Entering the transfer market for a solution is just one way of addressing Liverpool’s injury problems, according to Jurgen Klopp,, who added that he will only ever move for the “right player”. Prior to their first home league game of the campaign, Liverpool have a growing injury list to contend with but Klopp sees a plethora of solutions rather than simply turning to the market.
The serious hamstring injury sustained by Thiago Alcantara in the opening-day draw with Fulham has added to Liverpool’s injury woes, with the Spaniard expected to be sidelined for between four to six weeks.
Despite growing talk that Liverpool should strengthen their midfield options, the Liverpool manager sees it as a chance for players within his squad to step up. Rather than stubbornness to make purchases, it is more to do with a lack of available options.
“I am happy with the strength, size and quality of my squad,” said Klopp, whose side host Crystal Palace on Monday evening. “We have injuries, that’s how it is. Now it is a question of how long the players will be out for and there [are] different solutions for it. One of them is the transfer market but the transfer market only makes sense if you can bring in the right player. The right player, not a player.
“If we bring in the right player then it could make sense but we always would have done that from the first day of the transfer window or the first day of pre-season. In some cases it was not possible and in other cases extremely difficult. That is why you don’t have to think a lot about it.
“All the other solutions are inside the squad. We have now too many injuries, that is clear, but Naby [Keita] will be back for Monday and Kostas [Tsimikas] will train the first time today so he might be back as well.”
'We are not stubborn'
Liverpool’s injury list also contains fellow midfielders Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while defender Joel Matip may also be absent for the Palace match after sitting out training on Friday morning. Given Ibrahima Konate is already sidelined, Joe Gomez may start alongside Virgil van Dijk at the back.
“If there was the right solution for us, we would have done it already,” Klopp added. “We are not stubborn and say ‘No, no way, we don’t bring in anyone’. It is just the right thing to do. When people told me at the beginning of the season we lack a specific kind of midfielder I didn’t understand that because if you search for these specific things then you always lack something.
“If you have technical players then you miss the fighter, if you have the fighter then you miss the technical player. It was always like this: if there would be the right player and there was the opportunity we would have done it, we would do it, but I don’t see it because we have had a lot of conversations already and it doesn’t look like something will happen.”