Liverpool legend, Graeme Souness believes that the current Reds’ side became ‘a proper team’ when they sold Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in the last winter transfer window. According to Graeme Souness, Jurgen Klopp made Liverpool a ‘proper team’ because they sold Philippe Coutinho.
The Brazilian midfielder joined Barcelona for a fee of £142million in January 2018 but despite securing back-to-back La Liga titles with the Catalan giants, he flattered to deceive over his 18-month spell at the Camp Nou and is spending the 2019-20 season on loan at Bayern Munich.
Klopp allowed Coutinho to leave despite him having shone on Merseyside and becoming a firm fan-favorite for the Reds. Further, the manager used the funds to strengthen his defense with Van Dijk and Alisson proving crucial in Liverpool’s recent success.
Before a switch to the Spanish league was made official from the Spanish giants, Liverpool swooped on Premier League rivals Southampton to land Van Dijk in a £75 million ($96m) deal. On the other hand, the Dutch defender has become a talismanic presence on Merseyside, while Coutinho finds himself on loan at Bayern Munich after struggling to make the desired impact with Barca.
Currently, Liverpool with the witty Jurgen Klopp on their side are chasing down a first league title in 30 years, with a 13-point lead and a match in hand has opened up at the top of the Premier League table, and Souness believes shrewd recruitment is responsible for the impressive progress.
The Reds legend, Graeme Souness told to standard sports outlet, Sky Sports:
“Maybe, for the neutral, they were a better watch a couple of years ago.
“But when they got rid of Coutinho and brought in Van Dijk and Alisson, that’s when they made that jump.
“All of a sudden they’re a proper team.”
When asked about the Reds’ title claims, Klopp said :
“There is a long way to go for all of us.
“Everybody asks me what it was like in 2019. My 2019 team was brilliant but that’s not important, we count seasons, not years. The 2019-20 season is not over. We are halfway there. There are 19 games to play. That’s a lot.
Also, the Reds’ manager acknowledged that having a strong and coherent attack is a major boost in the title race. He opined;
“A lot of times in my life I had sensational players always [but] not world-class players,” Klopp said.
“Now, thank God I have them and they make the difference. We don’t have to talk about that. “Sadio Mane, Bobby Firmino, Mo Salah – these guys in the last situation are really outstanding.
“They were a constant threat, however tired they are. That’s brilliant and, of course, made the difference. We don’t have to talk about that.
With half of the league left for the team which has never won the Premier League title in 30 years, will they win it or will make Graeme Souness bite his words back? Voice of your opinion below.
