Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool net spend speaks volumes as figure compared to Premier League rivals
Jurgen Klopp will leave an impressive legacy when he departs Liverpool at the end of the season – but doing so in the manner he has is perhaps the best part about it.
The German inherited a squad in need of a major overhaul, but within three years of arriving Liverpool were Champions League finalists. He gradually tweaked his team, aided by the genius of transfer guru Michael Edwards, to make the Reds a force once more.
But, as Trent Alexander-Arnold was happy to point out recently, the Merseysiders by no means broke the bank to find their success. Instead they cashed in on certain players, often demanding top value for those who left, before reinvesting smartly.
The sale of Philippe Coutinho is seen as a vital moment in the Klopp era as it allowed the club to fund a move for Virgil van Dijk, who is arguably the most game-changing signing the German ever made. Klopp has claimed every honour possible, ending the club’s wait for a top-flight title.
He’s done so whilst coming up against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City – and in any other era it would be Liverpool sweeping all before them. Instead they’ve had to go above and beyond to compete with the figures speaking for themselves. Mirror Football takes a look at how the ‘big six’ clubs have spent their money since Klopp’s arrival in England – and whether they got true value for that when it comes to silverware.
Liverpool
Net spend – £346m
Trophies won – 8
Klopp’s first trophy came in 2019 when the Reds conquered Europe before Premier League success followed. Every domestic cup has since been captured whilst, off the back of their Champions League victory, they enjoyed Super Cup and Club World Cup glory.
Landing the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane for what would be deemed mild fees in the current market has been key. Both men performed well above their transfer values, which has been a theme. Andy Robertson cost less than £10million and has been a stalwart.
Virgil van Dijk’s move to Anfield helped them enjoy huge success
Even expensive purchases like Van Dijk and Alisson have been worth every penny. Liverpool have been able to fund such buys by selling the likes of Christian Benteke and Mamdou Sakho for upwards of £20m. They’ve had to splurge more in recent seasons – but haven’t enjoyed the same success. Darwin Nunez threatens to be a big-name signing that won’t work out as planned.
Man City
Net spend – £630m
Trophies won – 17
For the champions it has been a case of big money spent for a big return. The Abu Dhabi reign peaked when they claimed the treble last term and, as things stand, they’ve won five of the last six league titles, whilst regularly picking up other domestic honours.
Some of their key figures haven’t come cheap. Rodri, perhaps their most influential player, was a club-record buy when he joined from Atletico Madrid in 2019. He, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol all cost north of £50m and, unlike Liverpool, City haven’t overly had to worry about recouping big fees.
Man City’s spending has helped them land an iconic treble
In recent seasons they’ve parted with talent individuals for good money, which has allowed them to be more efficient in the transfer market. In the past two years sales of Gabriel Jesus, Cole Palmer, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko have landed them in excess of £200m – and by no means halted their incredible trophy-winning machine.
Plenty will point to the fact some of their rivals have spent more. City have also spent, net, almost £300m more than Liverpool, but have nine more trophies to show for it.
Arsenal
Net spend – £702m
Trophies won – 5
Things have certainly changed in recent years. Up until two years ago, Arsenal’s transfer business was regularly mocked. Perhaps summed up best by the £72m signing of Nicolas Pepe – a man who was on Liverpool’s radar until they chose to back out when they saw the price.
Mikel Arteta has since worked impressively in cohesion with Edu and they’ve created a squad capable of challenging for honours. Questions will soon be asked if the Gunners can’t get over the line with their considerable investment perhaps going under the radar. Declan Rice was a club-record signing for more than £100m back in the summer.
Kai Havertz, Ben White and Gabriel Jesus all cost more than £40m. But Martin Odegaard, at just over £30m, looks to be a bargain, as does William Saliba. Recently they’ve managed to cash in on the likes of Folarin Balogun, an academy graduate, who went for a solid fee to Monaco.
Man Utd
Net spend – £1bn
Trophies won – 4
Where to start on their spend. Much is made of how much City pay for players, but their neighbours are proof that having loads of cash and spending it by no means guarantees success. The list of individuals who’ve lived up to their billing can be counted on one hand.
Erik ten Hag recently ended a six-year wait for a trophy, but his spending, like those before him, has been largely catastrophic. Antony’s signing for more than £80m looks a shocker whilst Paul Pogba’s club-record fee didn’t result in much silverware beyond his debut season under Jose Mourinho.
Antony is considered one of the club’s worst buys in recent memory
The money spent on Jadon Sancho and Casemiro looks poor with the former likely to leave on the cheap if he does depart. Romelu Lukaku fetched more than £70m when he sold – but he’s the only player since 2016 to be sold for more than £25m as the club continue to do a horrendous job of balancing the books.
Chelsea
Net spend – £1bn
Trophies won – 6
Prior to Todd Boehly, their spend didn’t look too bad when compared to their trophy return. Now, it is catastrophic. Their American owners have copped as much criticism as any in the league. Their free-spending nature has taken the team backwards with another mid-table finish a possibility.
They were Champions League winners in 2021, but that was with a core of homegrown players, who were complemented by the likes of Antonio Rudiger and Thiago Silva, who was a free transfer. Post-Roman Abramovich, the big-money signings have largely underwhelmed, albeit they’ve shown potential.
Mauricio Pochettino has an expensive squad – but many of them are yet to deliver on their transfer fees
Boehly and co have made an effort to sign young players, giving them time to develop, but Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez must begin producing more regularly. Cole Palmer has proved to be an excellent buy and his £40m fee looks good business.
The less said about the £230m spent on Lukaku, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Mykhaylo Mudryk the better. Selling Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount for £90m were pure profit decisions given they were academy products, but the balance sheet still makes for grim reading.
Tottenham
Net spend – £570m
Trophies won – 0
During the early Klopp days, Tottenham were the only team who could go toe-to-toe with Liverpool when it came to net spend. Post Champions League 2019 though, things quickly changed. The Reds got the trophy that set them on their way, whilst defeat for the north Londoners in Madrid seemed to be the end of an era that never recovered.
Tottenham have gone years without a trophy
Mauricio Pochettino had backed youth with his only bit of spending largely coming on the cheap, but producing big results. Dele Alli was an instant hit whilst Heung-min Son was only a touch over £20m. Daniel Levy has since loosened the purse strings for the likes of Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglou.
The club-record buy Tanguy Ndombele never worked out. Richarilison also doesn’t look money well spent. £40m for James Maddison though was a step in the right direction, in part funded by the £100m sale of Harry Kane. The one major issue though, which forever comes up, is a bare trophy cabinet. The silverware wait is now approaching 20 years.
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