For an ad-free experience, please log-in to the members site

Klopp’s warning to Werner and Co

Timo Werner

Jürgen Klopp has issued a warning to any player that is attracting interest from Anfield: ‘Be prepared to fight for your place or don’t come at all!’

Over the weekend, German striker Timo Werner again spoke highly of Liverpool and the boss but it’s no secret that he has had reservations about previously making the switch to Anfield because his chances may, at first, be limited. The 23-year-old is expected to make the switch to Liverpool in the summer but as yet, neither side has anything official to say and while that’s the case, that leaves the door open for the likes of Real Madrid to muscle in.

Commenting on transfer recruitment and the problems often involved in such, Klopp said: “Usually if people mention ‘the best team in the world,’ you think of Real Madrid from a few years ago, Barcelona from a few years ago, Man City of the last two years and stuff like this.

“The team we have is about attitude – go and go and go – mixed with really good football players.

“We are for sure more critical of our performances because they only see the results, which are exceptional – no doubt about that – but we don’t see ourselves as the best in the world.

“On the one side, it’s easier if players see you as that. If they see you are successful, it’s easier to get into talks with players.

“But on the other side, it’s more difficult the better your team is because they ask questions like ‘where and when would I play?’

“We need players who want to be part of this, who want to fight for their spot, who want to make the next step together with us, who want to develop and improve so that’s it.

<<– Buy football club shares online –>>

“We have these players and whoever wants to join us, needs to have exactly this kind of attitude.

“The CV, it’s not easy to fulfil. The age group of the team is good in the moment. In two or three years, maybe it’ll be different but for the moment, it’s good.

“It depends on what you want – is it a good age for selling? Probably not. But is it a good age for performing? Yes. So there’s a lot of things we have to think about. It’s an interesting period.

“Last summer, we did Sepp, Harvey and Adrian and people were not happy that we didn’t do any more than that because they think we need this and that here and there.

“We will see if we can make the right decisions again. It doesn’t depend on us alone, it’s the market, it’s the things around that will have an influence.

“It’s not that we are going mad about what is out there – we want the right player, we don’t just sign any.”