In 2014, Steven Gerrard was tasked with tapping up Toni Kroos in a ridiculous attempt to convince him to join Liverpool over Real Madrid.
It’s no wonder the Reds never won a Premier League title when Gerrard was at the club because it was run like a midtable team.
Whereas Liverpool now have a dedicated team that handles transfers, with sporting director Michael Edwards in charge, there was no semblance of professionalism in the Anfield outfit’s transfer dealings pre-Jurgen Klopp.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 05: Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Leicester City looks on prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leicester City at Anfield on October 05, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
The Echo recently shared old quotes from Gerrard’s autobiography My Story which highlight just how poorly the club was run in this particular aspect.
The legendary midfielder said: “I had an unofficial role at the club, trying to persuade some great players to join Liverpool. It was the same ritual every summer. The club would let me know which long-shot target they had in mind and then ask me to contact him.
“Our target in 2014 was ridiculously optimistic. Brendan asked me to take a crack at trying to talk Toni Kroos into signing for Liverpool.
“He smiled when I said we’d be p*****g into the wind with this one. We both admired Kroos immensely. But, of course, he would soon sign for Real Madrid. We had a nice little exchange of texts and I said well done and good luck.”
KIEV, UKRAINE – MAY 26: Toni Kroos of Real Madrid lifts The UEFA Champions League trophy following his side’s victory in during the UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Liverpool at NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium on May 26, 2018 in Kiev, Ukraine. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Since moving to the Santiago Bernabeu, Kroos has gone on to win the Champions League three times, La Liga twice and has lifted the Copa Del Rey on two occasions.
If Kroos had joined Liverpool, things might have turned out better for Brendan Rodgers but it’s unlikely his own personal trophy cabinet would be as full.
It’s a miracle from a Liverpool perspective that things have been transformed at Anfield in the last five years.
On one hand, FSG managed to sign Jurgen Klopp which was a masterstroke and on the other hand, appointments behind the scenes have given the German a strong platform upon which to build a team.
Jurgen Klopp has struggled this season, but we mustn’t forget what he did for the club. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY OPTUS SPORT.
There aren’t many coaches out there that could accomplish what Klopp has with relatively limited resources.
Hopefully, he’ll be able to get the Reds firing again next season after the club’s Premier League title defence was butchered by a multitude of injuries to key players.
