Liverpool can’t afford Timo Werner – but not because they lack cash

Liverpool can’t afford to make a move for RB Leipzig hitman Timo Werner, but not because they lack the funds or the will.

Doing anything right now is tricky, never mind trying to plan for next season when the current one is the subject of so much speculation. So far, Liverpool have done pretty well.

That is, until people start to talk about transfer or that dreaded Timo Werner.

If anyone has the ability to divide opinion right now, it’s the jet-heeled German.

Some fans just want Liverpool to get the deal done, to take advantage of the generous release clause he has in his contract before it expires and welcome a top-class forward to a squad brimming with exciting talent.

But this is something the club can’t afford to do, and not because they don’t have the money.

FSG have looked after the finances incredibly well and we’re in a period of growth not seen before on Merseyside.

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Before COVID-19 struck, things were looking incredibly rosy thanks to on-field success and deals done in the boardroom.

Rather, how it would look to the rest of society – and perhaps the world – if Liverpool announced a transfer move worth £52 million in the same few months as their announcement to shift non-playing staff onto the government’s payroll should be the main consideration here.

The club eventually did the right thing and recalled their players from furlough, but the optics have been laid out. How can a football club afford to commit £52 million, regardless of how the deal is structured, if they had made the decision to remove the lowest paid from their wage bill.

Football is under attack from the rest of society of the perceived selfishness of the industry and the otherworldly wealth it possesses.

Proudly announcing buying a player worth more than what most people will earn in their lives would be terrible optics for Liverpool right now and it’s not a move they can afford to make.