liverpool is not doing well, it means they need five, six, seven players’.”
Liverpool are likely to bring in a host of new signings in the upcoming transfer window, with two or three possible in midfield.
But as Klopp continued, he outlined why the club would not invest like Chelsea have under their new ownership, describing their bloated squad as an “example on the highest level that you cannot do it like that.”
“I feel a little bit for Chelsea, to be honest, because it’s not going well,” he added.
“I think they are a top, top team.
“But on the other side, it’s good. It’s good to see you cannot just bring top players together and think it works out.
“You have to build a team, and that’s what the guys there obviously underestimated and gave their coaches a nearly impossible job to do.
“You cannot have two dressing rooms. You cannot train on two pitches. You have to create relationships, you have to create team spirit.
“That’s the only reason why I’m a little bit happy about it. Chelsea will be fine in the end and they will be incredibly strong next year.
“But it’s just an example on the highest level that you cannot do it like that.
“That’s what we will not do. You have to bring in the right players and build a new team.
“So this team wrote a sensational story, now we start a new one. That’s it.”
Liverpool are already in the process of writing their next story, with the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and youngsters like Stefan Bajcetic and Harvey Elliott forming the core of a “new team.”
But asked whether it would only be a few players brought in this summer, Klopp replied: “We will see.”
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