Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp takes snide dig at Premier League rival, as Reds move top of table

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool FC at Selhurst Park on December 9, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has aimed a cheeky dig at a Premier League rival, after the Reds moving top of the table following their stoppage-time winner against Crystal Palace at the weekend. 

Speaking at a test event for Liverpool's new Anfield Road stand on Monday night, which has taken the Anfield capacity to 57,000 and is due to officially open as they welcome Manchester United on Sunday, the German boss partook in a Q&A session surrounding a number of issues. 

One such issue focussed on the summer business, in which Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia both snubbed Liverpool in favour of moving to Chelsea - something Klopp now feels "lucky" about. 

“The summer we had, we had a few strange things happen in the transfer market,” Klopp said. "But between us, I can say, my god were we lucky.

“We didn’t know it in that moment, didn’t feel like it in that moment. I am really happy that it worked out like that.”

Liverpool had agreed deals with both Caicedo and Lavia in the summer, which were seen as key coups for their midfield rebuild. However, both players ended up joining Chelsea, where things haven't quite worked out as well as they'd have hoped.

Liverpool wanted him, but Moises Caicedo of Chelsea runs during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Luton Town at Stamford Bridge on August 25, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

Caicedo chose Chelsea over Liverpool in the summer (Image credit: Getty Images)

Lavia hasn't played a single minute of football for the Blues since joining, while Caicedo has struggled to impose his presence on the Chelsea side as they currently sit 12th in the Premier League table.

On the other hand, Liverpool's signings of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and even Waturo Endo have all worked out better for Klopp's side as they top the Premier League heading into the next round of fixtures. 

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Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.