Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has hit back at transfer claims made by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
The German tactician had suggested the Reds did their work in the transfer market differently from other clubs, who rely on financial backing from wealthy oligarchs.
This could have been taken as a dig at Chelsea, and Lampard didn’t seem to respond well to it, as reported by the Metro.
MORE: Exclusive: Chelsea legend tells Frank Lampard the one thing he needs to change about his management style
The report quotes Klopp’s initial dig, and Lampard’s response as he admits he’s amused to hear Liverpool talking about spending after the huge investment they’ve made in some top players.
While it’s true that Liverpool have brought in a number of stars in recent times, many of the additions came shortly after the big-money sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona, so there is arguably a difference between them and the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, as well as other wealthy European giants like Paris Saint-Germain.
Still, Lampard hit back at Klopp by saying, as quoted by the Metro: “I was less annoyed with it, I found it more, slightly amusing I would say.
“When you talk about the owners of clubs in the Premier League, I do not think it matters what line of business they come from. We are talking about some very wealthy owners.
“With Liverpool’s story, I think it is a fantastic story of a club over the five years that Jurgen Klopp has been there that they have managed to get recruitment right to a really high level.
“He’s been holding these raucous parties down our road for months. He invites all these people round and the noise has been unbearable. I don’t criticise him for having to party, but we are in a pandemic and most people are social-distancing. He clearly has not and somebody needs to speak to him.” – Which Man Utd star has been a nuisance to his neighbours? Click here to find out.
“The reality is that, probably other than Leicester, most clubs that win the Premier League in the modern day have recruited well at quite a high level money-wise. You can go through the Liverpool players, Van Dijk, Alisson, Fabinho, Keita, Mane, Salah, incredible players that came at a very high price. But Liverpool have done it over a period of time.
“What we have done is come off the back of a ban, probably tried to address the situation ourselves to help improve us, but I think it is par for the course.
“There is no point in doing the maths too much with it, we all know Liverpool have spent at a high level. They have spent huge amounts.”