As Manchester City were putting Bayern Munich to the sword on Tuesday night, the news all Liverpool fans were dreading came via a host of journalists close to the club – the long pursuit of Jude Bellingham is over.
Journo Insight’s Neil Jones reported on goal.com that the Reds are now looking to ‘pursue an alternative recruitment strategy.’ Jürgen Klopp poured further cold water on the idea that the story was a negotiation tactic in his press conference ahead of Monday’s match with Leeds United. The boss was defiant when faced with questions about the Dortmund star. He said: “You wouldn’t ask a five-year-old what they want at Christmas and if they say ‘a Ferrari’, you would not say: ‘Oh, that is a good idea.’
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight Show, we asked Neil to break down the end of the Bellingham pursuit.
“Liverpool’s Summer Now Needs To Be Perfect” – Neil Jones on LFC’s Bellingham Decision
Neil said:
“The thing that gave me a feeling that there was a chance at Jude Bellingham was that Liverpool didn’t pour any cold water on it. Why would they do it now? The conclusion I immediately go to is this season has got worse and worse and worse and worse. I think they still thought, ‘we’re going to finish top four’.
“I think Liverpool have probably been spooked by some of the players, some of the declines in them.
“The other conclusion that you could reach – and it’s an even more straightforward one – is that they’ve been told by Jude Bellingham, ‘No Champions League, no party. We don’t fancy it.’
“Now they’re going to need some real, real, real good signings. Not just good signings, they’re going to have to restructure the team and really get them flying as well.
“There is a world where you sign Jude Bellingham, and he literally just transforms Liverpool’s team into what it used to be, he just revives it. I don’t think it’s as clear-cut as that. I think the rot is a little bit deeper around the side.
“I think a signing like that is more than just a player. I think it’s a ‘feeling’ of… almost convincing yourself this club is still going forward. I think there’s a danger that this whole thing becomes Liverpool accepting where they are.
“It does mean that Liverpool – they already needed to have an incredible summer, they now need an absolutely perfect one.
“They can’t now look like they’re winging it with the second choice. It has to be more ruthless. I have big doubts about whether they’ll do it.”
REDMEN REACTS
Jude Bellingham is ‘more than just a player’. A full-blooded pursuit of Bellingham would have represented the fact that Liverpool still considers themselves to be a top-level European club. This week’s news provides grim evidence that they are not. The way the club have handled the messaging around Jude has been nigh-on incompetent. Last season’s target Aurélien Tchouaméni very reasonably decided to join Real Madrid, and the midfield was allowed to age and decline together. The promise of landing one of football’s hottest properties was enough to stifle a good deal of criticism. The idea that the fees involved in signing such a marquee name would be on the large side should have come as no surprise. The phrase ‘champagne taste on a beer budget’ comes to mind.
Liverpool FC exists in a dichotomy – it celebrates its superb financial performance and successes on the pitch, only to then back down when confronted with the cold reality of sustaining a place at football’s top table – serious money must be spent year in, year out to compete. Does coming up against sides backed by nation-states make that difficult? Of course. But this has been the case from the very beginning of FSG’s tenure. What is the point in putting systems in place to ‘climb the mountain’, only to then discover you do not have much of a head for heights?
The Klopp-era transfer committee has admittedly been excellent at finding value. In the same summer that Neymar cost PSG £200million, Mo Salah arrived at Anfield for around 20% of that fee. Whoever Jürgen decides to bring in this summer, they simply must hit the ground running straight away and improve the first eleven. The club’s league position and performances on the pitch must also improve immediately. Anything other than this would be perceived as a further momentum shift away from Anfield, with the likes of Newcastle United waiting to capitalise in the longer term. Not much of an ask then. Good luck, lads!
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