‘Ton of bricks’ - Gary Neville sends FSG blunt message amid Liverpool spending claim

Gary Neville has claimed that Fenway Sports Group are going to be hit ‘by a ton of bricks’ if they do not give Jurgen Klopp the funds for Liverpool to compete.

The Reds have so far signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a combined £95 million in the summer transfer window. However, a third bid of £45 million for Romeo Lavia has been rejected, with Southampton holding out for £50 million.

Liverpool finished just fifth in the Premier League last season and rivals including Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have all spent big money to improve their respective squads.

FSG run the club on a sustainable model, with Klopp leading the Reds to six major trophies during eight years in the hot seat - including the Champions League and Premier League.

But for Liverpool to continue to challenge for silverware, Neville believes that FSG need to back the German.

Speaking on The Overlap, Neville said: “I have said this and it’s come in this moment. In the last two years, Chelsea have spent huge, Arsenal have spent huge, United have spent huge, City are City and it’s caught the owners out. They haven’t got the money to be able to compete.

“[Jude] Bellingham £100-odd million, [Declain] Rice £100-odd million, Fernandez £100 million, Caiceco £100 million. I think they’re comfortable at that £50-60 million but they’ve hit the ceiling where they’ve at a lower level than the other four, five clubs and it’s going to come and hit them like a ton of bricks at some point.

“The manager will wake up at some point in the morning - because he is shielding them. He’s done an unbelievable job, he’s done the best job in the past 7-8 years with the budget and spend that he’s had but he can’t keep doing it. He needs that money to be able to compete. They [FSG] should be going to get Caicedo for him now and saying: ‘Right, that’s dealt with, it’s £100 million] but they’re not, they’re trying to pinch someone off Southampton for £40 million who, don’t get me wrong, is a good player. Jurgen Klopp needs the real deal.

“They can’t do it [challenge Man City] with a player that’s got potential, they need to do it with a player that is real and I do think it will come back on the owners at some point. I know they’re building the stadium (expanding Anfield to a 61,000-seat capacity), they had to do that as Anfield had fallen so far behind and they had no choice. That will drive revenue and pay for itself but they’re not investing in the team the other four or five teams are.”