Jurgen Klopp questioned about Liverpool FC failure to improve key position
Carlton Cole questions why Liverpool FC didn't have any alternatives to top target Virgil van Dijk in the summer
Carlton Cole has questioned why Jurgen Klopp didn’t have a “plan B or plan C” after Liverpool missed out on Virgil van Dijk.
The Reds were linked with a move to sign the Netherlands international from Southampton in the summer transfer window but couldn’t get a deal over the line.
Liverpool were forced to issue a statement apogolising to the south coast club for their pursuit of Van Dijk after the Saints threatened to report the Reds for an alleged illegal approach.
The former Celtic defender even handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force through a move to Liverpool but the Saints refused to alter their stance on Van Dijk’s proposed move.
Liverpool didn’t look to recruit any other centre-halves in the summer as Klopp opted to stick with Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan as his options in the middle of the Reds’s defence.
Former Chelsea and West Ham striker Cole questioned why Klopp didn’t pinpoint another centre-half target in the event of Southampton refusing to sell Van Dijk.
“They didn’t get Van Dijk. There must have been plan B or plan C,” Cole told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“If it was Van Dijk or nothing, that was a mistake. You could have got a player for one or two seasons and then got Van Dijk. I don’t think they tried hard enough to get defensively sound.”
Liverpool finished in fourth place in the Premier League table last season to secure a long-awaited return to the Champions League.
