da bet esporte： Not so long ago, the Reds were renowned for their mastery of the transfer market – but now it seems they've no idea what they're doing

da pinnacle： Shortly after full-time at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was informed that his Chelsea counterpart was hoping to bring in a few more players before the transfer window closes. "That's what every Chelsea manager wants," the German mused in his post-match press conference, "and they usually get it." The media packaged Klopp's response as a dig at the Blues, which was unsurprising.

The unprecedented level of spending Chelsea's owners have embarked upon since last year's takeover has undeniably upset some of their rivals. Splashing close to £1 billion on players in just three transfer windows was always going to provoke as much jealousy as confusion, given this is an era in which many clubs are trying desperately hard to live within their means in order to adhere to UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations – Liverpool included.

So, a display of bitterness towards the Blues would have been somewhat understandable coming from Klopp – particularly after losing two transfer targets to Todd Boehly & Co. in a matter of days, with Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia both deciding to move to Stamford Bridge instead of Anfield.

However, it would be a surprise if he didn't have more of a problem with his own club's dealings than those of Chelsea right now…

Getty ImagesAn embarrassing mess

After all, there is no real shame in being outbid by Chelsea. It's hard to get the better of a club that is not only paying over the odds for players – but also throwing ludicrously long and lucrative contracts at them. As any agent will tell you (at least privately), the size of the salary on offer is often a determining factor in completing any deal.

However, while Chelsea may have prevented Liverpool from solving their defensive midfield problem, they certainly didn't create it. Indeed, Jamie Carragher and Alan Shearer were right to label the events of the past few days as "embarrassing" from Liverpool's perspective – because this is a very public mess all of their own making.

AdvertisementGettyA bright start

Which is shocking, really, given how well the long overdue midfield overhaul began, with Liverpool effectively wrapping up deals for both Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai by the end of June.

Those quality of those two signings – and the speed with which they were completed – renewed the fans' faith in the recruitment strategy at Anfield, after months of doom and gloom following the horribly misguided decision to wait until 2023 before trying to sign long-time No.1 target Jude Bellingham, who eventually ended up joining Real Madrid for even less money than Liverpool offered for Caicedo.

Consequently, when both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were allowed to move to Saudi Arabia, it was presumed that Liverpool had already lined up at least one top-quality replacement.

GettyStaggering turn of events

Lavia was clearly first-choice, but the Reds' recruitment team didn't believe the Belgian was worth the £50m fee that Southampton were demanding – which was fair enough, given we're talking about a 19-year-old with just one good Premier League season under his belt.

However, when Chelsea entered the fray, Liverpool responded by agreeing a £110m deal with Brighton for Caicedo, which was as stunning as it was puzzling. The Ecuadorian is a better and slightly more experienced player than Lavia – but he was even more overpriced. Remember, Sandro Tonali, an Italy international who helped AC Milan reach the semi-finals of last season's Champions League, joined Newcastle for nearly half the price.

So, if Liverpool had ruled out signing both Caicedo and Lavia because of the inflated fees, fans could have once again grumbled about FSG's parsimony and prudence, but they wouldn't have been able to criticise the consistency of the club's approach to the transfer market.

However, right now, the Reds are rightly being ridiculed because it appears as if they suddenly have more money than sense – which is a staggering turn of events for a club that was, under former director of football Michael Edwards, being lauded as the masters of the transfer market.

GettyRun the risk of being cleaned out

It's certainly farcical that they were willing to return to Southampton – after missing out on Caicedo – and pay more than the original £50m the Saints were requesting for Lavia. It suggested that panic had sent in at Anfield, which doesn't bode well for their hopes of belatedly bringing in a specialist No.6 before the close of the transfer window. Any potential seller will now be acutely aware of the level of Liverpool's desperation – and the amount of money at their disposal.

By showing their hand with the Caicedo bid, Liverpool now run the risk of being cleaned out – and the fans deserve to know how it's come to this. Indeed, the mere fact Liverpool are still looking for answers to their midfield issues in the middle of August provokes plenty of uncomfortable questions, chief among them: who is to blame for the unenviable position the club now finds itself in?