Jurgen Klopp insists that, despite Liverpool’s form improving of late, there have been no changes to his plans for the summer transfer window.
“Ha ha ha! I like that, a direct question!” Klopp laughed in his press conference on Friday.
The Liverpool manager was asked whether he was planning to bring in a defender in the summer, amid speculation over new arrivals.
With a shift in formation to a three-man defensive line in possession, there have been suggestions that a new left-sided centre-back could be brought in.
“We look in all departments,” Klopp insisted, “apart from goalkeeper, in the moment.”
Earlier in the day, Klopp had emphatically denied that Caoimhin Kelleher and Adrian could leave the club in the transfer window, but there was less clarity elsewhere.
“You spoke about midfield. Not you personally, but [that is the discourse],” he continued.
“If there is a good one out there, I would not deny it. That’s all. How I said, we have to, and we do, look in all areas of the pitch. Definitely.”
The change in system has revitalised a number of players, including Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fabinho, who had struggled throughout the campaign.
Curtis Jones, meanwhile, has emerged as a first-choice starter, with Klopp’s midfield significantly stronger now than it had been prior to the switch.
But Liverpool are still expected to sign a number of new midfielders this summer, with Alexis Mac Allister, Mason Mount, Ryan Gravenberch and Matheus Nunes among their targets.
Asked specifically if an upturn in fortunes on the pitch had left him to rethink his transfer plans, Klopp was adamant.
“No, not really. No,” he replied. “No, nothing changed.”
Whether those plans include another defender is unclear, of course.
But as Liverpool aim to finish the season with a run of nine consecutive wins and, hopefully, a place in the Champions League, they can at least now build from a position of strength.
