Jurgen Klopp: We want to fight for everything

Liverpool boss Klopp insists Reds are ready to battle for trophies despite title rivals spending big; open campaign against newly-promoted Norwich tonight

Liverpool will fight for everything this season but manager Jurgen Klopp expects it to be a really tough battle between several clubs as his side bids to regain the Premier League title that Manchester City reclaimed last term.

Whilst new signings, unlike their main rivals, have been kept to a minimum—France U-21 defender Ibrahima Konate was announced back in May from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig—Liverpool have focussed on getting key players to sign new contracts. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander Arnold, Fabinho and notably, on Friday, Virgil van Dijk all agreed to new deals. 

Klopp says they will all be essential to Liverpool’s title challenge and rediscovering the panache that saw them crowned champions in 2020 for the first time in three decades. “Last year, the gap was pretty big [City had a 12-point advantage over second-placed Manchester United and 17 over Liverpool],” said Klopp at Friday’s press conference ahead of their opening English Premier League match away on Saturday to newly-promoted Norwich.

Jurgen Klopp

Intense season

“The previous season, the gap between us was pretty big [Liverpool finished 18 points clear of City]. I’m not sure if it can get any more intense for all the rest. We will see. Chelsea aren’t hiding their ambitions, Man United aren’t, City aren’t. We don’t want to hide our ambitions, we want to fight for everything.” Klopp, though, says it is not only the top four sides in the league last season who will aspire to being viable title candidates. I mention only these four, but it will not be only these four,” he said.

“Leicester made really good business again. Arsenal are trying, Tottenham are trying. There are so many teams. West Ham played their best season for a long, long time last year—they didn’t get worse over the summer. It will be an interesting league again.” 

Klopp said he is not surprised by Manchester City’s spending—they paid £100 million (Rs 1,027cr) for England midfielder Jack Grealish and are believed to be ready to outdo that sum for Spurs’s England captain Harry Kane—but he is by Manchester United’s.

Nothing surprising

United have spent over £100 million on Jadon Sancho and Real Madrid’s French international defender Raphael Varane with a central midfielder still on their menu. “I’m not surprised [that other teams have spent big], because these clubs don’t depend on this kind of thing [the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic], I think,” said Klopp.

“We all know the situations at Chelsea, City, PSG. What’s happening at United, I don’t know—I don’t know how they do it. We have our way and it’s always been the same since I joined. We can spend, we’re allowed to spend the money we earn—that’s what we always did.”

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