Jurgen Klopp works by ‘a policy that has three fundamental rules’ at Liverpool. Klopp was appointed Liverpool manager in October 2015, and has taken the club from 10th to top in just over three years.
The German has been heavily backed in the transfer market, with sporting director Michael Edwards crucial to a rise that has taken in a League Cup, Europa League and Champions League final.
The Times have an excellent and fascinating article offering insight into the lesser-seen 39-year-old and the impact he has had at Anfield since he joined the club six years ago.
Among the titbits is how Edwards and Klopp work so closely together in Liverpool’s transfer strategy, which has brought great success with the likes of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.
‘An improvement owes much to Klopp, who was accustomed to working with a sporting director at Borussia Dortmund, embracing a policy that has three fundamental rules,’ Paul Joyce writes.
‘First, a player will not be signed if the manager does not want him and, second, the owner, Fenway Sports Group, has the right to say no. So, if the manager wants to buy a 29-year-old for £40 million and FSG does not want to spend that amount on someone whose career could be dead in the water in three years’ time, then that is its choice.
‘The final tenet relates to constantly keeping up to date with the transfer market, spotting opportunities and assessing availability, which in turn guides purchases and sales.’
Joyce adds that the Reds have made ‘a switch from targeting potential to proven talent’, as evidenced by the fact they refused to identify alternative targets to Van Dijk and Alisson.