Babel gives Liverpool verdict and makes "surprising" Gerrard admission
Former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel has been impressed by the Reds' summer transfer business and has backed Jurgen Klopp to bring the good times back to Anfield.
Despite being tipped to challenge on all fronts, Liverpool endured a difficult 2022/23 campaign and failed to sustain a title challenge or win a trophy. The Reds did, however, manage to rally in the final weeks of the season to secure a fifth-placed finish and European football after clocking up seven consecutive wins between April and May.
Klopp has been busy in the transfer market ahead of the new campaign, sealing deals for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai with more signings expected to follow.
And Babel believes that with his new signings in tow, Klopp will have Liverpool back to their best this term. The Dutchman told talkSPORT: "With the signings they’re very promising. At the same time we know the intensity and how Jurgen Klopp overall wants to play, it’s always a question to see if the players can adapt to the playing style.
"They played a friendly [on Monday], I haven’t seen it but I got the notifications on my phone and they conceded a few goals in the last part of the game: 4-4.
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"I think there’s still a lot of work to do but again, I’m a Liverpool fan, I have good hopes. I trust Jurgen Klopp. I know that he knows last season was of course not good enough, so this season they definitely have to step it up."
Although the summer transfer window has enabled Liverpool to strike deals for Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, the Reds are braced for the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho amid interest from the Saudi Pro League.
Join the debate! How do you think Liverpool will fare in the 23/24 season? Let us know here.
Former Liverpool man Ryan Babel has backed the Reds to do well this season (Sky Sports)Henderson has been offered a lucrative financial package which is believed to be worth £700,000-a-week by Al-Ettifaq; who are now managed by Babel's former teammate and Reds legend Steven Gerrard.
Babel, who spent last season in Turkey with Eyupspor, admitted that he was surprised when Gerrard took up the proposal on offer from Al-Ettifaq - just weeks after snubbing their initial approach.
Babel added: "Initially of course, it is surprising [that Gerrard went to Saudi Arabia]. Overall if you look at especially English managers, they tend to stay in England, but at the same time I feel like we are entering in a new wave of new managers, right? Young managers, former players.
"Look, at the end of the day we don’t know if Steven Gerrard had a lot of possibilities at this very moment, but I feel like as a manager if you’re out of the picture for too long maybe the door is slowly getting shut on you for these types of opportunities. Maybe it was one of those things he felt like: ‘Hey, I want to stay busy, I’m still young, this is right now the opportunity I’ve got so let’s grab it'."
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