Liverpool have won transfer window 3 years after Klopp’s rant about Arab state-owned clubs – turns out they can compete

ALMOST three years have passed since Jurgen Klopp unleashed an epic rant about the spending power of clubs owned by Arab states.

The German claimed there was no way Liverpool could compete financially with Manchester City, Newcastle or Paris Saint-Germain: “Three clubs who can do whatever they want financially.”

Jurgen Klopp claimed Liverpool could never financially compete with the likes of Man City and PSG[/caption]

But they signed Alexander Isak for £130m[/caption]

Well, after Liverpool shelled out £426MILLION this summer — including the British-record £130m capture of Newcastle’s star player Alexander Isak — it is fair to conclude that Klopp was spouting a load of old tosh.

Or at the very least, that his words have not aged well.

It is very possible that we will look back in May and conclude that Liverpool effectively sealed their second consecutive Premier League title in the space of six hours.

Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick winner against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, followed by an agreement to sign striking striker Isak — the sort of militant they love on Merseyside — shortly after midnight.

Sir Alex Ferguson always spoke of the need to improve from a position of strength after winning titles at Manchester United.

But no champions, indeed no club, ever spent like Liverpool this summer — and this after they won the title by ten points last term.

Isak joined on deadline day to follow Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Armin Pecsi and Giovanni Leoni through the entrance door.

To be fair, they made around £200m in sales.

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS

Klopp’s successor Arne Slot will be rubbing his hands in glee.

When Isak made his Newcastle debut at Anfield three years ago — netting a brilliant opener in an eventual last-gasp 2-1 defeat — it felt like Geordie Arabia was taking off.

And when the Swede scored the winner against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final in March, securing Newcastle’s first domestic trophy for 70 years, it felt as if the Magpies had truly arrived.

Yet Liverpool, and Isak, had other ideas.

Isak’s six-week strop — downing tools for the first three matches of Newcastle’s campaign — worked.

Sulking and striking always works in the Premier League.

Even Toon’s ruthless Saudi paymasters, who abuse human rights on an industrial scale, were not hardline enough to stop Isak securing the move.

He left Tyneside yesterday as another refusenik forward, Yoane Wissa, arrived from Brentford — toys from his pram strewn all across Hounslow.

Along with giant German striker Nick Woltemade, Newcastle have already spent the Isak money.

This has been typical of a summer in which we have witnessed the most chaotic orgy of binge-buying ever seen in the Premier League.

Sky Sports and other broadcasters pump in billions then excitedly lap it all up once it is regurgitated by the bloated Big Six who have pebbledashed the market with a combined £1.5billion on their crazed spending bender.

Yesterday, Sky’s yellow ticker almost exploded. And the gap between the top flight’s rich and its relatively poor gets wider still.
Despite Klopp’s words, Liverpool have been at the forefront.

Because Profit and Sustainability Rules favour the traditional elite — with their long-held revenue streams, rather than the nouveau riche like Newcastle. What this means for Slot’s line-up is anybody’s guess. Will Ekitike, signed from Frankfurt for just £69m, even be part of it?

Ekitike or Isak could play wide left in place of Cody Gakpo. Or could there even be a good old strike partnership — and what Kopite Ricky Tomlinson as Mike Bassett, England Manager — referred to as a “four-four-f***ing-two”?

In an age of five subs, and an increasing number of goals scored by subs, those with the deepest squads gain yet another advantage.

Yet Liverpool are able to do a lot of this as they are good at selling players for big fees.

They raised that £200m this summer flogging the likes of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for £65m and hapless Klopp buy Darwin Nunez to Saudi’s Al-Hilal for £46m.

But particularly impressive were the fees gathered for young talent like Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen, £35m), Ben Gannon Doak (Bournemouth, £25m), Tyler Morton (Lyon, £13m) and Caoimhin Kelleher, who has joined Brentford for £12m.

While a club’s ambition is measured by its buying, its ability to thrive inside PSR regulations has much to do with selling.

Arsenal, Chelsea and both Manchester clubs have done their best to keep up but, by May, we will doubtless conclude they failed.
Liverpool are top of the table with the only perfect record — and have won the transfer window.

Turns out they can compete with those state-owned clubs after all. Perhaps Klopp should have won more than just that single title.