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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Liverpool's hidden strength in the transfer market

When it comes to recruitment at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp is a flexible sort.

The Reds boss is more than happy to operate within the framework of a football club that utilises a large department for the incoming of players.

"For me, it is enough that I have the first and the last word," he said on day one at Anfield five years ago.

Gone are the days of a football manager being viewed as the know-all oracle of their clubs.

The game no longer works under the assumption that the man picking the team is also able explore the depths of every other area of a sophisticated operation.

That pen picture of a Premier League manager is outdated, the modern game is all about delegation, compromise and trust between the important figures in the key roles.

Such a willingness to embrace these fundamentals have put Liverpool on a solid ground in their attempts at success.

Klopp and sporting director Michael Edwards have a healthy relationship alongside chief scout, Barry Hunter, and head of recruitment, Dave Fallows.

That quartet have ensured Liverpool's incomings have been almost flawless since the summer of 2016.

"We only want to discuss about very good players," Klopp also said in his first dealing with the press back in October 2015.

"Discussions about players on the highest level and that is what we have to do."

Klopp wasn't paying lip service to the employees already at the club, Liverpool's way of working was - and is - something he believes in.

After all, there aren't enough hours in the day for one manager to effectively scout potential signings while also keeping an eye on the ball with the current crop at his disposal.

It is all about Klopp's faith in the judgement and decision-making of the people he works with.

And while Klopp, as stated five years, always has the final say on arrivals into Melwood, he is more than willing to listen to the opinions of others.

Take, for example, Sepp van den Berg last summer.

Fallows and Hunter were the driving forces behind the decision to sign the Dutch defender last summer as Liverpool fought off strong interest from Bayern Munich to land the teenager.

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The pair had identified Van den Berg as a potential player for the long term in Liverpool's defence after they were impressed by his development at PEC Zwolle.

Prior to Klopp's arrival, Fallows and Hunter had also combined to bring James Milner from their previous club Man City on a free transfer.

It is their work in identifying Mohamed Salah as Anfield's next superstar which is the biggest feather in their cap.

“The scouting department was really behind me, and wanted to do it even earlier so that nobody could jump in!" Klopp said in 2017.

"We were sure he can help us. Michael Edwards, Dave Fallows and Barry, they were really in my ear and were on it: ‘Come on, come on, Mo Salah, he’s the solution!’

"When you have 20 players on the table, different players, it’s difficult to make an early decision, but we all were convinced about it so could make the early decision so we could really get him."

Ninety-seven goals later, Salah is one success story that proves Liverpool modus operandi is thriving.

Blood Red: Pep Lijnders on what new signings Thiago and Diogo Jota will bring to Liverpool

The signature of Takumi Minamino at the end of December was also another indication of Klopp's willingness to listen to the opinions of those qualified to give it.

After seeing the Japan international impress at Anfield in Liverpool's 4-3 win over Red Bull Salzburg on October 2, talks stepped up between the two clubs over a deal worth around £7million.

And before the transfer could be rubber-stamped, Klopp was accosted by a handful of his players urging the club to make a move for the talented forward after the return game in Austria on December 10.

His listened intently and no doubt surmised that this was a transfer worth completing if his Champions League-winning players were urging a move.

The most recent example of Klopp's open approach to discussions and debate with his lieutenants was the £41million deal to sign Diogo Jota from Wolves.

With Liverpool surveying a number of options for a high-class arrival in the wide forward areas, the recruitment team had whittled it down to a shortlist of three.

They included Watford winger, Ismaila Sarr, Gent wideman, Jonathan David and Wolves' Portugal international, Jota.

Liverpool made contact with Watford over Sarr but were perturbed by the prohibitive asking price of £40million without room for negotiation over the structure of the payments.

Meanwhile, Klopp's assistant, Pep Lijnders, was championing the cause of Jota, urging Klopp to push the 23-year-old to the top of the list.

After eight years at Porto, Lijnders was able to dig into his contacts books for a recommendation on Jota, who spent the 2016/17 season on loan there.

The feedback was glowing for Jota and Klopp's right-hand man was understood to have been a hugely influential figure in ensuring Jota was brought to Anfield off the back of the club's extensive checks.

"I have known him since he was very young," Lijnders confirmed on Wednesday.

"He is from the city of Porto. He grew up in Gondomar, a smaller club. We played against him I think when he was younger, then he came through at Pacos Ferreira.

"In Portugal they are saying what a great signing Liverpool have made, because they know exactly how he is and what kind of potential he still has."

They say it's not what you know, it's who you know, but for Klopp, it is a potent mixture of both that is continuing to drive Liverpool forward.

What do you think about new Liverpool signings Thiago and Diogo Jota? Let us know in the comments below

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