Liverpool’s quadruple dream died at Old Trafford on Sunday, with the Reds conceding a last-minute winner in extra time, losing a topsy-turvy game 4-3.
Attention will now be focused on the competitions prioritised by fans and team management alike – the Premier League and the Europa League.
Jürgen Klopp now knows that Atalanta and one of Benfica or Marseille stand between him and a date with destiny in Dublin on May 22nd. There are ten games to go in the Premier League, but the outgoing boss may have been given a helping hand by tough European draws for domestic rivals Arsenal and Manchester City, who will go on to play each other should they reach the semi-final stage of the Champions League.
Looking ahead to life post-Klopp – German journalist Florian ‘Plettigoal’ Plettenberg has listed Liverpool amongst the clubs interested in a summer move for Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich. Plettenberg reported on Monday that current champions Bayern are ‘prepared to sell Kimmich this summer’ as his contract expires in 2025.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight show, we asked experienced LFC reporter Neil Jones for his thoughts on the Kimmich rumours.
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Neil said:
“I don’t doubt Florian Plettenberg and his info, or anything like that. My opinion on just whether Liverpool should do it would be: ‘The alarm would be flashing at a very loud rate.’
“He’s been a brilliant player for many, many years. He’s got obviously a little bit of versatility in terms of right back and midfield makes him interesting.
“It doesn’t feel like a deal Liverpool should be getting involved in, personally. It would represent a little bit of the change in there. It doesn’t feel like, ‘Well, he fixes a huge problem.’
“I would be steering clear if I was Liverpool, but we’ll see what comes of it.
“It’s great – in theory – when you get a world-class player in. We’ve seen Manchester United do it with Bastian Schweinsteiger. Manchester United have done it with many players. You look at Casemiro, even, to a degree.
“You end up with a player who used to be a great player – who’s on a lot of money – and he’s got a three-year contract or four-year contract. It can become a burden as much as it can be spectacular.
“I would have probably have been trying to force it last summer, when Liverpool really needed a Joshua Kimmich-type signing. This summer doesn’t feel like they do.”
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With the return of Michael Edwards impending, the signing of a player like Kimmich seems unlikely. The Germany international does not fit into the standard Edwards mould of players under the age of 25 whose value and potential ability can increase during their time at Liverpool. It would require a massive change of direction from the incoming FSG Head of Football and likely LFC Director of Football Richard Hughes. The club have potentially been bitten by their experience with former Bayern midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who – despite his occasional brilliance in a red shirt – has struggled with injury for a large proportion of his time on Merseyside whilst taking home a considerable wage packet. If Kimmich could be signed cheaply and can stay injury-free, then he would be a valuable addition to most squads in world football, but it looks as if you should expect him to be lining up at Anfield next August.
