Danny Murphy has refused to criticize Liverpool’s owners, the Fenway Sports Group, for their backing of Jurgen Klopp over the course of the summer transfer window.
The Merseysiders attracted further concerns with a poor start in Napoli that ended in a 4-1 loss to Napoli to kick off their Champions League campaign.
“I don’t agree that the FSG has failed him with transfers,” the former midfielder told talkSPORT.
“In the summer I don’t remember any discussion about what they lack in defense and midfield. They brought in Ibrahima Konate for £50m to help out with Van Dijk and Joel Matip, they’ve got full-backs to cover, they spent £85m on a striker on Darwin Nunez to fill the void left by Mane’s goal and assists: Where didn’t he? have endorsed?
“In the summer I didn’t see many people who didn’t expect Liverpool to catch up with Manchester City again. Just three months ago we were talking about Liverpool having, or almost having, one of the best seasons in history.”
While midfield (resolved, to some extent, at the end of the window with the loan signing of Arthur Melo) remains the most problematic department for the Anfield-based team, successful efforts to provide backing for the full-back position right, replacing Sadio Mane and bringing in an exciting talent in Fabio Carvalho deserve both attention and praise.
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It’s already a long way from how we approached the so-called ‘group of death’ last season, though it seems a bit harsh of some to pin all the blame for on-field performances on FSG.
Evidently a quality midfielder would have been an excellent and welcome addition to the team and indeed efforts were made to achieve such an eventuality through consultations with Borussia Dortmund and an unsuccessful move by Aurelien Tchouameni.
The refusal to compromise on quality has meant that many of the vocal members of the online fanbase have been disappointed, although it must be remembered that patience in the transfer market has previously rewarded us with stellar additions.
#Ep58 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Qualifying Liverpool’s UCL group, making a new signing… and more!
