Liverpool round-up: Klopp reacts to Arsenal victory; summer transfer plans revealed; boost in chase for winger

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After one of the team’s best performances of the season, and most definitely of 2017, Jurgen Klopp spoke to the media after the game to praise his side and their performance, as reported by the club website, by saying:

“First of all, we were absolutely spot-on from the first second in the game. We played a wonderful first half. It was clear it would be a very intense game… It was clear we needed to have an eye on the counter attacks and all that stuff. Both teams tried to play high pressure – that was the reason for a lot of long balls, which made sense. But after winning the second ball, both teams tried to play football. Especially in the first half, we did better. We played really good, created wonderful chances and scored only two times, and could have scored more in the first half.”

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Roberto Firmino opened the scoring in the ninth minute but man of the match Sadio Mane added a crucial second just before half time. Danny Welbeck pulled one back for the Gunners in the second half but Georgino Wijnaldum’s injury time finish secured the win.

Performances like that only add to the frustration of the inconsistency that has cost the side dearly against teams like Hull, Burnley, and Bournemouth this season, but Klopp already has plans for next season and how to improve as he told Sky Sports:

“We all have the same plan, the sporting director, scouting department, owners, myself – we all want to make this club as successful as possible so we will spend money in the summer. Of course we have to improve the squad, that is clear. We could have done with one or two players in January, when we had injury problems and the Africa Cup, but the transfer window didn’t give us any opportunity. We will be prepared for the summer window, for sure. We are working on it already – we might need between two and six players.”

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After a very quiet January with no signings, such activity will be welcome news to many fans who were calling for greater depth in the squad when the transfer window was open.

One possible signing could be Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato, after the 25-year-old has reportedly stalled in talks over a new contract, with his contract set to expire in two years time and negotiations failing to reach a conclusion after months of talks.

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The winger is also being monitored by AC Milan, and whilst he is keen to stay in Napoli, he does want a pay rise which he could find at Anfield. With nine goals and ten assists in 36 games this campaign, he could add the kind of quality that the squad needs.

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