Liverpool would never hesitate to sign someone if given the chance – Arne Slot | OneFootball

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot insisted the club would never hesitate to sign a player if the chance presented itself.

Despite having spent close to £300million already this summer, the Reds continue to be linked with Newcastle striker Alexander Isak in what would be a British transfer record deal.

While the club have held an interest in the Sweden international for some time, there has been no approach but Isak’s decision to absent himself from Newcastle’s pre-season trip to South Korea has only increased speculation about a potential switch to Anfield.

There has been a considerable turnover this summer with senior players Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz departing, in addition to second-choice goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, Jarell Quansah, Nat Phillips and Darwin Nunez – and Federico Chiesa expected to leave before the end of the window.

The response has been to spend a club-record fee on Florian Wirtz, while also bringing in his Bayer Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.

But Slot said the spending may not stop there.

“I always say, another thing about Liverpool is that if we see a chance in the market, we never hesitate to bring someone in,” he told reporters before departing Japan at the end of their trip to the Far East.

“In the end it’s about quality and we have already made some very good signings. In terms of quality, we are already in the right place.”

Top of that quality list is Wirtz, one of Europe’s hottest prospects at just 22.

Liverpool beat Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to his signature and were prepared to agree to a record £116m deal because of what he offers currently and the potential for growth.

“We don’t just think, ‘Let’s bring a midfielder in’. This is a long-term project for the club,” Slot added.

“It’s the way this club has worked over several years: targeting a specific player who we think can strengthen the squad and can bring us quality. Then we try to bring him in.

“I think this club has always worked like this. We do spend, but if we spend, then we always need to recoup some money.

“It’s what we already started last summer when we only brought in Federico Chiesa, but we sold three or four players, which meant a big profit.

“So if you balance things out, we’ve spent, for sure, but we’ve also recouped money.”

For all the money spent so far, the player who made the biggest impression in matches in Hong Kong and Tokyo was Rio Ngumoha, a 16-year-old who only joined the club last summer from Chelsea but has already made a rapid rise through the youth ranks.

He scored a fine solo goal in the 3-1 win over Yokohama F Marinos but also impressed against AC Milan before that and is already being talked about a viable first-team option to play on the left following the departure of Diaz.

“I’m not trying to rush because I’m still only young,” he told the club’s website.

“But at the same time, I just want to show the manager what I can do and not get too complacent. I just want to do bigger and better things for me and the club.”