It’s quiet at Liverpool’s front office as one of the quietest January transfer windows in recent memory limps into its final hours.
Following a hectic few days dealing with the aftermath of Jurgen Klopp’s shocking news that he will be leaving at the end of the season, transfer rumors have been the last thing on the minds of a fan base still in disbelief.
Although it had seemed like Calvin Ramsay and Nat Phillips’ situations were the main side stories for Thursday’s deadline, their loan deals to Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers, respectively, had been completed earlier this week with little drama. Although there has been interest in a loan for Bobby Clark, nothing had materialized by Thursday morning.
It’s been a frustrating month for those who love player trading months, the type of fan who regards them with the same respect as real on-field achievement.
However, the most welcome difference for those who are horrified at the hold transfer gossip has on the conversation around the modern game is how muted the window has been.
The Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations were broken by Everton, which resulted in a massive 10-point deduction back in November. Last month, Nottingham Forest and the Blues were charged with the same offense. As a result, the rest of the league has been making adjustments more appropriately. Many in the division appear to feel that the risk of violating a similar sentence is too severe.
As the dearth of high-profile transactions suggests, the Premier League is going through hard circumstances right now. For the time being, the boom period has undoubtedly been relegated to earlier windows.
Due to the outrageous generosity of the last three windows under their American ownership, Todd Boehly’s Chelsea experiment, which resulted in them spending lavishly, has been scaled back considerably in the early months, and Mauricio Pochettino is no longer able to bring in the striker he so desperately needs.
Never has Chelsea’s unbalanced, bull-in-a-china-shop attitude been more visible than it was on Wednesday night, when the Reds defeated a group of pricey Pochettino misfits 4-1 thanks to the deliberate and thoughtful approach that is preferred at Liverpool.
Another player who would love to join Arsenal’s ranks is Mikel Arteta, but the Gunners’ summer roster, which still includes Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, and David Raya at a cost of about £200 million, still has a voice in matters.
The regulations are starting to take effect so strongly that Newcastle, which is owned by the unfathomable wealth of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, had to have internal talks last week about selling important players in order to make the necessary reinforcements for Eddie Howe.
And if the limitations are seriously impeding the Magpies, whose supporters absurdly assert that they are the “richest club in the world,” then it is reasonable to believe that they are making a significant impact on other Premier League teams.
All of this points towards a less conspicuous-looking game. For many, it is not too late that football is finally becoming more serious. The largest move of the transfer window thus far was Tottenham’s £25 million acquisition of Radu Dragusin from Genoa. The transfer costs are lesser and more reasonable. Throughout the division, 44 players had transfers that cost more during the summer window.
Liverpool, naturally, had a role as well. The club lost out on over £50 million in revenue from the unexpected departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia, but they still had to pay a hefty £150 million for the additions of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Wataru Endo. This was partially offset by a significantly reorganized midfield. Furthermore, that was without the help of Champions League revenue.
Though it’s occasionally become clear that forays into the transfer market are necessary, it’s not difficult to imagine that Liverpool manager is on board with a more cautious outlook across the entire league when it comes to expenditure on transfers. Klopp has always bristled at the suggestions of using the transfer market to aid his team’s fortunes, frequently preferring to extol the virtues of coaching on the pitch.
Even though the club’s current strategy is one that is imposed on them by the strictly self-sustainable model preferred by owners Fenway Sports Group, it is impossible to find major holes in it given the club’s five-point lead at the top of the Premier League and the fact that they still have the FA Cup, Europa League, and the Carabao Cup final at Wembley to look forward to.
The FSG pursestrings may loosen during transfer windows if a different personality takes the hot seat starting in the next season, but for the time being, the manager’s office at the AXA Training Centre and the Boston boardroom generally share the same opinions, despite some tense private discussions about the necessity of hiring under Klopp at specific points in time.
Financial fair play and Liverpool’s ability to compete through revenue generated off the field as one of the biggest clubs in the world have always been beliefs held by FSG since the division’s founding, but their grand vision is being aided by the money tap being abruptly turned off throughout the entire division.
The idea of a more rational approach to division-wide transfers would undoubtedly only help Liverpool’s continuous rebuilding under a new administration moving forward as they try to continue recruiting at the kind of elite level that has marked the Klopp era, especially as FSG seems to have stockpiled so much for a rainy day.
Although it’s unlikely to persist, teams will probably jolt the transfer conveyor belt back into action in the summer. Until then, though, it seems probable Klopp is taking advantage of the quiet. If the departing Liverpool manager can do that at all at this point.
