Klopp says Liverpool’s new forward line is a ‘smart investment’

LIVERPOOL: Jürgen Klopp (Picture) believes Liverpool are already reaping the rewards of their longer-term planning as their revamped forward line fuels the club’s drive for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Cody Gakpo, signed in January, and Darwin Nunez, who joined last June, scored twice in last week’s 7-0 win over Manchester United while Mohamed Salah also scored twice.

With Roberto Firmino, the other goalscorer against United, set to leave at the end of the season, only Salah remains from the famous front line that included Sadio Mane now at Bayern Munich.

Nunez has scored 14 goals this season while Gakpo has scored four since arriving from PSV Eindhoven, softening the blow of losing Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz for long stretches of the season.

“Look at the players we’ve brought in in the last couple of transfer windows, Luis, Darwin, Cody, front-line players,” Klopp said on Friday.

“I think Sadio, Bobby and Mo (Mohamed Salah) together were one of the best threesomes in world football for quite a while.

“Then Sadio left in the summer, we’ll see what happens to Bobby in the summer and only Mo is pretty much left. But we replaced them and Diogo joined during that time as well.

“This is investment, and it is wise investment and responsible investment. This is what you want and what you need and what we needed.”

Brazil international Firmino is nearing the end of an eight-year tenure at Anfield but has told Klopp he is determined to reach a pinnacle in the hunt for Champions League qualification.

A win over relegation-threatened Bournemouth early on Saturday would put them in the top four, at least temporarily, after an impressive run in the league.

“He (Firmino) told me and then he just said, ‘Now I want to bring this wonderful story to a positive end,'” said Klopp.

“He’s all here and all committed, as anyone can imagine and that’s all we need to know.

“Right now there is no time for a goodbye or whatever, there is plenty of time for that later in the season.”

Klopp said last week’s hammering at bitter rivals United had been a “mood lift”.

“We want to get everything out of this season,” he said. “That means, of course, if it’s somehow possible, we want to be in the top four.” -AFP