Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has hailed two of his young midfield talents as having saved the club millions of dollars in the transfer market. After a summer overhaul in that department, his side is now competing with Manchester City and Arsenal for the Premier League title.

Immediately after Liverpool plays Brighton tomorrow, the other two contenders at the top of the table will go head-to-head. If the Reds were to win and Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta’s side drew, Liverpool would be two points clear at the summit with nine matches to play.

“So many things are there,” Klopp said ahead of facing Brighton. “How the boys developed, how Curtis [Jones] developed, how Harvey [Elliott] developed… so many things through that difficult period.

“As difficult as it was, something positive always happened. The very young ones coming in and how they performed, or how the boys who were already with us improved. The step Curtis made is insane and the step Harvey made as well… proper, proper. If you have to buy these boys, you spend real money. And we have them, which is really cool.”

Liverpool knew that this season needed to be substantially better than the last one, having missed out on the Champions League a year ago. And Jones and Elliott have been a key part in helping to rejuvenate the center of the field, each playing a crucial role in the campaign to date. Jones could return from injury this weekend, in what would be a major boost.

“We had to create an idea and we did,” Klopp continued. “We found a way together and I love so much about how the boys have taken to it. There’s a lot of excitement involved as well.

“Dom Szoboszlai still cannot get enough of Premier League football. You could play every 10 minutes with him and he’d still be very excited about that! We are not that experienced with this group. But everything I learned about them this season, they are ready for the fight. And what more can I ask for?”