Klopp has final say on transfers – Ayre

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp does not require the approval of a committee on transfers, according to club CEO Ian Ayre.

The process for scouting and signing players has not changed in eight years, according to Ayre, who played down the popular idea that Klopp’s predecessor, Brendan Rodgers, had his activity in the transfer market restricted by a committee.

Speaking at the Web Summit at the RDS in Dublin, Ayre said: “Brendan had the final say on all the players we signed.

“There’s only one person that has the final say over what players at Liverpool Football Club and that’s Jurgen Klopp right now. That’s always been the case for as long as I’ve been here.

“The words ‘transfer committee’ I think got used once and became this idea that we all sit round a table and have a vote on every player we sign. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

“The manager will say we are looking for somebody in this position and a bunch of people – a mix of traditional scouts and more recently analytical and digital-based information – bring all of that together as was always the case.

“Then we look at two, three, four players – the best players for that position – show them to the manager, and the manager can go watch or have the scouts go watch those players and narrow it down. At that point I’ll become more involved and start talking to clubs, agents, players on a negotiations basis and then the manager will choose.

“That’s never changed. I’ve been at the football club eight years. The committee, and we don’t think of it as a committee, just the media do, is really a collaboration of all those people that all contribute to let the manager make that decision, and I think that’s very smart.”

Klopp has already taken charge of three Premier League matches, a Europa League fixture, and a League Cup win over AFC Bournemouth since arriving at Anfield on October 8, and Ayre stressed the point that managers have very little time to devote to transfers.

“Look at the last three months,” he said. “We had a game every three days. When is the manager going to fly around the world and watch players? When is the manager going to negotiate with an agent?

“That’s not the same as making the decision. The point is using smart processes and people, all of whom have all learnt at all manner of different football clubs and have great experience in the game. They are there to provide the manager with the best tools to make the best decision.”