Marcel Sabitzer truth hard to take but Liverpool have two reasons why they didn’t make move

As soon as the gossip started at the other end of the M62, Jurgen Klopp would have known what was coming.

While the Liverpool manager opts to eschew social media, he’d have been only too aware of how fans would have reacted when Bayern Munich’s Marcel Sabitzer first emerged as a target for Manchester United on transfer deadline day. The same goes for Jorginho when a switch to Arsenal from Chelsea was in the offing.

Klopp is only too conscious of the clamour for the Reds to bolster their midfield options. He was in the summer and still is.

In the aftermath of the FA Cup defeat to Brighton, Klopp declared Liverpool’s business in the January transfer window was done. He was happy with the sole arrival of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven.

That can’t be said for sections of supporters. Several remained adamant that the engine room was substandard and a fresh addition was needed to transform the Reds’ stuttering form this season.

Watching United and Arsenal both strengthen in the area of the pitch Klopp needs reinforcements sparked a question from some Kopites; why couldn't Liverpool have made a move for either Sabitzer or Jorginho?

United wasted no time to replace the injured Christian Eriksen, while Arsenal bolster their squad to give them the best possible chance of getting their hands on the Premier League title.

Yet the Reds decided to stick with a set-up that has them languishing ninth in the table and facing a season without silverware.

Recruiting Sabitzer or Jorginho would have bolstered quality and quantity in the middle of the park for the remainder of the campaign. United have no obligation to buy Sabitzer at the end of the season while Jorginho’s signed a deal until 2024 at the Emirates and cost £12 million. That's moderate by today's standards.

Given the renowned recruitment department at Anfield, they'd surely have got wind of when Sabitzer had been made available for loan by Bayern. And as Chelsea's interest in Enzo Fernandez started hot up, murmurs of Jorginho's availability may have begun to spread.

Neither player would have been a long-term solution for Liverpool. Major surgery is required in the summer, with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Matheua Nunes targets.

And as stop-gap signings go, the Reds are usually reluctant. The past dictates that Klopp will only sign short-term answers if there’s an injury crisis in one particular position.

That was the case somewhat when Liverpool recruited Arthur Melo on summer transfer deadline day on loan from Juventus. Jordan Henderson suffered a hamstring injury while Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were also absent at the time.

The Reds now have a contrasting situation in midfield. Injuries have hampered the Reds this campaign and Ibrahima Konate recently joined key players Virgil van Dijk, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz on the treatment table.

But in the engine room, numbers are healthy. As things stand, Henderson, Keita, Jones, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago Alcantara, James Milner and Harvey Elliott are available. In addition, Arthur is a couple of weeks away from returning to team training while the emergence of 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic has come as a pleasant surprise.

And even if Liverpool had swooped for the latest members of United and Arsenal's respective sides, room in their Premier League squad was non-existent. Clubs can submit no more than 17 non home-grown players. With Gakpo’s arrival, they are now at the maximum.

Klopp confirmed earlier in the season there was no recall clause for Arthur so he couldn't go back to Juventus. You can say he could have been left out of the list but that would be undignified. It’s not like the Brazilian has committed an unforgivable off-the-field action that deserves ostracisation. He suffered an unfortunate injury that required surgery when trying to get himself fit after playing twice for the under-21s.

Every squad needs three senior goalkeepers, too, so omitting Adrian was out of the question.

Seeing Sabitzer and Jorginho join who should have been Liverpool’s top-four rivals is brutally hard to take. There’s no getting away from that fact as either would have improved Klopp’s squad. But the Anfield will have his reasons why.