Arne Slot has launched into a defence of Liverpool 's record spending spree by declaring they bought "great" players who will be a "big, big, big success" at Anfield and insisting they did very well with their money.
Liverpool spent £450m last summer, more than any English club had ever paid out in one transfer window, and broke first their own transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz for £100m and then the British record to buy Alexander Isak for £125m.
Liverpool are only sixth in the Premier League, despite their huge outlay, with Isak, who is currently out with a broken leg, scoring just three goals in 17 games for the club.
Arne Slot (left) has defended summer signings like Florian Wirtz (PA Wire)
But Slot is confident the Swede and Wirtz, plus top scorer Hugo Ekitike , full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong , injured centre-back Giovanni Leoni and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili represent a good use of Liverpool's budget.
"They are great football players which will be a big, big, big success for this club," he said. "In general I only ever see, '£450m spent, 450, 450, 450'. And no one looks at the circumstances, which are that the £450m is very well spent, very, very, very well spent - one more time, very well spent."
Slot often points out that, over his time in charge, Liverpool have brought in around £300m so it is not a £450m net spend.
And because of injuries he is not able to put all that £450m on the pitch. He believes he will be without £300m of talent against West Ham on Saturday with Leoni out for the season, Isak for another few weeks and Wirtz missing with a back problem, while Mamardashvili will be on the bench, though Frimpong is able to return.
Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike were two of Liverpool's big-money summer signings (Getty Images)
But he accepts that Liverpool have not always seen the newcomers at their best, adding: "Alex has not been the Alex of Newcastle, [apart from] maybe 20 minutes at Tottenham, I don't criticise him because we signed him for six years not six months. Giorgi, we needed him because Caoimh [ Kelleher ] left but we hardly played with two goalkeepers. Jeremie has been many times injured, Giovanni [is] out for the season. Tomorrow, I miss out on Florian. Him and Hugo and Milos needed time to adapt."
