FEBRUARY 2020 81
land Salah, an Egyptian forward, in 2016; or the
$100 million plopped down in ’17 for Virgil van
Dijk, a towering Dutch man-mountain of a center
back (and the ’19 UEFA Player of the Year); or the
$84 million handed over for Brazilian goalkeeper
Alisson in ’18—it starts by identifying targets who
fit Klopp’s playing style. He wants guys who can
defend collectively all over the field, defenders who
can play the ball, fullbacks who can join in the
attack and front-liners who can win possession in
the opposing end, punishing teams in transition. A
transfer committee, led by Edwards, makes heavy
use of data to narrow down a list of targets, from
which Klopp gives a green light. Then it’s up to him
to provide the environment for players to succeed.
Among those who’ve thrived in that environ-
ment: Andy Robertson (purchased under Klopp
for a paltry $10.5million in 2017) and 21-year-old
Trent Alexander-Arnold (homegrown), the best pair
of attacking fullbacks in the world, as well as the
balanced three-man midfield of Fabinho ($53mil-
lion in ’18), Wijnaldum ($36 million in ’16) and
Jordan Henderson, a Liverpool veteran of a decade.Inside, he was quaking with excitement. “I’ve
loved this game since I’m two,” he says, “and that’s
what Liverpool is all about, the passion and the
love and the emotion.... I thought about how
important football is to Liverpool supporters and
the situation they were in”—hovering around sixth
or seventh place throughout the early 2010s—“and
me wanting to change things.”
Catching up to his new English rivals would be
one thing if Klopp had inherited something akin
to ManUnited’s wealth, but Liverpool is hardly
Europe’s richest club. The team ranks seventh in
revenue, according to the international account-
ing firm Deloitte, and in recent years has sold off
two of its biggest stars, Luis Suárez and Philippe
Coutinho, to higher-up-the-money-chain Barce-
lona. So how has Liverpool made up the wealth
difference to conquer Europe?
For starters, the team doesn’t spend for spend-
ing’s sake. When the club made no major purchases
last summer, Klopp was clear: It’s part of his job to
make his own players better. And when Liverpool
ANDREW does spend—like the $48 million dished out to