Fresh off a Premier League title-winning triumph across the 2019-20 season of top-flight football, Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool FC board certainly had an endeavour to add fresh blood to an already star-studded squad to fend off competition for the league title from the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea, two teams who were going ham in the transfer window of summer 2020.
However, the initial weeks of the summer saw the Reds being adjudged as one of the quietest players in their business, with even Everton being more proactive than their city rivals in their approach towards replenishing an ageing squad and Carlo Ancelotti’s acumen to making sure big-name stars arrived at Goodison Park ahead of the new season.
Kostas Tsimikas’ signing from Olymapkos was the sole transfer finalized by the Anfield giants in the opening stage of the transfer window, the Greek international being brought in at the club to provide much-needed cover for the left-back spot, currently held in all might by Andy Robertson.
The Scot has been one of the most influential performers on the pitch for the Reds in recent seasons, but even the tireless defender needs some time off in alternate fixtures and cup ties, and with no natural left-back being present at the club, Tsimikas’s signing was held in good faith by the Liverpool FC fanbase.
The supporters, however, were still clamouring for more new faces to be seen in the Liverpool FC shirt, and when rumours of Thiago Alcantara, arguably one of the most creative playmakers in world football, wanting to make the move to Anfield started emerging, Klopp had a task on his hands to prize away from the Spaniard’s signing under the noses of FC Barcelona and Manchester United.
The German did deliver upon the same, and despite months-long deliberations between the Merseyside Reds and Bayern Munich, Thiago did arrive at Anfield with a wide smile on his face, putting pen to paper on a four-year-long deal. His on-field success over the years has certainly made the 29-year old a prized asset at Klopp’s disposal for the 2020-21 season and so far, the Spaniard’s debut in the win over Chelsea and snippets of training sessions at Melwood have proved that Liverpool FC have probably gotten away with the bargain signing of this summer.
An arising requirement to improve upon first-team attacking options for Liverpool FC, despite the presence of squad players in Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri, took upon a surprise turn when Diogo Jota’s name propped up as a potential signing for the Reds in less than 24 hours after Thiago’s move to the Premier League champions was confirmed.
Jota was not the first-choice target for Klopp, with Watford and Senegal star-forward Ismaila Sarr’s situation being monitored by the Reds for a number of weeks, however, the Hornets’ persistence on sticking to a £40 million price-tag for the 22-year old led to Liverpool FC turning their focus towards Jota’s signature.
The ex-Wolves attacker became the Reds third signing of this summer, and the club’ second within a span of 48 hours, when Liverpool FC reached upon agreeable terms with the Molineux Stadium outfit over the Portuguese international’s transfer.
A flurry on incomings at Anfield was evident by Klopp’s desire to improve upon last season’s showings across all competitions, and progressing further into the UEFA Champions League this season remains a key factor behind a need to fortify the squad depth at Liverpool FC.
Should the club have given equal priority to signing a more reliant and able backup to the seemingly injury-prone Alisson Becker this summer? Many fans would argue for the same, especially after seeing Adrian’s horrendous performance in the 7-2 drubbing of Jurgen Klopp’s men by Aston Villa recently in the Premier League.
However, the Liverpool FC boss was defiant on continuing to field the ex-West Ham United man as Alisson’s replacement, and despite a shocking loss to Villa, the Spaniard remains a much-experienced figure between the sticks.
On the whole, the summer of 2020 could be seen as the Merseyside club’s most fruitful transfer window in recent years, with a call for improvement upon last season’s title-winning squad being answered unequivocally by the Liverpool FC management.
Whether the expected series of results would fall the Reds’ path over the course of a year-long campaign certainly remains to be seen, but for now, it does seem to be a very well-planned out blueprint for Jurgen Klopp and the 19-time league champions.
