Why Liverpool are not spending in the January transfer window and Man City are
Liverpool's lack of spending in the January transfer window is not to do with fears of Premier League repercussions in terms of their Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) position. The Reds are currently enjoying a season that nobody expected in the wake of Jurgen Klopp's decision to leave Anfield.
While Manchester City have faltered tremendously and Arsenal have struggled for consistency, the Reds have managed to keep on track and currently sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League. This gap could increase to nine points should they win the rearranged Merseyside Derby in a fortnight.
Despite this success, there has been some confusion as to why Liverpool have not chosen to spend money in the January transfer window. Federico Chiesa was the only major, immediate signing in the summer and while things are going well now, there is an acceptance that you can never stand still in football.
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Speaking exclusively to the ECHO, football finance expert from Sheffield Hallam University, Dr Dan Plumley insisted that the decision not to spend this mid-season is not due to fears of overreaching on their PSR commitments. "If you look at Liverpool, some of the reasons for not spending will be because of where they are in the table right now and looking where they are in relation to others," the Bet Ideas ambassador explained.
"Performance does have an impact and I think the other thing we have to factor in with Liverpool is the contract situations for some of their biggest players - [Mohamed] Salah, [Trent] Alexander-Arnold and [Virgil] Van Dijk - so it feels like a bigger thing is coming in the summer for Liverpool. But, short-term performance will be impacting that [decision not to spend], at the moment."
In comparison to Liverpool, City have spent big in January bringing in a trio of players and committing Erling Haaland to a bumper new contract. However, that response in the market has been born out of necessity to try and keep pace with the Reds.
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