The Dutch winger is likely to make his debut in the FA Cup next weekend (Pictures: Getty)
Jurgen Klopp has played down the likelihood of Liverpool making any more major signings in the January window following Cody Gakpo’s arrival – with the Dutchman unlikely to play against Brentford.
The Merseysiders agreed a deal worth £44million for the Netherlands international last week and he was in the stands at Anfield on Friday as his new team secured a 2-1 victory over Leicester City.
Liverpool have also been linked extensively with a move for a new midfielder, with Jude Bellingham and Enzo Fernandez the two main names on their radar, but Klopp has suggested his side’s transfer business is done until the summer.
‘I am now seven years and a few months here and every transfer window is pretty much the same, we talk about these things as though money wouldn’t play a role. Like who cares? It is never like this that you could just spend money,’ Klopp told reporters.
‘I don’t want to disappoint anybody but we signed an outstanding player like Cody Gakpo and the next thing you can read is, “who next?” It is like we didn’t have a team, honestly! We cannot play like monopoly. We never did and I don’t understand it.
‘Of course we cannot just spend and never could, surprisingly. We always sorted our situations and it is a big part of my philosophy, really working full of faith and trust with the players we have and not constantly questioning them by telling them we need another player for that position or that position.
‘With Cody it is obvious not only because we have that void now, the quality he has, the timing is perfect and if we wait until the summer he will be more expensive or someone else would have picked him.
Gakpo watched Liverpool’s win over Leicester from the stands (Picture: Getty)
‘There is a lot of potential, it makes absolute sense and the games we will have in the next years the games will not get less we will have more games and all these kinds of things.
‘It is clear that you need real quality in all positions and probably two teams on the same level that you can rotate and that is what we try to prepare obviously. That is somebody is now surprised when I say we will not now start splashing the cash – that should be really clear.
‘Again, if there is something we can do – and that means the right player and financial situation – we will do it, and if not, then not.’
With Monday being a bank holiday, Klopp is not confident that Gakpo will be registered by noon in order to face Brentford later in the evening, while he has yet to train with his new Liverpool team-mates.
Klopp explained: ‘Let me say it like this, if I would work for the decisive agencies or would sit in the decisive offices then I am early awake every morning so I could sign these papers at 6.30am in the morning.
‘But I’m not too sure it will happen and it must be before 12pm, and on top of that he’s not allowed to train with the team before these papers are signed.
‘Technically he’s still an Eindhoven player. Or I am not sure, but it’s not allowed. So there is a chance on my planet, but I don’t know if it’s really there.’
MORE : Paul Merson accuses Liverpool of signing Cody Gakpo just to spite Manchester United
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‘We cannot play like Monopoly!’
