Jurgen Klopp commands total commitment from his players.
The Liverpool manager has said he doesn’t want big name players, and has stuck to his word with his summer signings so far. Honesty of effort, and a concerted effort to buy into the team ethos, appears to take precedent in Klopp’s mind over star quality.
The German’s demand for unwavering loyalty and commitment appears to have ended Liverpool’s pursuit of two high profile targets.
According to James Pearce of The Liverpool Echo, Klopp called off deals for Ben Chilwell, and ended Liverpool’s interest in Mario Gotze, after both players stalled on committing their loyalties to the club.
Despite Liverpool needing a new left-back, due to Alberto Moreno’s patchy form, and Brad Smith joining Bournemouth, Klopp abruptly halted interest in Leicester City’s Chilwell, who is now set to sign a new five-year deal with the Premier League champions.
“Klopp had been keen to secure the services of the England Under-21s international with Liverpool having a £7million bid rejected last month.
“But the Reds gave up on that deal after Klopp doubted Chilwell’s desire to complete a move to Anfield.
“The manager recently spoke about he only wants players who are 100% committed to the cause.”
Something similar occurred with Gotze, who has since re-joined Borussia Dortmund from Bayern Munich.
“That hardline stance led to Klopp also ending interest in Mario Gotze when he indicated that he wanted to keep his options open until after Euro 2016.”
Liverpool fans can rest assured that if a player does sign for the club under Klopp, they’ll be fully committed to the cause.
