Frank Lampard Hits Back At Jurgen Klopp's Spending Jibe

Frank Lampard has suggested that Chelsea's spending this summer was just following on from Liverpool's lead in the past, before the Reds became Premier League champions.

"The reality is - other than maybe Leicester, which was an incredible story - most clubs that win the League in the modern day have recruited well and have recruited at quite a high level money-wise," the Chelsea boss said.

"You can go through the Liverpool players - [Virgil] Van Dijk, Alisson, Fabinho, [Naby] Keita, [Sadio] Mane, [Mohamed] Salah. Incredible players that came at a very high price. Liverpool have done it over a period of time.

"What we have done is come off the back of a ban and probably try to address the situation to help improve us. We know that Liverpool have spent at a high level.

"We know they have an incredible coach. We know they have incredible players. The really smart thing Liverpool have done is believe in their coach and believe in their system for a number of years. It's a great story but it's a story where they've spent money on players."

The club's ban was actually reduced so they could have made signings in January but instead they stuck with the players they had, many who came from the academy.

Klopp has only added £11.75 million left back Kostas Tsimikas to the squad that won the Premier League at a canter last season.

The Reds have been heavily linked with a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago but have reportedly refused to meet his €30 million transfer value up to now.