Former Liverpool and England star John Barnes has told talkSPORT that the arrival of Jürgen Klopp at Anfield will not in itself be enough to make Liverpool great again, but if he is allowed to sign the right players they will be title contenders once more.
The 48-year-old was announced as the successor to Brendan Rodgers on Thursday, and has all of Merseyside abuzz after the two time Bundesliga winner vowed to bring full-throttle football to Anfield.
Reds legend John Barnes however believes the big German will have to bring a few more players to the club who possess the same ability of Philippe Coutinho in order for them to compete with the Premierships best.
Speaking on the Weekend Sports Breakfast, the Reds legend said: “Jürgen Klopp is a great manager but we’ll have to give him time to create a team. Is this Liverpool team good enough to win the league as it stands? No it’s not.
“He can make an instant impact. What we know from the first three games of the season is that this Liverpool team has a lot of energy, they’re fit, strong and physical. Apart from Coutinho, who gives us that star quality in terms of invention and flair, we probably don’t have the quality of other big teams, but we’re a very powerful team, and Klopp likes powerful teams.
“But are we going to be able to complete with Manchester City and Chelsea with the players we have now? If he keeps this squad for the next four years, do we think this team is good enough to challenge for the league? I think it is good enough for the top four, but to win the league we need special players.
“In the old days managers attracted players, but now salaries attract players.
“Jürgen Klopp is a big name, but can we say that any of the superstars he knows will come to Liverpool because of Klopp, if they are also approached by the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona or other big teams who can pay higher wages? I don’t think so.
“We’re not able to get the best players in the world, we don’t pay those salaries so they won’t come to Liverpool.
“But at the moment what we need is for us to be competitive, that’s all we can ask for.”
