Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp impressed by Chelsea’s big spending: 'They can't do this for next 10 years!'

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he cannot explain Chelsea’s recent spending spree, saying he prefers to concentrate on "coaching, developing and team building" instead.

The Blues have spent over £400m since the consortium headed by billionaire Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over in the summer, with £140m of that coming in the last 15 days with potentially more to come before the end of the month.

That is a lot more than Liverpool, who after buying Benfica forward Darwin Nunez for an initial £64m – which could rise to a club-record £85m with add-ons – and youngsters Fabio Carvalho (from Fulham for £5m) and Calvin Ramsay (from Aberdeen for £6.5m), have added £38m PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo as likely their only January transfer.

On whether Chelsea’s spending made the challenge for the Premier League top four more difficult Klopp, who celebrates his 1,000th match as a manager on Saturday, said: “Maybe. It may get probably even worse or better, I don’t know exactly how you want to say it.

“Interesting (the spending). I cannot explain it, I have no idea. But if the numbers are true then it’s impressive.”

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Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group put the club up for sale late last year but appear to be now deviating away from that and looking for additional investors to buy a part share.

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That means Klopp’s next tranche of transfer money, which the American-based group has always tried to manage responsibly, is likely to be available in the summer as the club chase Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham.

Asked if Chelsea’s spending was a concern, Klopp added: “I don’t think Chelsea can do this in the same manner for the next 10 years – I don’t know, maybe they can.

“Other teams will have ups and downs and we just have to be there. I can’t see investment stopping in the future and that means we have to do it as well.

In general. I believe in coaching, I believe in developing, I believe in team-building and using those things 100 per cent.

“We don’t talk about now because it’s always slightly different, but in general. I believe in coaching, I believe in developing, I believe in team-building and using those things 100 per cent.

“Meanwhile there are so many good managers out there it’s crazy so they believe in that as well – and if they start really properly spending and do those things as well, then you cannot not spend or you will have a little bit of a problem.

“The moment you build a new team, it doesn’t mean you have to build it every year new, (you) give players the chance to make the next step.

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“We have quite a few of them already here. Then a lot of things are possible again. That’s the plan for the future.

“It’s not worrying that other teams can spend, it’s probably a matter of fact. We have to react to that as well but not just to that.”

Saturday’s meeting at Anfield pits the ninth-placed hosts against opponents one spot below them, not a scenario envisaged at the start of the season.

However with this match representing only the halfway point in Liverpool’s season, and with the club 10 points off fourth-placed Newcastle with a match in hand, Klopp remains optimistic of a change in fortunes.

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“We are here in a good position. I know that sounds strange because we didn’t play our best football but in general we are in good hands,” he said.

“So we don’t get crazy or whatever. We really know about the responsibility we have and we really try absolutely everything to try to bring us back on track and not worry too much.”

Nunez is expected to be available for selection after missing the last two matches with a muscle problem.

A crazy number - Klopp set for 1,000th game as a manager

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Klopp will mark his 1,000th match as a manager on Saturday but admits his coaching career almost never got off the ground.

The 55-year-old German began at Mainz in 2001, where he took charge for the first time on February 28, 2001 just one day after being promoted from the playing staff.

His side beat MSV Duisburg 1-0 before going on to win six of his first seven games in charge as the club avoided relegation from the second tier.

"Jurgen is undoubtedly one of the most gifted managers in world football and the dedication and passion which Jurgen brings to his role is inspiring to anyone aspiring to a career in football management. "The many trophies he has already won in his career, including in recent seasons the Champions League and Premier League with Liverpool, confirm his status amongst football's elite."

But Klopp believes his career could have taken a different direction had one of those matches gone the other way.

"From the first seven games I think we won six and if we lost one more I think we would have been relegated," he said.

"To win five from the first seven would have been an outstanding number and no-one would have recognised it, you just go down to the third league and a promising coaching career would be finished before it really started.

"I was lucky that didn't happen. It is a crazy number, honestly, 1,000.

"I never thought about these numbers and never thought I would be allowed to do it for that long, but it went really quick.

"The problems I had at that time are completely different to the ones I have today.

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"The beard is now really grey, that was not the case when I arrived here. I'm not sure if that is because of the age or because of Liverpool.

"It was not for one second boring, that is the best thing you can say about your working life, and the best thing I can imagine to do.

"I am absolutely fine with the excitement, the pressure, the outstanding moments and the lesser good moments. It is part of the deal.

"Nobody wins all the time and I knew that early and so I don't expect it, but I still try to do it as often as somehow possible."

Klopp spent seven years at Mainz, whom he got promoted to the top flight, then moved to Borussia Dortmund where he broke Bayern Munich's Bundesliga stranglehold with back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.

He brought up his 500th managerial game with a 5-0 win over Freiburg on September 28, 2013 but eventually left Dortmund in three years later.

After a short sabbatical he replaced Brendan Rodgers at Anfield, where he went on to win every major club honour, including a sixth Champions League and a first Premier League title, while also leading them to two other Champions League finals and two second-place league finishes, one with a record 97 points.

His Liverpool side have been pipped to the title by Manchester City twice by a point (in 2019 and 2022), but Klopp holds the record for winning more competitive games against Pep Guardiola (11) than any other coach.

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Klopp's overall win percentage across his career is 53.9 per cent, with his Liverpool record 60.7 per cent.

League Managers' Association committee and 1,000 club member Sir Alex Ferguson, a stalwart at arch-rivals Manchester United, paid tribute to Klopp.

"Jurgen is undoubtedly one of the most gifted managers in world football and the dedication and passion which Jurgen brings to his role is inspiring to anyone aspiring to a career in football management," he said.

"The many trophies he has already won in his career, including in recent seasons the Champions League and Premier League with Liverpool, confirm his status amongst football's elite.

"I am certain that Jurgen will continue his trajectory of success and add many more matches to the 1,000 he achieves this weekend."

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