Sport
Will Liverpool regret not signing Jude Bellingham?
There has been an active movement against Liverpool’s owners, the Fenway Sports Group, for quite some time. It hasn’t been prominent among the majority, there are no Anfield banners or protests, but it could be about to grow after the events of the last few days.
Reports emerged that the Reds were walking away from a deal for the man who has long been a main target, Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham. It is said that the financial reality of any deal is too great.
While it is true that Bellingham, probably the most wanted man in Europe this summer, will cost a lot of money, the speculation has understandably riled Liverpool fans who are already frustrated at a lack of investment which they’d have hoped would have kept them in touch with Manchester City season. There are a number of reasons for such a drop off this season; nobody expected it to be this bad, but the team has looked quite stale for some time, particularly in midfield.
Jürgen Klopp has spoken about the need to refresh the squad but that has come a year too late. It felt as though the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in Paris was the end of a cycle, especially as it followed on from narrowly missing out on the Premier League title on the final day to City. Aurelien Tchouameni was a target before eventually joining Madrid, so it wouldn’t be fair to say Liverpool didn’t understand the need for midfield reinforcements. But the fact they didn’t spend big on an alternative, instead signing Brazilian Arthur Melo from Juventus on an ill-fated loan spell, only fuelled the rumours of a move for Bellingham. Dropping out now, when his price tag has been known for some time, has exacerbated fears that there is no wider plan.
Perhaps Liverpool will be priced out, especially as they look likely miss out on Champions League football. But to walk away at this stage, when they still have a lot to offer the player; talk of their interest was seemingly reciprocated by the player, who has been said to enjoy the atmosphere at Liverpool and what the club stands for. He is also known to be close to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson and grew up idolising Steven Gerrard. These may not be the most important factors, but they could make the difference if Liverpool could find a deal with Dortmund.
History suggests they could do that, too. They may not have the funds to compete on the scale of Man City, but with deals like those for Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and most recently Darwin Nunez, Liverpool can go big for the right player. They have also proven a number of times that one player can be a catalyst for a change in fortune; Luis Diaz did that last January, as did Mohamed Salah, and of course Van Dijk and Alisson.
Bellingham – with his energy, intensity, intelligence and ability to dominate games, all the qualities Klopp looks for in a midfielder – would be a game-changing signing. Any opportunity should be taken, no matter how small.
But before Monday’s game against Leeds at Elland Road, Klopp took the opportunity to seemingly confirm Liverpool’s surrender in a rather creative way.
“I never understand why we talk about things we cannot have, theoretically,” Klopp told reporters on Friday. “We cannot have six players in a summer, everyone for £100m.That is clear.
“You have to realise what you can do and then work with it. That is your job. We are not children; when you ask a five-year-old what they want for Christmas and they say, I don’t know, a Ferrari, you would say that is too expensive and you cannot drive it.
“If this kid then was really unhappy because he didn’t get a Ferrari, it would be a really sad life. You look what you can do, and you work with that.”
It looks like Liverpool are moving on from Bellingham. There could be logic in that decision if they use the same money to sign more than one quality addition, but there is so much evidence to suggest they are turning their back on their ideal next big signing.
