Jurgen Klopp says he’s unsure if Liverpool will bring in more players this summer, but has admitted that those still on the squad after Aug. 31 will have a “big influence” on the Reds’ upcoming season.
Liverpool have brought in a number of reinforcements during the summer window, including the likes of Joel Matip, Sadio Mane, Loris Karius and most recently Georginio Wijnaldum.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss was forced to play 34 different players in the Premier League last season, but a lack of European football could see that number significantly reduced in 2016-17.
Asked if he could foresee signings still this summer, Klopp was non-committal.
“If I had to guess I would say rather no, but I don’t know actually because it’s a long time until the 31st of August and I have no idea,” Klopp said in an exclusive interview with ESPN FC. “[The] 31st of August we have a few friendlies of course and few test games and then we have, one, two, maybe three — I’m not sure — Premier League games.
“So we will see. We will see how the players react on my decisions again because we will have more players than 11 for sure, and then you have to accept a few decisions and you have to take it as an opportunity.
He continued: “To develop a team never ends so, you have only result, result, result, but then you will have to again decide. That’s how it is. So we will see. I don’t think we’ll have a lot. But of course everyone knows about it maybe on the outgoing side will happen a little bit … yeah I have no idea in the moment.”
However Klopp stated that the players who are kept on past Aug. 31 will be counted on this season.
“What I can promise,” he said, “if we win something at the end of the season, everybody who’s [here] after 31st of August in this squad will have a big influence on it. If we win something and we will have a big picture and everybody will be on it.
“And if you are then smart enough to think ‘yes I was a big [part], I played a big role in it’ — whatever a big role is, it’s a decisive goal in the last minute with three matches, or it’s a, I made 20 matches, 10 of them not so good but 10 were brilliant — whatever. If you win something, then it’s because of the group you have been [in].”
In making his squad decisions, the 49-year-old German revealed he can’t take feelings from supporters, players or even best friends into account.
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