London: Liverpool will not be influenced by their Premier League rivals’ moves in the transfer market and will stick to their own signing plans, manager Juergen Klopp has said.
Klopp’s side have added winger Mohammad Salah and England under-20 striker Dominic Solanke so far, but their spending has been put in the shade by local rivals Everton, who have splashed out more than 100 million pounds (Dh472.5 million).
Manchester United and City, as well as Arsenal, have also spent heavily, but Klopp has urged his team’s supporters not to get caught up in what the opposition are doing.
“We cannot buy players because other teams buy players,” said Klopp after his team’s 4-0 win over Tranmere Rovers in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
“We do our business as good as we can do it and we are convinced about the way we are going.”
Egypt international Salah needs to finalise work permit issues before he can play but Solanke made his debut in the friendly and Klopp was full of praise for the under-20 World Cup winner.
“He is a really skilled boy. He has to improve of course but a lot of things are already really good: first touch, movement,” Klopp said.
“It is about him and the situation but I will not avoid his development. In the moment when he is strong enough, he is there.
“He will train with us, of course, as often as it makes sense and often as possible and then we will see.”
Liverpool face third-tier Wigan Athletic in their next friendly on Friday before travelling to Hong Kong to play Crystal Palace in the Premier League Asia Trophy on July 19.
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, meanwhile, is unsure about his immediate future at the club but remains focused on preparing for the team’s pre-season fixtures, the France international said.
Manager Arsene Wenger used Giroud primarily as a substitute last season as the 30-year-old made 18 of his 29 league appearances off the bench and started in just three of Arsenal’s eight Champions League matches.
The North London club’s new signing Alexandre Lacazette will increase competition for starting places up front and while Giroud welcomes the added pressure, he remains uncertain about extending his five-year stay at the Emirates.
“At the moment I’m still an Arsenal player so I’ll try to be professional like always and prepare well for next season,” Giroud told Sky Sports in Sydney.
“Obviously, there will be more competition, even more than last year, but it’s always nice for a striker to feel the pressure and I always deal with it.
“I’ve been through some difficulties these last years but always succeeded to bounce back, but this one I don’t know. I don’t know about my future so I can’t tell you more. I’m focused on my pre-season.”
Two other major players that are yet to secure their Arsenal futures are midfielder Mesut Ozil and last season’s top scorer Alexis Sanchez, both of whom have entered the final year of their contracts and are yet to sign new deals.
On Wednesday, the German playmaker said that he would like to stay but would hold talks with the club after pre-season and is hopeful that Sanchez makes the same decision, admitting that the Chilean’s departure would hinder the club’s title challenge.
“It would hit the team quite hard if he left because he’s a player who always delivers,” Ozil said. “It would be a setback to winning the title, but in the end it’s the player’s decision.
“I hope Alexis stays but I don’t know what the status is, to be honest. I value him a lot as a player and he’s very well suited to the game Arsenal play.
