Klopp can take Liverpool to the next level, but he needs more ‘special players’, claims John Barnes

Liverpool legend John Barnes has told talkSPORT the arrival of Jurgen Klopp alone won’t be enough to transform the Reds into Premier League title challengers, and that the side needs more ‘star quality’ to compete at the top

Klopp’s arrival at the Anfield helm was confirmed on Thursday, with the two-time Bundesliga winning coach replacing the axed Brendan Rodgers and signing a three year contract at the club.

The buzz around Merseyside has been infectious, with the German wowing fans and the media with an entertaining, humble and impressive first press conference as manager on Friday.

Klopp has vowed to bring a ‘full throttle’ breed of attacking football back to Anfield, and insisted he expects to still be the manager of Liverpool in four years’ time with a Premier League title under his belt.

But former forward Barnes insists the club will still need to invest in a few ‘special players’, of the same calibre as midfielder maestro Phillippe Coutinho, to really take this Liverpool team to the next level.

Speaking on the Weekend Sports Breakfast, the Reds legend said: “Jurgen Klopp is a great manager but we’ll have to give him time to create a team. Is this Liverpool team good enough to win the league as it stands? No it’s not.

“He can make an instant impact. What we know from the first three games of the season is that this Liverpool team has a lot of energy, they’re fit, strong and physical. Apart from Coutinho, who gives us that star quality in terms of invention and flair, we probably don’t have the quality of other big teams, but we’re a very powerful team, and Klopp likes powerful teams.

“But are we going to be able to complete with Manchester City and Chelsea with the players we have now? If he keeps this squad for the next four years, do we think this team is good enough to challenge for the league? I think it is good enough for the top four, but to win the league we need special players.

“In the old days managers attracted players, but now salaries attract players.

“Jurgen Klopp is a big name, but can we say that any of the superstars he knows will come to Liverpool because of Klopp, if they are also approached by the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona or other big teams who can pay higher wages? I don’t think so.

“We’re not able to get the best players in the world, we don’t pay those salaries so they won’t come to Liverpool.

“But at the moment what we need is for us to be competitive, that’s all we can ask for.”

Rodgers was axed as boss following the Reds’ indifferent start to the season, which sees the side sit tenth in the league standings after just three wins from their opening eight games.

The Northern Irishman had over three years in the job to make an impact, and while he led Liverpool to a brilliant second placed finish two seasons ago, earning the LMA Manager of the Year in the process, the departure of key stars Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling and Steven Gerrard has seen the team since slip backwards.

So, American owners Fenway Sports Group have turned to former Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp as the man to steer the club back to top honours, although Barnes believes the change of manager will do little for their prospects for the rest of the season.

“If Brendan Rodgers had stayed, I think Liverpool would have been fighting for between fourth and sixth,” he added.

“They’re only three points off the top four and, apart from Manchester City, none of the ‘top four’ teams are playing consistently enough for the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham NOT to have ambitions to get into the top four.

“With Jurgen Klopp there I think exactly the same - I think they can get into the top four, maybe not first or second at the moment.

“Even with this squad I believe we can be pushing for a fourth place finish, but January will be very important because that’s when he’ll be looking to bring players in to improve the team and take us to that next level.”