Liverpool cannot repeat Marko Grujic and Harry Wilson transfer mistake this summer
In the last few years both players have gone out on loan with Liverpool picking up the main bulk of their wages and costing the other clubs virtually nothing, whilst their contracts have now virtually run down, so both players must now be cashed in on.
The Kop
Thursday 10th June 2021
Another transfer window brings another summer of uncertainty for the likes of Marko Grujic and Harry Wilson, and Liverpool cannot repeat the same mistakes of 2020.
Throughout the reign of Fenway Sports Group at Anfield, the importance of a self-sustaining model has been reiterated.
It may not be popular among supporters, particularly during the transfer window, but Liverpool have and always will operate within their means under their American ownership.
When Jurgen Klopp addressed the prospect of missing out on next season’s Champions League, the manager described the competition as “massive, especially from a financial point of view, for the club.”
This was reflected following their third-place finish with a £58 million boost simply for participating in the group stage in 2021/22.
Five days after the final day of the Premier League campaign, Liverpool committed £36 million of the Champions League money as a lump sum to sign Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig.
Konate will not be the Reds’ only new addition, but the message following his arrival is that the club will need to sell to buy once again this summer.
That was the message a year ago, with Liverpool soaking up a massive financial toll due to the COVID-19 pandemic, broadcasting rebates and the loss of matchday revenue, and it remains the same in 2021.
Grujic, Wilson, Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri, Taiwo Awoniyi, Loris Karius, Sheyi Ojo, Ben Woodburn and Liam Millar are all reported to be up for sale, with The Athletic‘s James Pearce claiming that the club hope to raise “in excess of £60 million.”
In theory, that £60 million could be put towards the replacement of Gini Wijnaldum and the signing of another top-class option in attack, to join Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino.
But the missteps of last summer, married with the financial turmoil felt across Europe, suggest it will not be that straightforward.
Both Grujic and Wilson were made available before the end of the transfer window in 2020, with Liverpool receiving permanent offers from Borussia Monchengladbach and Burnley respectively.
An impasse in negotiations with Gladbach – with the Reds valuing Grujic at £18 million – led to the Bundesliga club pulling out of a possible deal, while Burnley‘s £12 million bid for Wilson was turned down as it was short of his £15 million price tag.
Michael Edwards, Liverpool’s masterful sporting director, will always drive a hard bargain, but ultimately the club turned down combined fees upwards of £25 million for two players who were then sent out on loan again.
Grujic joined Porto, with no purchase clause factored into the deal, while Wilson was forced to drop down to the Championship with Cardiff, joining Ojo in south Wales.
In the last few years both players have gone out on loan with Liverpool picking up the main bulk of their wages and costing the other clubs virtually nothing, whilst their contracts have now virtually run down, so both players must now be cashed in on.
A year on, the club value both Grujic and Wilson at around £15 million, but another year into their contracts their market value has dropped; the same could be said of Origi, who started only six games last season.
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