Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that the club are set for a major transfer hunt this summer as they look for some “quality” to replace Philippe Coutinho.
The Brazilian playmaker left Anfield for Barcelona in the January transfer window and the Reds chose not to find someone to fill the void left by the 25-year-old, a move which has not harmed their chances too much with a Champions League final on the horizon.
However, despite not missing their former hero too much and with Naby Keita on his way from RB Leipzig, Klopp believes he still needs replacing, with Adam Lallana’s injury woes compounding their difficulties in the attacking midfield role.
Speaking to Robbie Fowler in an interview for the Mirror, he said: “We need more quality.
“What do we do? We brought in Naby Keita already, an outstanding player. We will bring in a couple more players, that will happen.
“We played without Adam Lallana and half a season without Philippe Coutinho. Two of the best players in whole Premier League. They didn’t play on the pitch for us.
“Can you imagine Phil Coutinho still in the team? And we play with the three up front and Phil at No 8 – that would have been nice.”
Opinion
Klopp might be jumping the gun when he says the club need some more quality in midfield, for they have no idea how Naby Keita is going to perform once he signs. However, the injuries that have been suffered by Lallana and club and country counterpart Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain really have left the Reds with the bare bones when it comes to the centre of the park, and they could do with one or two more fringe players, or an out-and-out first team regular, to bolster the squad. Do they go for a more attack minded midfielder or do they need an enforcer who is going to break up the play? That is for Klopp to decide, but with Keita’s arrival imminent, he might be better off balancing the side with the latter, to give him the full range of player as they look to push on for some success next season.