Jurgen Klopp Insists Contract Extensions Are a Signal of Intent Just as Important as Transfers

​Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted that the club's focus on extending numerous players' contracts is a signal of the Reds' intent for the upcoming season.

The likes of Andy Robertson, Divock Origi and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all penned new contracts in recent months, but the club have managed just one transfer this summer - the signing of 16-year-old centre-back Sepp van den Berg.

A first Reds appearance for Sepp van den Berg in New York ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/kdXMcuLFgo

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 25, 2019

However, speaking to ​ESPN FC, Klopp insisted that these contract extensions are just as important to ​Liverpool as signing new players.

He said: “That’s actually our transfers, these are our transfers. I’m pretty sure nobody is interested in it really because, how it is: you have a player, he’s good, you want to keep him, if he signs a new contract then for a few people it means only that he’s a bit more expensive if you want to sell him. It doesn’t mean anything.

“In our case it was [that] these are our transfers. These new contracts, keeping these boys here, was a strong, strong signal for the outside world. It’s a wonderful sign, to be honest.

“I like the fact that these boys are really in a good football age, they won this cup, which is good. It helps of course because it increases your basis.

“You don’t have to change for changing. You have to improve things and the same person doing the same job for another year means he’s better in the job - that’s improvement.

“It’s not about bringing new people and stuff like that, it’s really about all of us using the experience that we made for being better than before.

"All this experience, all these better people throwing their knowledge together, we will be better. That’s the plan, that’s how it is with football players but that’s how it is with the backroom staff as well.”

Source : 90min