Former Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger says Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool owe them for their success.
Krueger was in charge at Southampton when Virgil van Dijk departed for Anfield in January 2018 in a £75m deal.
"I once had a long chat with Jurgen on the sidelines of a game in Liverpool," he told Goal and SPOX. "He knows very well that, with Southampton and Virgil van Dijk, we are also indirectly part of the development in Liverpool!
"When we talk about Jurgen Klopp, we also have to talk about the owners [FSG]. I also got to know them during my time in England, they had the necessary patience and allowed Jurgen to go his own way and build up his culture.
"Today everyone only sees the great successes of the last few years, but these successes did not come overnight. A few years ago, Liverpool only played the Europa League - people tend to forget that."