Former Liverpool defender, now ESPN pundit Steve Nicol has criticised his former club for not signing RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner.
The Reds had been linked with a move for the German for a number of weeks, but Liverpool chose not to make a move for the striker and as such, he’s now agreed to join Chelsea at the end of the season.
Liverpool were unwilling to pay the release clause in Werner’s contract, but Chelsea were seemingly all too happy to stump up the cash and as such, barring any last-minute hiccups, the forward will be leading the line at Stamford Bridge next season.
Speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol said that the Reds have made an error by letting the striker join a Premier League rival.
When asked if he thought Liverpool had made a mistake, he said:
I think it is [a mistake], yes. Regardless of how good you are, you have to make sure you stay where you are at the very least. “That means you need competition for places. “No question, Werner would have given the front three – as great as they are and have been – it would have kept them on their toes. The front three of Liverpool can now breathe a little easier. I think Liverpool have slipped up here.
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At one point, it looked almost certain that Werner would become a Liverpool player this summer, but that’s no longer the case.
The club’s financial situation has obviously changed this summer given recent global events and it could well be that their transfer policy has changed on the back of this.
Whilst Liverpool still have a world-class front three, doubts remain about the strength in depth behind them, whilst one of those backups, Xherdan Shaqiri, looks set to make an exit from the club.
With Werner looking set to join Chelsea, the Reds will need to look elsewhere for possible cheaper forward targets but it remains to be seen if they can find anyone of suitable quality for a smaller fee.
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