Gary Neville: "Jurgen Klopp has got to be supported. They are going to have to put some serious money down and get one or two serious players. He deserves that as a manager at Liverpool." | Watch Leicester vs Liverpool on Monday Night Football, live on Sky Sports from 7pm; Kick-off 8pm.
Monday 15 May 2023 20:20, UK
Gary Neville insists Liverpool's owners FSG must back Jurgen Klopp in the transfer window this summer, saying the club need to spend "serious money" to buy "one or two serious players" to help return them to the top.
It's been a difficult season at Anfield so far but a run of six straight league wins has moved Liverpool to within a point of their stuttering fourth-placed rivals Manchester United, albeit with Erik ten Hag's side having played two games more.
Liverpool have claimed 19 points from a possible 21 and there is now a glimmer of hope that they could salvage Champions League qualification.
However, less than 12 months from going close to an unprecedented quadruple, Liverpool have been well below the standards that have seen them secure seven trophies, including the Premier League title and the Champions League during Klopp's reign.
And Neville, speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, believes it's time for Liverpool to support Klopp "enormously" in the transfer market to keep them challenging for major honours.
"Jurgen Klopp has got to be supported," he told Sky Sports. "He was supported when they fell short by being able to push themselves in the transfer market, they'll have to go there again this summer.
"Other teams are going to invest, Klopp's strength over the last six or seven years has been the quality of football but also the strength of recruitment, he's been able to get the most out of players, who ultimately haven't cost stupid amounts, Van Dijk, Allison and Nunez aside.
"You look at those £20m, £30m signings, Jota, Salah, Mane, there are more of them, Robertson at left-back, they've been outstanding. They've been wonderful for Liverpool.
"They're going to have to do a bit of that, but also go and I think put some serious money down and get one or two serious players for Klopp."
Neville added: "He deserves that as a manager at Liverpool. He has shielded FSG in terms of net spend, yes they've been smart and it's what Sir Alex did to the Glazer family at Old Trafford where he'd say there was no value in the market, and Klopp has been quite prudent and pragmatic, he's not panicked and waited for players.
"That is the right way to do it, I don't think he would go out and be carefree and reckless all of a sudden, but there comes a point where he wants a player and they're going to have to put the money down and it's going to cost them significantly to get Klopp the players that he needs to get back to where he wants to be, right at the very top, where they've been in the last few years.
"They can't go back to him and say our targets are Champions League football. That might have been the case when he first came in, but he's seen glory - he's seen Champions League finals, Premier League titles, they can't go back and say top four is a successful season for Liverpool.
"That's not what their history is built on. Now it's about them demonstrating they've got the funds to start with, and then the courage to back him enormously in the transfer market, up against funds with huge resources and unlimited funds, it seems at times."
Meanwhile, Neville was full of praise for Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah after he sent more records tumbling in his side's 1-0 win over Brentford last weekend.
Salah became the first Liverpool player to score in nine consecutive home games. He is the latest to hit 100 goals at Anfield. He has now scored 30 goals in all competitions for a third successive season.
Neville praised Salah's consistency and his reliability, particularly in a season that hasn't gone so well for Liverpool.
If you look at the home and away records of Liverpool, Anfield is the ultimate test generally because they're so good at home. Newcastle have been that at times, where you think about St James' Park, but Salah scoring in nine straight home games, 100 goals at Anfield, 30 in a season again, you've got to say it's a really top performance.
He said: "30 for the season is some return in a difficult season for Liverpool.
"The most impressive thing is that he's always there. Consistently, reliably, always there. That might sound really basic, but my dad used to say to me - turn up on time, don't let people down, and be reliable. It's a really basic thing of going to work. People will be asking why he wouldn't turn up, he's on £300,000 a week, but he's always there, he's resilient, he plays every single match. That's a really important thing, consistency and reliability over a long period of time.
"You marry that with high performance and excellence, and then you've got a world-class player. That's what you've got in Mo Salah over the past five or six years."
He added: "I've gone past the time of thinking that he was a one-season wonder, how could he repeat it. But he's repeated it, he's repeated it, he's done it, he's got close to the Ballon d'Or. And yes, he has suffered this season at times in games, as others in Liverpool's team have because they've not been at their best collectively.
"There were moments against Brentford where they had to suffer too, it was difficult for them. But he's there, he scores the goal, he's hungry, he nearly kicked the goalkeeper over the line with the ball in the end. It was a tenacious goal for him rather than one of beauty which we have seen from him.
"It hasn't been his best season, but when you're not at your best and your team isn't either, and you can still score 30 goals, and play the amount of games he has, you can still give yourself a massive pat on the back, a massive one."
The Premier League and the PGMOL will for the first time release in-game audio of on-field officials and VARs discussing key decisions from across the 2022/23 Premier League season.
PGMOL chief refereeing officer Howard Webb will talk viewers through the footage on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football alongside David Jones, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville on May 15 ahead of Leicester vs Liverpool.
Monday Night Football will commence at an earlier time of 6.30pm for usual pre-match build-up before Webb joins the Sky Sports pundits to discuss a number of VAR incidents throughout the season to date.
On the same evening, a 26-minute pilot show - 'Match Officials: Mic'd Up' - will be available for international rights holders via Premier League Productions - featuring Webb alongside Michael Owen.
Selected incidents from across season 2022/23 will be featured in the show, to educate supporters on the different types of decisions involving the VAR team.
This is in line with continuing the open and transparent approach of the new PGMOL leadership team. The pilot is a one-off for this season, with a view to possibly releasing audio more regularly next season.
Watch Leicester vs Liverpool live on Sky Sports from 6.30pm on Monday Night Football; kick-off 8pm.
May 15: Leicester (A) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 20: Aston Villa (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 28: Southampton (A) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
