Jurgen Klopp Calls Player "Exceptional"
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp calls player "exceptional". Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, has expressed his admiration for Jude Bellingham, a star player for Borussia Dortmund, but he has refused to speculate on how much it will cost to sign Bellingham.
It is believed that negotiations to sign Bellingham have already begun with the Reds; however, they are up against competition from other clubs such as Manchester City and Real Madrid.
The Deal
Klopp has been a long-time admirer of the midfielder, whose reputation has been elevated as a result of his outstanding performances for England at the World Cup.
At the end of the season, Dortmund will hope that the interest in the player, combined with his performances in Qatar, will result in an auction for the player.
However, Klopp, who made an unusual exception in speaking about the player, does not want to put a price on someone who has the potential to be a once-in-a-generation talent. This is somewhat understandable considering the likelihood that Liverpool would come out on the losing end of a bidding war with their competitors.
The Liverpool manager said:
“„I don’t like to talk about money when you talk about a player like him. Everyone can see he is just exceptional. If you mention to someone who has no clue about football, or who knows about footballand has not watched it for a while (and ask) ‘How old do you think Jude Bellingham is?’, I don’t think anyone would get even close to his age. They would say 28 or 29 because he plays so mature. He played an exceptional World Cup. Absolutely exceptional.- Jurgen Klopp
He also added:
“„With all the things he has and things he can improve, to describe him I would say the things he can do are difficult to learn, and the things he can improve are easy to learn. So, yes, he is a really good player. What can I say? I have thought that already for two or three years since he had his breakthrough at Dortmund. Everybody knew already but I have no idea what that means for the money side of it. I really think if we all want to do him a favor then we do not talk too much about money. I mean that from an England point of view. Do not throw any hurdles in his development.- Jurgen Klopp
The fact that Liverpool are currently sixth in the Premier League standings, seven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with a match in hand, could be a problem for the club's chances of qualifying for the Champions Leaguethe following season. This would be a significant setback for Liverpool in their pursuit of Bellingham.
Klopp has stated in the past that he is not interested in signing playerswho are only looking for short-term gains, but he acknowledges that participating in Europe's elite club competition does have a certain appeal.
He added:
“„It is important but you ask it from a transfer perspective? Yes. Again, generally we have a good chance to qualify for the Champions League. Will it happen this year? I don’t know. But 100 per cent we are one of the contenders for the next few years again. If you ask a player and he says, ‘Next year you are not in the Champions League and I would prefer to go to a footballclub who plays this year and maybe not next year’ then I am not sure I would still want this player to be honest.- Jurgen Klopp
Jude Bellingham Facts
Jude Victor William Bellingham is a professional footballer from England who currently plays for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the England national team.
Bellingham joined Birmingham City as an under-8 player and became the club's youngest first-team player when he made his senior debut in August 2019 at the age of 16 years, 38 days, and played regularly throughout the 2019-20 season. He joined Borussia Dortmund in July 2020 and became the club's youngest ever goalscorer in his first competitive match.
He represented England at the U-15, U-16, U-17, and U-21 levels. He made his senior team debut in November 2020 and represented the country at UEFA Euro 2020.
Final Words
In his final statement, Jurgen said:
“„I understand it 100 per cent – I want to be in the Champions League all the time. For the moment we have two pathways still to qualify for the Champions League next year. As long as that is the case, I see ourselves as proper contenders for the Champions League qualification. If not, then we can speak about that.”- Jurgen Klopp