Houllier backs Klopp but calls on Liverpool to sharpen transfer policy

Gerard Houllier has backed Jurgen Klopp to be a success as Liverpool manager but feels his former club has been let down by their recruitment strategy.

Klopp succeeded Brendan Rodgers in the Anfield hotseat earlier this month, with the scale of the task facing the ex-Borussia Dortmund coach underlined by Liverpool being held to consecutive draws in his first three games at the helm.

Houllier, who famously won five trophies during 2001 on Merseyside, was in charge of the Premier League club between 1998 and 2004 and believes the popularity enjoyed by Klopp during his early days in the role will endure.

“The future will tell but I trust Jurgen to do well,” he said in an interview for thesecretfootballer.com, which was published by The Guardian.

“I know him, I think his passion will fit in well with the passion of the fans of Anfield Road.

“He’s still a young, energetic coach. He knows what he wants, he’s got not only a vision but also a good philosophy.

“I think he’ll be loved by the players and the fans.”

But Houllier stated that Liverpool have erred in recent years in the transfer market – opting for a quantity over quality approach in replacing key men such as Luis Suarez.

“Regarding Liverpool’s recruitment strategy, I would say that their main mistake is that they signed too many players,” he added.

“You need to have cohesion in your team, to keep the players. They lost Luis Suárez and brought in too many strikers. They took Mario Balotelli, they took Rickie Lambert.”