KLOPP HAS HIGH HOPES
Liverpool manager expects transfer boost from Champions League participation
LIVERPOOL’S appearance in the Champions League will go a long way towards helping the English Premier League club attract quality players, manager Jurgen Klopp said.
Liverpool beat Hoffenheim 4-2 in the second leg of their Champions League playoff on Wednesday, overcoming the German side 6-3 on aggregate to seal a spot in the group stage of Europe’s elite competition for the first time since 2014.
Liverpool join Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, who qualified via the Premier League, and Manchester United, who engineered their own Champions League return by winning last season’s Europa League.
“It’s a big influence on the transfer market, especially if we do it more often,” Klopp said in his post-match conference.
“If you talk to a player, they really often (mention it)... especially players we talk to. We don’t have to talk to players which are not better than our players because it’s difficult to find.”
The Merseyside club’s most significant signing so far this window has been Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah, who joined from Italy’s AS Roma in June. Liverpool have also added defender Andrew Robertson and striker Dominic Solanke to their ranks.
Klopp believes that Champions League participation has two major benefits as elite players, who often choose clubs based on their engagement in the tournament, will now be open to a move to Liverpool and also allows the club to retain key players.
“I know a few people think differently, but we do a lot of work... if you talk to them, they say if you would play in the Champions League, it would be really interesting because the club is great, the manager is not too bad...” Klopp added.
“If you try to extend a contract with a player, (they might say), ‘Yeah, I want to play Champions League’ and I always think ‘It’s your job to do it with us together, so don’t ask that we do a job and you cannot play Champions League...’
“That’s what this team did, and that’s why I am so happy about it.”
Klopp’s side now turn their attention to the Premier League, where they host Arsenal on Sunday. Reuters