Liverpool can challenge for Premier League titles again but only if they back Jurgen Klopp in the transfer market, says former Reds defender Kolo Toure.
Since arriving at Anfield in 2015, Klopp s Liverpool have been hugely competitive both domestically and in Europe, winning the Premier League and Champions League while finishing runners-up in those competitions a combined four times.
But this season has been a far cry from those past successes, with Liverpool fighting to finish in the European places rather than competing for the Premier League title and crashing out of the Champions League at the round-of-16 stage.
The Reds splashed out over £100million on forwards Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo this season, but Toure believes Klopp must be provided with further spending power to freshen up the squad and get Liverpool back in silverware contention.
Speaking to Stats Perform, Toure said: They have to look for somebody who has legs again and refresh the team, refresh the squad a little bit, bring in players who have the right mentality.
They can go again because they have a top manager with them having Jurgen [Klopp], and [they have to] keep him there and make sure they sign the right players for him, then they will bounce again and go and fight for the Premier League, definitely.
A relentless Reds performance against Fulham from 2013 |
— Liverpool FC (@LFC)
Gakpo and Nunez have combined for just 15 Premier League goals this term as Liverpool have failed to keep up with title challengers Manchester City and Arsenal.
Toure feels the pair must do more to fit into Klopp s style of play, saying: It s been a tough campaign for Liverpool, definitely, but every team goes in a cycle. When you sign players, sometimes they fit, sometimes they don t fit because of whatever reason, you don t know.
He s signed a few players right now, [Cody] Gakpo and the other striker, [Darwin] Nunez and it s up to them to make sure they can fit in the team. Jurgen is such an incredible manager, he knows how he wants his team to play. But, when you sign players you expect them to fit in your team.
At the moment, those players have to show that, they have to show more for the team. They haven t done that this season so well. Gakpo needed time to adapt, but he is looking to have the right chemistry in the team, and bringing in new players to refresh the team, to make sure the team can go again. This season will be a transition for them, but next season they re going to be better, definitely.
