14 Oct 2016

'Before We Sign...': Klopp makes Liverpool transfer 'promise'; admits he's 'really interested' in exciting Academy starlets

The next transfer window is over two months away, but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has this week dropped a small hint about what to expect in January.

In an interview with the The Telegraph, Klopp insisted:

"I can promise that before we sign a player who isn't a lot better than what we have, we will use our own boys. I am really interested in the talent groups, and all these boys".

As usual, Klopp talks a good game, and in theory prioritising youth development over new signings is an enticing policy.

it won't work, though. Klopp occasionally plays academy players, but only when there's nothing significant at stake, and with the intense pressure to achieve success, he's unlikely to rely on teenagers in Liverpool's most important games.

Prime example: Klopp signed Steven Caulker in January (who fits the description of a player who 'isn't a lot better than what we have'), yet when it came to the crunch, he ignored Joao Teixeira, and played Caulker ahead of him in an attacking role (!)

When he first arrived, Klopp made similar emphatic statements about the loan system, and vowed to ensure that fewer academy players were farmed out on loan. Fast-forward 12 months, and Klopp has abandoned that policy before he even had a chance to properly institute it. When reality bites, tough decisions and/or broken promises usually follow.

In my view, this is a 'promise' that Klopp will not be able to keep.


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