‘Nine out of 10 signings for Liverpool have been bang on’ – Collymore salutes Reds’ recruitment

Liverpool have become so successful because “nine signings out of 10 have been bang on”, says Stan Collymore, with Jurgen Klopp implementing a “special brand” of football at Anfield.

Long-term vision has been shown by those on Merseyside since appointing a German coach in October 2015.

Champions League and Premier League trophies were always the ultimate goal, but there was an acceptance that it was going to take a lot of hard work on and off the field in order to hit those targets.

Klopp has now delivered on his remit, with major silverware collected on a regular basis of late, with a star-studded squad taking up a position at the top of domestic, continental and global games.

Shrewd investment has carried the Reds to this point, with considerable value found in deals for the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.

Collymore believes those dealings should be recognised, with the Reds having raised the bar when it comes to delivering both substance and style.

“Liverpool have blown Pep Guardiola’s men [Manchester City] away with Jurgen Klopp’s special brand of the game,” the former Reds striker told The Mirror.

“The fact Liverpool finished second in the Premier League last season and first this time out - with an aggregate of 196 points - is simply stunning.

“It’s consistency personified and my old club deserve huge congratulations for that.

“Klopp and the Anfield executive team have been 9/10 in terms of their recruitment these past few years – and by that I mean nine signings out of 10 have been bang on.

“Even those who haven’t quite been on it in the way they’d have hoped, such as Naby Keita, have shown enough promise to suggest they could be big enough players for next season.

“And that recruitment, along with the German’s vision, has laid the platform for their success.

“Klopp has to be my manager of the year for the way he brought the Reds back from the disappointment of losing out on the title to City by just a point last season.

“He clearly told his men after winning the Champions League final that they needed to blow their opponents away in the first 10 or 15 games of this season.

“And even though it’s much easier said than done, they managed to carry out his instructions.”

Klopp has seen his efforts recognised with the LMA Manager of the Year award for 2020 and is now in the process of mulling over further moves into the transfer market – with plenty calling on Liverpool to add even more depth to their title-winning ranks.