Jurgen Klopp set to decline Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool transfer instruction as stance clear

After Liverpool's Champions League final loss to Real Madrid, an autopsy of what went wrong on the pitch unsurprisingly took place.

The Reds' 1-0 defeat to Los Blancos, which put paid to hopes of a seventh European Cup, was scrutinised by those closest to the action.

Thibaut Courtois' heroics in the Madrid goal were eulogised. How Vinicius Jnr was allowed all sorts of space at the back post by Liverpool to net the match-winner was analysed.

Then once all the bones of all the major talking points were picked, talk turned towards the future.

Discussions were held about what Jurgen Klopp needed to do to usurp Manchester City from their Premier League throne, having fallen just a point short.

Gerrard’s advice

Steven Gerrard was on punditry for BT Sport in Paris. For the Kop legend and current Aston Villa boss, the solution was fairly clear.

Having been one of the best goalscoring midfielders in Premier League history, Gerrard felt a player of that ilk was missing from the Reds' current squad.

He said: “Jordan [Henderson] and James Milner are not getting any younger.

“They’re still top players at this level, of course, and they’ll want to go on and do more.

“But for Liverpool, if you think about the next five, six, seven years, they’re going to need a midfielder - an eight - who can get goals, who can get double figures.

“They are heavily reliant on the front three – or the front five if you include Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino.

“But you always need one of those midfielders that’s going to get in the box and get you goals.”

Dearth of midfield goals

Gerrard's thoughts concurred with supporters aplenty. Liverpool's engine room was devoid of goals throughout 2021-22.

To everyone's surprise, Fabinho finished as the top goalscoring midfielder with eight. The Brazilian’s tally was somewhat of an anomaly, however. He had only bagged a total of three times in his previous three campaigns.

Naby Keita was next on the list with four, while Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain netted three apiece.

Yet it appears that Klopp is set to ignore Gerrard's advice.

It's unlikely a new midfielder will be arriving in the current transfer window.

While clamour for Jude Bellingham to be signed will likely continue, fans' wishes appear set to go unanswered.

Transfer stance

Liverpool's transfer business, in terms of incomings, appears complete.

Klopp has already splashed out what could become a club-record fee of £85 million on Darwin Nunez from Benfica.

Along with Mo Salah, the burden of putting the ball in the back of the net will be on the Uruguay international.

Meanwhile, Calvin Ramsay has been recruited for £6.5 million from Aberdeen.

And Fabio Carvalho has been prised to Anfield from Fulham for £7.7 million.

Indeed, Carvalho does bolster Liverpool's options in the middle of the park somewhat. The exciting teenager is extremely versatile.

And Klopp does have ample players he can select from.

Henders, Fabinho, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones, James Milner and Harvey Elliott can all feature centrally.

Much talk has been about Liverpool being likely to strengthen their midfield in 12 months' time.

As things stand, Keita, Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain will be out of contract. If all were to depart, additions would be needed.

But, for now, it seems that Klopp's happy to politely decline Gerrard's instruction.