Mane magic can’t mask Liverpool’s transfer muddle
THERE is a degree of irony to the saga burdening Liverpool, one which has threatened to compromise Jurgen Klopp’s planning at the start of such a critical season.
Philippe Coutinho was not at Anfield on Saturday. He has made it clear his preferred destination is Barcelona as Neymar’s replacement.
It is unthinkable that he will be present on Wednesday either, as Liverpool attempt to complete the job against Hoffenheim in the Champions League.
But Fenway Sports Group are clear: Coutinho will not be leaving. A staunch stance. One to win over a portion of their detractors, perhaps. Make them look defiant in the face of vultures circling. The thing is, this inconvenience has shifted focus away from the real problems.
Liverpool, and their sporting director Michael Edwards, have been hamstrung by muddled thinking in the transfer window all summer. They did not cover themselves in glory during a very public pursuit of Virgil van Dijk but what was more striking came via a lack of alternatives. Van Dijk cannot be the only competent central back they were willing to lavish £60million on, but that is how it appears.
Similar can be said of Naby Keita at Red Bull Leipzig, with interest ‘cooled’ in the midfielder after bids were rejected by the Bundesliga outfit.
Leipzig did not want to cave in and Liverpool are in a similar boat with Barcelona. On the surface that is understandable. Yet for the figures quoted — an initial £80m — there is an argument for it making economic sense for Liverpool to take the money and reinvest, given the player is desperate to depart.
Club bosses believe that payments being staggered over five years is less than ideal, but amortisation is hardly new. If Barca propose annual payments, what will stop Keita and Van Dijk arriving on Merseyside in a similar fashion?
Liverpool should have been planning for Coutinho’s exit for two months. Barcelona’s interest dates back to this time last year and Paris Saint-Germain’s world-record move for Neymar was not a shock when completed, either.
If FSG decisions are based on more than making statements to appease fans, contingency plans ought to have been put in place before now. There is no shame in taking an exorbitant fee and spending it on young stars Klopp can mould. That is the FSG model, after all.
The PR wars dictate that a likely conclusion instead appears to be the refusal to sell and thus owning a demotivated Coutinho, who would doubtless angle for a move next summer.
Klopp says Coutinho’s situation is being handled by ‘the club’, not himself, and it is hardly ideal for a manager who planned to deploy the Brazilian deeper this term to orchestrate and let Sadio Mane flourish further forward.
Mane was starved against Crystal Palace, even though he ended up the match-winner, and Coutinho’s absence was conspicuous. The Senegalese prodded his goal past Wayne Hennessey with 17 minutes left, sparking relief.
Klopp said: ‘The biggest thing the team did last year was getting fourth without Sadio for pretty much half a year.
‘He’s made a big step. Everyone thinks about how quick he is with his legs and that’s true but he’s quick in mind, that’s the more impressive skill.’
Mane needs support. Business is expected to be done at Melwood in the coming 10 days, with Klopp’s office just a few yards from that of Edwards, and Liverpool will become a much more attractive proposition should Hoffenheim be seen off.
That this great club has not already been sold to more than three new recruits points towards a floundering transfer policy under Edwards. Coutinho is a distraction. SUPER STAT: Liverpool kept a clean sheet against Crystal Palace for the first time in 14 matches (since January 2003).
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Mignolet 7; Gomez 6, Matip 7, Klavan 6, Robertson 7.5; Milner 7 Wijnaldum 6 (Solanke 71min, 7), Henderson 6; Firmino 6.5 (Lovren 90) Mane 8, Sturridge 5.5 (Salah 61, 7).
Subs not used: Karius, Flanagan, Can, Origi. Scorer: Mane 73. Booked: Henderson. Manager: Jurgen Klopp 6. CRYSTAL PALACE (5-3-2): Hennessey 6.5; Ward 6, Fosu-Mensah 7, Dann 6, Tomkins 6.5, Van Aanholt 6.5 (Schlupp 84); Milivojevic 6 (Kaikai 77), Loftus-Cheek 7, Puncheon 6.5 (McArthur 73, 6); C Benteke 5, Townsend 5.5. Subs not used: Speroni, Kelly, Cabaye, Lokilo. Booked: Puncheon, Van Aanholt, C Benteke. Manager: Frank De Boer 6. Man of the match: Sadio Mane. Referee: Kevin Friend 6.5. Attendance: 53,138.