Arne Slot opens up on Martin Zubimendi’s transfer decision as the Liverpool head coach insists he isn’t surprised by the level of speculation at Anfield
Arne Slot said sporting director Richard Hughes “tried everything” to land Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad and insists there is no room for negativity regarding a lack of arrivals at Liverpool. And the head coach also claims he has not been surprised by the level of interest in the transfer window in England.
The Reds had earmarked Spain international Zubimendi as their first arrival of the window and were ready to meet the Sociedad midfielder’s buyout clause of around £51m before the player himself had a change of heart earlier this week.
It was reported that Sociedad’s charm offensive pulled at the heartstrings of the 25-year-old, who has been with the Basque club since before his teenage years, and despite the talks, Hughes was unable to convince Zubimendi to leave his homeland and move to Merseyside.
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As a result, the debate has raged about the club’s unwillingness to dip into the market so far with less than a fortnight left of the player trading period until January. Liverpool are the only club not to have signed anyone to date in the Premier League but Slot says transfers are something of an afterthought for the coaching staff at Anfield right now.
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“What happened is that we and Richard in particular tried everything he could to try and bring him in,” Slot said. “I think I said it over there (in the pre-match press conference), the only thing we can’t do is make the decision for him.
“And he made the decision not to come, that could have to do with what you said (his boyhood club) but he is the person who could tell us exactly why he made the decision. We did everything we could to try and bring him in, it didn’t work out and that is not such a big of a problem because we still have six midfielders.
“For me there is no negativity at all in the squad if people talk about the transfers. In Holland, people talk about the transfers as well but we don’t have one broadcaster who is talking about football the whole day.
“But, no, it doesn’t come to me that much. If I walk around I see a screen and I see a manager or names. But does it surprise me? No, no, no. You know before you go to England, people say there is a lot of media attention especially in these weeks when the transfer window is open.
“But I am working with my team and my focus is on them and I am not thinking every second of the day about transfers.”
Liverpool looked like being in the thick of a title race in the closing months of last season under Jurgen Klopp before a disappointing April ended those hopes and the Reds were made to settle for third, which was a significant improvement on the previous term that saw them end in fifth, outside the Champions League places.
Slot says it is too early to say if Liverpool can go higher this time out and challenged his players to match the energy that will be on show from a newly-promoted Ipswich Town in their first Premier League fixture for well over two decades on Saturday lunchtime.
Slot added: “Can we build on last year? That’s a question that is a difficult one to see before we even play the first game. You have to see the qualities of them (title rivals), how they improve and if they improve in the same way as us. Each season brings in new challenges for everyone.
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“It is too early to see if we are up there, above them or beneath them. That question can be answered after five or six games. But it is clear what our aim is – to close the gap and not make it any bigger than it was in the last two years. Those years, in terms of points, we were quite far behind.
“What we are hoping to see is that we carry on with what we saw in the games in pre-season and that we improve on that. We understand there will be a lot of energy around the place (at Portman Road) with a newly-promoted team.
“We have to match that energy definitely to bring our qualities forward. But I have seen (my players) working really hard and that is the minimum I always ask from my team.
“Hopefully we will play the best football possible. If not, we still work hard, we have enough qualities to win the game in a special moment from someone. Ideally, we will see the progress from pre-season continuing in the Premier League – but if not we have to win it differently.
“It is difficult to say (what Saturday will mean) because it still has to happen. It is special to work in a club like this as it was special to work in a club like Feyenoord which has a lot of history as well.
“I am fortunate that I can work at two clubs that have such history and I am now looking forward to this game. I don’t think about this all the time, I think how can we play against Ipswich and how can I prepare the team in the best possible way to have the best possible chance to win the game.”
