Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp’s recent comments on Newcastle United’s transfer policy have been branded ‘really disrespectful’ by former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood.
The Reds head coach has spoken at length about the spending power of other clubs in comparison to Liverpool and specifically alluded to the likes of Newcastle, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain when discussing state-owned teams earlier this month.
Klopp was adamant in his belief that Liverpool are simply unable to compete in the market with ‘three clubs in world football who can do what they want financially’ as a result of their big-spending ownership models.
Although Eddie Howe does not tend to get drawn into these sorts of exchanges, but the Newcastle head coach warned Klopp to be ‘careful’ after he felt the need to ‘stand up’ for the club. Sherwood, who worked alongside Howe as a fellow pundit for Premier League Productions during the 44-year-old’s time out of the game, thought Klopp’s dig was ‘rich’ and he should be working to fix his own problems at Anfield rather than focusing too much on other teams.
“I think some comments that have been made in recent weeks about Eddie Howe and about spending have been really disrespectful,” Sherwood told the Kelly and Wright Show.
“I think he already improved some of the players they already had. Joelinton, for instance, is the biggest example, someone who is a failed No 9 with previous managers and he is now playing as a No 8 and running the game. It’s a little bit disrespectful to suggest that it’s just about the money.
They have spent nothing. Hold your breath and wait for what’s going to come. He’s earned the right, they needed to [spend] because they were struggling [to fight] relegation. I think for Jurgen Klopp to come out and start criticising him, I think it’s rich.”
“That’s what he meant, we aren’t spending money and other teams are. So, I just suggest he gets on with his own team because he has a lot of problems at Liverpool.”
Liverpool currently sit four places and five points behind Newcastle in the Premier League table, with the Magpies having climbed into the division’s top four as a result of their impressive victory over Tottenham on Sunday. They spent a total of £122million on new players throughout the summer transfer window, an outlay of around £50m more than Liverpool over the same time period.
