Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has urged everyone to stay calm when it comes to the handling the futures of some of their biggest stars.

Virgil van Dijk, who along with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold has 18 months left on his contract, has said he was curious to see where the club was heading with Klopp’s departure pending and admitted he did not know whether he would be part of a new era at Anfield.

That has sparked concerns a period of inertia – Liverpool currently do not have a sporting director in place after Jorg Schmadtke’s short-term appointment was ended – until the identity of the new manager is known could lead to the break up of a squad which Klopp believes has been rebuilt sufficiently to continue challenging after he has gone.

Asked whether there was a danger the squad could break up Klopp said: “No, I don’t think so but it is completely normal.

“It was always clear, when I spoke about what I spoke about, the outside world will not give you a second to process it, to think about it. It is ‘what are you doing?’.

“A week ago when no one knew about my decision and there were 18 months on the contracts, nobody asked. So give us a break, give the boys a break.

“Nobody has to worry. This club is stable, 100 per cent, and everything will be fine, I am 100 per cent sure, and the rest we have to get through. I would recommend to stay calm in this department, massively.”

Klopp argued it would have been unfair and disrespectful to players who have played a major part in their success together to tie them down to new contracts when they had no idea he would not be manager next season.

The German informed owners Fenway Sports Group of his decision in November but the players were not told until Friday. However, Klopp said there is plenty of time to sort their futures.

“The club knew about my departure for a while and could have used the time and tied the players down and then I say ‘by the way, I’m not here anymore’, and they they ‘hey, what? No one told us that’,” he added.

“You cannot work like that, especially not with the relationship we have. There is enough time to do everything.

“These players love to be here, I know that for a fact, don’t forget that. It is not that they have one foot out. They want to know a little bit of perspective but that will happen, especially behind the scenes.

“Don’t worry. It is all fine.”

Player contracts is just the first issue to arise since Klopp’s announcement and it shows the desire for there not to be any distractions is misguided.

It comes in a huge week for the Premier League leaders, who host Chelsea on Wednesday before travelling to Arsenal at the weekend.

After a month when he was without a number of players the direction of travel in that respect has changed with Alexis Mac Allister rejoining the squad after missing the weekend as a precaution.

Even fellow midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who has not played since April because of a hip injury, has returned to training but the wait for Mohamed Salah’s recovery from a hamstring injury sustained on African Nations Cup duty with Egypt goes on even though his country have now been eliminated.

“There was no pressure in it besides the fact that you want to get fit as quick as possible anyway. We cannot rush it,” he said.

“If we could rush the healing process believe me Thiago would not have been out for 10 months. It is not possible.”

Liverpool announced the signing of Brazilian forward Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan on this day in 2013.

The 20-year-old became manager Brendan Rodgers’ second signing of the January transfer window after finalising the details of his medical and work permit.

Coutinho was on his fourth club – all in different countries – in three years, but having spoken at length with compatriot and new team-mate Lucas Leiva, he was confident he would adapt to life on Merseyside.

“I’ve been talking to him for some time and he said good things about Liverpool,” said the midfielder, who began his career with Vasco da Gama before moving to Inter, who loaned him to Espanyol.

“He believes this might be a nice club for me and now it’s happening. I’m very confident and excited to come and start to train with the team and be available to the manager.

“I’ve been playing in Italy for two and a half years and I believe I will adapt with ease here.

“I’m feeling very happy, it’s a very important step in my career and I’m expecting to come here and play good football to give my contribution on the pitch.

“Liverpool is a great club with great players. We’ve always heard about Liverpool’s history in Brazil.

“They are the club that have been interested in me and that have showed this interest so I know they believe in me and my football.”

Coutinho went on to make 201 appearances for the Reds, scoring 54 goals, before he was sold to Barcelona for £130million in 2018.

Now 31, he currently plays for Qatari club Al Duhail, on loan from Aston Villa.

Virgil van Dijk admits Liverpool’s hierarchy have a big job to replace Jurgen Klopp and is “curious” to see the direction they go in.

The Reds captain does not believe uncertainty over the future will affect their ambitions this season, having continued their challenge on four fronts with a comfortable FA Cup victory over Norwich.

But with the likes of himself, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold all in the final 18 months of their contracts, there are a lot of significant decisions to be made before the summer.

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“The club will have a big job on their hands, that is well known,” he said.

 “To replace not only the manager but the whole staff and there are so many things that will change.

“I’m very curious which direction that will go in but when that will be announced we will see our situation.

“It will be the end of Jurgen Klopp’s era – I am still part of it that’s why I don’t like to talk about it – and that is my main focus.

“Hopefully we will have the success we all dream of and by then probably there will be more clarification about what the club wants for the future and then we will see.”

Asked whether he saw himself being part of the next era, Van Dijk added: “That’s a big question. I don’t know.”

However, any questions about how the players would respond to learning the news of Klopp’s departure at the end of the season were emphatically answered with a 5-2 victory over the Canaries at an emotional Anfield.

Bigger tests await this week with Chelsea visiting on Wednesday before they head to Arsenal next weekend but Van Dijk insists nothing will – or should – be different.

“Nothing has really changed. Obviously things will change at the end of the season and in the new season but at the moment it doesn’t and we have to keep doing the same things,” he added.

“It’s easier said than done but I sense the rest of the boys think like that as well and it is the job for me to ensure we keep it that way.

“We are all human beings and we have emotions – some players feel different about the manager’s announcement than others.

“That’s absolutely normal because everyone thinks in different ways but I didn’t notice the professionalism being dropped or the level of standard. The training sessions I have seen in the last couple of days were not different than before.

“For the boss it (the Norwich game) was a bit different but for us it was to make sure we got to the next round with some players coming back from injury and now we focus on Wednesday.

“We can speak about the situation, about what will happen next year, every week but it doesn’t change, it’s noise we don’t need and that’s why we focus on getting the job done and that’s why I feel nothing has changed.

“It is still the same but at the end of the season there will be different things happening of course, but that is for the club to sort out.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists he had to “pull himself together” for the FA Cup victory over Norwich after an outpouring of emotion from friends and fans after he announced he would leave the club at the end of the season.

His players followed through on his insistence that nothing should change with a 5-2 win over Norwich to set up a fifth-round tie at home to either Watford or Southampton.

It came amid a celebration of Klopp at Anfield, who sat in contemplative mood as the Kop belted out ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before kick-off and followed it up with a first-minute rendition of ‘I’m so glad that Jurgen is a Red’.

“It’s emotional but I have to pull myself together. I received all the messages. I’m not made of wood,” said Klopp.

“It was a top performance from everybody involved, really good.

“We could have passed a little but with more purpose, direction and being quicker in the way we scored two goals but conceded a set-piece goal.

“But it is clear when you are as dominant as we are, if we improve in some departments we create more chances.”

Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez scored either side of Ben Gibson’s headed equaliser but in the second half it was virtual one-way traffic and further goals came from Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch, with Borja Sainz’s screamer briefly making it 4-2.

However, other major plus points were the returns from injury off the bench from Andy Robertson – out since October with a dislocated shoulder – fellow full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.

With Premier League matches against Chelsea and Arsenal in the next week, having them all back is a real boost.

“It was very important that we could give them minutes. Trent and Dom were not that long out but Robbo was out for a long time and each minute they could get is really important and here it helped to share intensity,” added Klopp.

“We played pretty good without them, so it is about how we are playing. We have to make sure we are the one team Chelsea does not want to play against and Arsenal doesn’t want to play against.”

Norwich boss David Wagner, Klopp’s long-time friend, admitted his side were up against it.

“A deserved win for Liverpool, the better side won. My team put a shift in and tried to play out from the back. We scored two wonderful goals and were competitive,” he said.

“I said before, ‘let’s attack this competition with freedom’. We were able to get some players closer to the squad and it was a step for us. Now we have to make sure we recover in the Championship.”

Anfield’s long goodbye to Jurgen Klopp began with a comfortable 5-2 FA Cup fourth round victory over Norwich.

The Liverpool boss, who on Friday announced his departure at the end of the season, sat in contemplative mood as the Kop belted out ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before kick-off.

It was followed up in the first minute by a rendition of ‘I’m so glad that Jurgen is a Red’ but the German will have been pleased the focus swung to on the pitch action immediately afterwards as, with the battle continuing on four fronts, there is plenty of football still to play.

Klopp does not want his final four months to be an indulgent love-in and his players got the message as they saw off their spirited Championship opponents – managed by Klopp’s good friend David Wagner – with clinical professionalism after a minor blip.

Curtis Jones’ fifth goal in as many home games – marking the best goalscoring season of his career – and Darwin Nunez’s third in his last three were eclipsed by the quality of Diogo Jota’s volley for the third.

Headers from Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch kick-started the first of what is likely to be many parties at Anfield.

The visitors were under pressure from the off with Joe Gomez having a shot deflected wide and Nunez curling a shot against the post after Jack Stacey lost possession.

Jones broke the deadlock when he headed home a deep cross to the far post by 19-year-old James McConnell, making his full debut in central midfield.

The teenager celebrated by simply raising both arms in the air but the biggest compliment you could pay him was that he did not look out of place in a much-changed team whose bench included Van Dijk, Luis Diaz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harvey Elliott.

Klopp cited one of the reasons for not quitting after last season’s widespread struggles was his desire to put things right and leave the club in a good place for his successor.

In McConnell and 20-year-old defenders Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah the future looks secure.

However, a defence missing the authority of Van Dijk switched off at a 22nd-minute corner and Ben Gibson flicked a near-post header from Gabriel Sara’s inswinger past Alisson Becker.

But Nunez quickly restored their lead when Bradley won possession just inside Norwich’s half, exchanged passes with Jota and squared for the Uruguay international to slot home.

The visitors’ hopes were virtually extinguished early in the second half by Jota’s brilliant volley after Grant Hanley had headed Jones’ long pass straight up in the air.

A triple substitution followed immediately with the reception for Van Dijk and Szoboszlai drowned out by the cheer for Robertson as he made his first appearance since October after a dislocated shoulder.

Van Dijk’s header from a corner put Liverpool out of sight and even Borja Sainz’s superb strike from distance was scant consolation as the siege continued at the other end, with goalkeeper George Long overworked.

Alexander-Arnold came off the bench after a knee problem to play the final 24 minutes in midfield as they continued to tune up a number of their recent absentees before the midweek Premier League visit of Chelsea and Gravenberch’s close-range header completed the rout.

The last two occasions Liverpool beat Norwich in the FA Cup at Anfield they went on to win the trophy.

With a home draw against more Championship opponents in either Watford or Southampton the fates seem to be aligning for a potentially epic Klopp farewell and, even without the manager’s traditional post-match fist pumps, the Kop need no encouragement to celebrate every moment.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp does not expect the attitude of his players to change with the shock news he is to leave the club at the end of the season.

The news the 56-year-old will not see out his contract until 2026 was a seismic event in football and the inevitable questions immediately followed about how it would affect a campaign which, with a bit of luck, has the potential to be the greatest in the club’s history.

Liverpool are five points clear at the top of the Premier League, into the last 16 of the Europa League, the Carabao Cup final next month and home advantage against Championship side Norwich on Sunday for a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Klopp notified owners Fenway Sports Group of his decision in November but his squad only found out an hour or so before the news went public.

“The players didn’t have a lot of questions. I spoke to them all together and then a few after that,” said Klopp.

“We have a really strong bond. We are professionals. The agreement you have on both sides is you agree for one year, after that the manager can get the sack or a player can want a new contract.

“We are completely in that year and the boys see it exactly like that.

“You can see the boys are in a really good mood. They weren’t having a party when I told them but it was just an announcement.

“I told them it is different to other situations; usually when a manager is in a dressing room and talks like that he got sacked. It isn’t like that because of the things we achieved with each other.

“I think a lot of people from the outside who are not with us will be happy. The distraction comes from outside but to get distracted you need two parts and we will not let it happen.

“If you want we can grow even more together and squeeze everything out of the season.

“There was before no guarantee we would win anything from this season and there is now no guarantee.

“We will fight 100 per cent. I cannot do the job in the future but I can do it very well right now.”

A visibly physically and emotionally drained Klopp could have left in the summer after a season of struggles and a failure to qualify for the Champions League or win a trophy.

However, the German saw it as his duty to rectify the problems within the squad and with clever recruitment he has done that, laying the foundations for his successor.

“We had last year’s situation and I think a lot of managers would have got the sack but there was never any intention (by FSG) to do that,” he added.

“This team is set up for the future. When I said Liverpool 2.0, that didn’t include me for the next 10 years but the team is there, the basis is there.

“Whoever comes in has the chance to play really good football. What we all did in the last years, changing from doubters to believers. It is a wonderful future ahead and that is all I want.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he is relieved to have finally made the decision to leave the club at the end of the season.

The German’s standing at Anfield meant it was unlikely he would have ever been sacked and, having already extended his contract two years beyond the seven he served at both Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, there would probably have been an expectation on him to go beyond 2026.

Klopp could have gone last summer after being physically and emotionally drained by a difficult season which saw Liverpool finish fifth, but he chose to stay on in order to put things right.

With the club top of the Premier League and fighting on four fronts he has done that in remarkably quick time but even by November, the 56-year-old knew he had to get out.

“The relief was there when I made the decision for myself. I didn’t know that would be the case,” he said.

“Today it (the feeling) is mixed. I am not as emotional as I will be.

“I have to make the decision at one point, because nobody else will, because of the trust and respect we have for each other, and the owners knew I would take the decision.

“I don’t want to hang around and do the job somehow. I thought it through properly.

“I want (to win) everything this season, but it wouldn’t change my mind – and if we don’t win anything it wouldn’t change my mind.

“It’s a decision I made independent of any kind of results.”

In his first press conference as Liverpool boss in 2015 Klopp declared himself the ‘normal one’ and he maintains that is who he is despite his high profile.

He insists he has no regrets about any decisions he has taken at Liverpool, with whom he has won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup among a host of titles, but admits he has missed out on life away from football.

“I arrived here like a normal guy and I never lived that,” he added.

“It is three or four weeks in a summer which somehow is fine. Whatever will happen in the future, I don’t know now.

“I don’t know how normal life is so I have to find out.”

Klopp plans to take a year off and then see how he feels but has ruled out a return to management in England.

“Whatever will happen in the future I don’t know now, but no club, no country, for the next year, and no other English club ever,” he said.

“I can promise that, even if I have nothing to eat that will not happen.”

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has emerged as the early favourite to succeed Klopp.

The former Liverpool midfielder insists his focus was solely on his current role and that he was in “the right place”.

Pep Guardiola joked that he will sleep better once Jurgen Klopp has left Liverpool – and backed his long-time rival to return to management one day.

Klopp made the shock announcement on Friday morning that he will be quitting Anfield at the end of the season after nine years in charge.

Guardiola joined City a year after Klopp arrived on Merseyside, and the duo have been jostling at the top of English football almost ever since, with the German ending Liverpool’s 30-year wait for the title in 2020.

They had previously locked horns for two years in Germany with Guardiola at Bayern Munich and Klopp in charge of Borussia Dortmund, and have faced each other more than any other manager – a total of 29 times.

The two clubs have since met in the Premier League on 15 occasions in an enduring rivalry which Guardiola once described as “beautiful”, with City winning five matches, Liverpool four and the other six finishing as draws.

Guardiola, whose side currently trail leaders Liverpool by five points but have a game in hand, said: “I will sleep better. Before playing against Liverpool was always a nightmare.

“Of course he will be missed. It was shock to everyone. As Manchester City we will lose something, we cannot define our period without him and without Liverpool.

“He is the best rival I have had in my career. The Premier League will miss his charisma and personality. I wish him all the best.”

Klopp plans to take a year off after leaving Liverpool and then see how he feels but has ruled out a return to management in England.

Guardiola, who took a year-long sabbatical from football after leaving Barcelona in 2012 before taking charge at Bayern Munich, has no doubts that the German will return to the dugout at some point.

The Spaniard added: “He will not admit it but he will be back. I know it. Maybe in 10 years time, when he’s charged his energy. I’m saying this personality will be back. With national team, I don’t know.

“Nine years in the same place, maybe he needs to breathe, to step back. At Barcelona I had that feeling.

“But football needs personalities like him. Hopefully next season we will have time to go out for dinner together.”

Jurgen Klopp must be considered as a Liverpool manager as great as the likes of Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly.

That is the opinion of former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, who was left shocked by the news that Klopp would be leaving the Reds at the end of the season.

Klopp confirmed in a video released via Liverpool's media channels on Friday that he would be calling time on his nine-year stint at Anfield.

In that time, Klopp has led Liverpool to a Premier League title, a Champions League crown, an FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and Community Shield.

The Reds are top of the Premier League as it stands, and his tally of five major trophies ranks him fourth on the all-time list for Liverpool, after Shankly (six), Kenny Dalglish (six) and Paisley (13), with the Reds still competing for four competitions this season.

Klopp is the only Liverpool manager to win each of the top-flight, European Cup/Champions League, FA Cup, and EFL Cup with the club, meanwhile. 

And while Shankly and Paisley are considered as club legends, Warnock believes Klopp deserves to be ranked alongside them and the club's very best managers.

Warnock told Stats Perform: "Shankly and Paisley will go down as arguably the two biggest influencers of managers, Shankly more so than Paisley because of the way he transformed the club.

"But then Paisley's success on the pitch was second to none. It was quite remarkable what he did. You could also look at Dalglish's time as manager.

"But where Liverpool were and what they were doing when Jurgen came in, he goes into that table of greats, that pool of greats.

"There are some great managers for Liverpool over the years, but he goes into the top three, top four."

Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, and as well as winning almost every trophy available to him, has led Liverpool to multiple other finals.

The Reds have finished as Champions League runners-up twice, losing to Real Madrid in 2018 and 2022, while also pushing Pep Guardiola's Manchester City close in numerous Premier League title tussles.

And Warnock credits Klopp with not only revolutionising how Liverpool played, but also how teams in the Premier League followed suit.

"I think they were eighth in the league when he took over," Warnock said. "And people wondered how quickly he could have an effect on the team.

"Straight away, we saw that heavy metal football and the way he wanted to press. It was so different to what people had seen within the Premier League. 

"You start to see the changes in personnel and the way that the football club started to move forward as a whole."

Liverpool's ownership – FSG – have come under some criticism for a perceived lack of investment in the club, but Warnock believes Klopp unified everyone involved.

"He connected the team, the club, the ownership. I think he managed to be that guy, the glue of the club, and who held things together," Warnock added.

"That's a personality trait that we don't often talk about, a huge skill of his to be able to do that.

"But the only thing he will be judged on was success on the football pitch, and to win a Premier League title, Liverpool's first Premier League title, and the first league title after 30 years, was quite remarkable.

"That's what he set out to do. He achieved that. Probably not in ideal circumstances with the pandemic and not having the fans to be able to celebrate it with them, but the position they were in was quite incredible."

Warnock thinks Klopp might have seen the end of the season as the best possible way to go out on a high note, with Liverpool still in with a chance of Premier League glory.

"It's not often you see a manager walk away when the club's on an incline, when it's on the way up - because they are on the way up," he said.

"This is a Liverpool 2.0, as he's called them. And I think that's why it's surprising. They've re-energised him with this team, they gave him that buzz back of being the manager.

"That's what's surprising to everyone. But maybe he has just thought, 'This is the best way to go out!'"

Jamie Carragher believes former Liverpool team-mate Xabi Alonso is the favourite to replace outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

Klopp has made the surprise announcement he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, admitting he is “running out of energy” after entering into his ninth year in charge of the club.

While Carragher hopes the German can “go out with a bang”, attention inevitably turns to who will be his successor and Alonso and Brighton’s Roberto de Zerbi are the early contenders.

Carragher gives Alonso, 42, the edge due to his five-year playing stint at Liverpool and an impressive start to management with Bayer Leverkusen, who are currently top of the Bundesliga, ahead of Bayern Munich.

“We are losing one of the greatest managers in world football, one of the greatest managers Liverpool have ever had and it is a sad day, no doubt,” Carragher told Sky Sports.

“But in the same breath, we’ve got to be looking forward to the new man coming in, get behind him and support him. Bill Shankly left, Bob Paisley left, Kenny Dalglish left and Liverpool moves on.

“You can’t get away from Xabi Alonso because he’s so respected at Liverpool already for what he did as a player – he’s a Champions League winner, held himself with real class, he’s a World Cup winner.

“Right now, the job he’s done at Bayer Leverkusen, he looks like the brightest young thing in European football. It certainly makes him the front-runner.”

Liverpool have a five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League – albeit having played a game more – and are into the Carabao Cup final and still in the FA Cup and Europa League.

Carragher, who made 737 appearances for the Reds, posted on X, formerly Twitter: “This news was always going to be a body blow to the club whenever it came.

“I just thought it would be another few years away. What a manager, what a man, let’s go out with a bang Jurgen!”

His thoughts were echoed by ex-Reds striker Michael Owen, who posted: “All great things inevitably come to an end but I thought it would be 2 or 3 years down the line. Memories to last a lifetime. One of the greatest managers ever.”

Bayern  boss Thomas Tuchel, who succeeded Klopp in 2015 when he left Borussia Dortmund ahead of joining Liverpool, said he was still trying to “process” the news when he was asked about it at his pre-match press conference on Friday, but added: “Kloppo is one of the best coaches of all time. He’s always managed to influence an entire club at all his clubs. It’s huge news.”

Klopp’s Manchester United counterpart Erik ten Hag hailed the “amazing job” the German had done on Merseyside.

“He has made an era there. He built the club, he brought the club back I think where they belong, so congratulations on that,” the Dutchman said.

Emma Hayes is set to step down after a lengthy and successful tenure as boss of Chelsea’s women’s team at the end of the season to move into international management with the United States.

And when asked about Klopp, Hayes told a press conference: “What an amazing job that man has done, he really has been a fantastic servant to Liverpool Football Club, and I’m sure everybody can respect the reasons for his decision.

“Not many people really understand what it takes to be a football manager and trust me, I can completely relate to the things he said.

“The players have to put the work in on the pitch and we have to off the pitch. Often coaching teams work long, long hours and big commitment. So as I said, I respect his decision and I wish him well.”

Liverpool host Norwich in the FA Cup at Anfield on Sunday.

Canaries boss David Wagner has known Klopp for more than 25 years after being team-mates at Mainz, and was best man at his friend’s wedding.

“I wasn’t surprised when he told me,” Wagner said at Norwich’s pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. “I was happy for him, because I know how hard and how difficult for him this decision was and is.

“It shows a lot of personality, character and bravery as well. Only he knows what is best for him.

“We all know how exhausting and how challenging this business can be. If he knows it is best for him then I am happy for him and he will have a great time in front of him for sure.”

Jurgen Klopp will play no part in appointing his successor at Liverpool but is confident they will secure a “top manager”.

The club are currently without a sporting director but in 2015 Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon led the recruitment of Klopp.

A similar scenario is in place this time around but Klopp will not offer his input, saying: “No, why should I?

“It looks like I do all the work but I don’t, I can’t. That means all what we built in the last eight and half years is an incredibly strong structure behind the scenes so everything goes in the right direction.

“That’s the good news. That is one of the reasons why I can leave.

“My responsibility was so big that my idea was always to put everything in place to help with everything that this club gets stronger and stronger and we did that not to perfection but as good as we could.

“So many people work here with only one idea: to find a perfect solution for Liverpool and I am pretty sure that will happen.

“And the last thing they need is advice from the old man walking out who tells them ‘By the way, make sure you bring him in’. I will definitely not do that. I don’t want to be the passenger who is disturbing that process.

”They will get a top manager here, there will be good football.”

Former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso – the current boss at Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen – has emerged as the immediate front-runner to take over from Klopp.

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan accepts it is a pivotal decision but believes they can get it right again.

“We will go through that process as we have done in the past and the same process that brought us Jurgen almost nine years ago,” he said.

“It is something we will do in private with the people here, with Mike Gordon in particular and when we get to a place when we have further news we will discuss it at that point but it won’t be a running commentary.

“We prefer to operate when we are ready to talk about things. Until that point, we won’t talk about other people or get into the name game.”

Hogan would also not commit to a timescale.

“From our perspective, I wouldn’t want to set an expectation,” he added.

“Number one because this is a process we have to go through and have done in the past.

“We make sure we look at all the information and all the data, we’ve done our proper due diligence and then make a decision and have an announcement at that time.

“I can’t commit to a timeline on it. It will go on in the background and we will ensure we are doing everything possible to make sure we make the right decision for the future of this football club.

“It is not to be a distraction. This is about making sure this campaign continues and the team continues to perform.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists even an unprecedented quadruple could not convince him to backtrack on his shock decision to quit at the end of the season.

The German stunned the footballing world by announcing he will depart at the end of the campaign with two years of his contract still to run, having already communicated his plans to owners Fenway Sports Group in November.

What made the news so surprising is that the club are arguably close to being back to the peak of their powers, with a five-point lead in the Premier League and a Carabao Cup final to come next month, while they have qualified for the last 16 of the Europa League and are one of the favourites for the FA Cup.

But, unlike Sir Alex Ferguson, who in the summer of 2001 announced his retirement only to backtrack at the end of the season, Klopp will not be moved from his stance, whether his team win it all or finish empty-handed.

“No! Alex Ferguson did that? I respect Alex a lot and I don’t know what drove him,” said the 56-year-old, unaware of the former Manchester United manager’s U-turn.

“I really thought a lot about it and because of our relationship – mine with the club – the situation is always clear.

“I have to make the decision at one point, because nobody else will, because of the trust and respect we have for each other and the owners knew I would take the decision.

“I don’t want to hang around and do the job somehow. I thought it through properly.

“I want everything this season, but it wouldn’t change my mind – and if we don’t win anything it wouldn’t change my mind.

“It’s a decision I made independent of any kind of results.”

Klopp has cited his waning energy to lift himself for the daily demands placed on him as the reason why he is calling it a day.

After finishing fifth the previous season, during which Klopp looked physically and emotionally drained, the Liverpool manager returned after the summer insisting he was re-energised and refreshed.

But as soon as plans started to be made for transfer targets and the next pre-season the German knew something was not right.

“My managerial skills are based on energy and emotion and that takes all of you and needs all of you. I am who I am and where I am because of how I am, with all the good and bad things, and if I cannot do it any more, stop it,” he said.

“You have to be the best version of yourself, especially for a club like Liverpool. I cannot do it on three wheels, it is not allowed, and I have never wanted to be a passenger.

“It was not my idea (to quit prematurely) when I signed a new contract, I was 100 percent convinced we would go until 2026.

“I under-estimated or judged it wrong because I thought my energy level was endless because it always was – and now it is not. Then we have to change.”

Klopp plans to take a year off and then see how he feels but has ruled out a return to management in England.

“Whatever will happen in the future I don’t know now, but no club, no country, for the next year, and no other English club ever,” he said.

“I can promise that, even if I have nothing to eat that will not happen.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has emerged as the early favourite to succeed Klopp, although another former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, currently at Al-Ettifaq, has also been linked.

Alonso insisted on Friday his focus was solely on his current role and that he was in “the right place”.

Jurgen Klopp has promised Liverpool fans he will never manage another English club after he leaves Anfield in the summer “even if he has nothing to eat”.

The 56-year-old German has shocked the football world by announcing he will stand down as Reds boss after nearly nine years in charge at the end of the season, having steered the club to six major trophies including the Premier League title in 2020 and the Champions League in 2019.

At a press conference on Friday he also:

:: Said he would play no part in choosing his successor.
:: Insisted he would not make a U-turn on his decision to quit as Sir Alex Ferguson once did at Manchester United.
:: Talked about how he could not sustain the energy levels needed for top-level management beyond this season, insisting “you have to be the best version of yourself”.

Klopp allayed any concerns among Liverpool fans that he could return to manage one of their rivals.

“Whatever will happen in the future I don’t know now, but no club, no country, for the next year, and no other English club ever,” he said at a press conference on Friday afternoon.

“I can promise that, even if I have nothing to eat that will not happen.”

Speculation has already turned to who could succeed Klopp at Anfield, with Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso – a former Reds midfielder – installed as the early bookmakers’ favourite.

Alonso insisted on Friday his focus was solely on his current role and that he was in “the right place”. Former Reds captain Steven Gerrard, currently with Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq, has also been linked.

Klopp insists he will have no input whatsoever to Liverpool’s recruitment process to find his successor.

“The last thing they need is advice from the old man walking out, telling them ‘make sure you bring him in’ or whatever – I will definitely not do that,” Klopp said.

“I wish this club the very, very, very best.”

Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season.

In an emotional announcement, released via Liverpool's media channels on Friday, Klopp confirmed this campaign would be his last at the helm at Anfield.

Klopp, who is under contract at Liverpool until 2026, claimed he is running out of energy, and after nearly nine years in charge, he will be leaving the club as a legend.

While Liverpool will hope to round off the German's time in charge with a second Premier League title, and possibly further trophies – they are already in the EFL Cup final – the Reds will also have to face the daunting prospect of what comes next.

Regardless, Klopp is set to leave as one of the club's most successful managers. 

With the help of Opta data, we break down Klopp's time in charge.

An Anfield giant

Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Kenny Dalglish. Klopp will take pride and place among the list of great managers to have taken charge of one of England's most successful clubs.

Since replacing Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, Klopp has taken charge of 466 matches, winning 283 of those. His win percentage of 60.7 makes him the best Liverpool manager in that metric, at least as far back as Opta's records go.

Klopp has lost just 78 games, while drawing 105. His team have scored 972 goals, an average of 2.1 per match.

Not that it has always been easy. In his first season – 2015-16 – his win rate was 44.2 per cent. However, it has never dropped below 50 per cent in a single campaign since then, with the low mark coming last term (50 per cent).

Klopp is the only Liverpool manager to win each of the top-flight, European Cup/Champions League, FA Cup, and League Cup with the club, while he has five major honours as it stands, which ranks him behind only Dalglish, Paisley (both six) and the great Shankly (13).

His Liverpool side peaked between 2018 and 2020. After reaching the Champions League final in 2017-18, the Reds won their sixth European Cup the following season, before then breaking their Premier League duck in 2019-20, albeit they wrapped up that title behind closed doors. They had also won the Super Cup and Club World Cup earlier that term.

The FA Cup and EFL Cup were both won in 2022 en route to what could have been a historic quadruple.

Liverpool still have four trophies left to play for this season. They sit top of the Premier League as it stands; they will face Chelsea in the EFL Cup final; they are into the knockout stage of the Europa League and they have a home tie against Norwich City in the fourth round of the FA Cup coming up on Sunday.

Klopp's best season based purely on win percentage came in 2021-22, when Liverpool won a remarkable 73 per cent of their games in all competitions, only to fall short of pipping Manchester City to the title on the last day of the Premier League season, before losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

A European master

Klopp started as he meant to go on when it came to European football with Liverpool, leading the Reds to the Europa League final in his first season in charge.

Though they lost to Sevilla on that occasion back in 2016, Liverpool have gone from strength to strength in continental competitions. They were undone by Gareth Bale's magic and Loris Karius' error in Kyiv in 2018, but left all in Europe in their wake when they overcame Tottenham in Madrid a year later, having signed Alisson to ensure they had a top-class goalkeeper between the posts.

Liverpool were back in the showpiece match three years later. Again, it was Madrid they faced, and again Los Blancos came out on top – Vinicius Junior's goal and Thibaut Courtois' heroics enough to deny Klopp his second Champions League crown.

Klopp will not manage Liverpool again in the Champions League, meaning his 61.5 win percentage (40/65) in the competition will be maintained. His Liverpool team have scored an incredible 144 Champions League goals - an average of 2.2 per game.

Unbeaten runs, Guardiola rivalry and dominating the derby

The rivalry between Klopp's Liverpool and Pep Guardiola's Man City has been the lifeblood of the Premier League over recent seasons. 

While Liverpool are not exactly cash-strapped, they do not have the state-backed wealth that City enjoy, yet Klopp has managed to keep the Reds highly competitive – on two occasions, they have finished just one point below City with points tallies that in almost any other circumstance would have surely seen them win the title.

Since Klopp's first Premier League game, Liverpool have taken 671 points, a tally that trails only City (716), while the Reds have a positive goal difference of 367 (675 goals for, 308 goals against).

As it stands, Klopp is the Premier League's third-most successful manager based on points per game, with his 2.12 ranking behind only Alex Ferguson (2.16) and Guardiola (2.34).

His next victory in the top flight will bring up his 200th as Liverpool manager, from what will be his 318th such match in charge.

Only Guardiola (18 with City between August and December 2017) has been on a winning run as long as Klopp has in the Premier League, with Liverpool having rallied off 18 straight wins between October 2019 and February 2020. The Reds had previously gone on a 17-game winning streak between March 2019 and October 2019, a run that was ended by a 1-1 draw with Manchester United. 

Liverpool went on a 44-game unbeaten streak, meanwhile, between January 2019 and February 2020. Arsene Wenger (49 games between May 2003 and October 2004) is the only Premier League manager to have gone more successive matches without defeat.

Klopp has gone up against Guardiola on 24 occasions, making City the team Liverpool have faced the most in his time at the club. He has claimed 10 wins (41.7 per cent), lost six times and drawn eight games.

Of the four other 'big six' clubs, Chelsea rank as Klopp's least favourite, with just a 27.3 per cent win record from 22 matches (six victories). Klopp has faced Manchester United, meanwhile, on 18 occasions, winning seven times (36.8 per cent).

Meanwhile, Klopp has dominant form in the Merseyside derby. From 18 such meetings, Liverpool have lost just once to Everton, with that defeat coming at Anfield, behind closed doors, in 2021. The Reds have beaten the Toffees 11 times under Klopp (61.1 per cent).

Of the current Premier League sides, Klopp has claimed 12 victories over Bournemouth from 15 meetings, with that win percentage (80) his best against any side he has faced over six times.

Superstar Salah, fearsome front threes and flying full-backs

The story goes that Klopp was not initially in favour of signing Mohamed Salah from Roma back in 2017, but his arm was twisted by Liverpool's then-recruitment guru, Michael Edwards. If that is indeed true, then Klopp will no doubt be thrilled he was swayed to bring in the Egyptian.

Salah has scored 204 goals in 332 appearances for Liverpool, 84 goals more than any other player under Klopp (Sadio Mane – 120 goals from 269 appearances).

Only Roberto Firmino (355) has played more times for the Reds in Klopp's tenure than Salah, whose 306 starts puts him out in front. The 31-year-old has totalled up 27,037 minutes, over 2,000 more than next-best Firmino (24,903).

Salah also tops the charts for goal contributions (286), having added 82 assists on top of his strike tally.

Firmino and Mane, Salah's partners in crime in what was arguably the most feared forward line in world football, chipped in with 182 and 157 goal contributions respectively.

Meanwhile, Klopp has given more debuts to teenagers than any manager in Liverpool's history (42). One of those teenagers was Trent Alexander-Arnold, who along with Andrew Robertson, became pivotal to Klopp's heavy metal football.

The flying full-backs have been assist machines: Alexander-Arnold has created 78 goals in 298 appearances, while Robertson has crafted 63 from 275 games.

Just Firmino and Salah have played more minutes under Klopp than Alexander-Arnold (24,323) and Robertson (23,498). 

What's next?

Whoever replaces Klopp has big shoes to fill, and this might well end up being Salah's last season at Anfield too, as Saudi Pro League clubs circle.

Xabi Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann have been some early names touted around, but until the end of May, it will be all about the Kop bidding goodbye to Klopp.

He deserves a hero's farewell.

As the PA news agency’s Liverpool correspondent for more than a decade I’ve had the privilege of seeing the Jurgen Klopp era close up. Three Champions League finals (and one victory) in five years, a first league title in 30, too many top one-liners to count, a few admonishments from the man himself for a line of questioning he thought obvious or facile but also frequent comedic exchanges have meant there has never been a dull moment. He will be missed when he’s gone.

Seismic. There is no other word for Jurgen Klopp’s decision to leave Liverpool.

Everyone knew this day would come – his contract was for another two years but he had already stayed longer than any of his previous jobs and showed no huge appetite to extend again – but it lands so hard in this, of all seasons, with emerging talk of another another potential quadruple bid.

For fans – and the players – it is heart-wrenching. Even rival clubs may be sad to see the charismatic German leave.

From the moment he walked through the doors of the press conference room in Anfield’s Sir Kenny Dalglish stand in October 2015 and charmed the world by announcing himself as “the normal one” before pledging to win a title in the first four years of his reign (he was one year out as it came in 2020) Klopp’s impact has been immense.

Perhaps only Bill Shankly and Dalglish can claim to enjoy as much adoration as the 56-year-old. For a generation of fans who missed the heydays of the 1970s and 1980s he is the undisputed hero, the man who built a new Anfield bastion and not only won a sixth European Cup but finally brought home that long-awaited 19th league title.

Of course, Klopp is perfectly capable of rubbing people up the wrong way with his outspoken views on various topics or staunch defence of the club but at least you know when he says what he says it is genuine and not some phoney psychological ploy, even if he is not always perceived to be in the right.

He does not suffer fools and sees through attempts to use him as a means to generate headlines. Ask him a facile question or one which has a glaringly obvious answer – and I have plenty of experience of this – and be prepared to face a testy response. Not in a nasty, demeaning way. He just cuts through the nonsense (Klopp would use an expletive here).

But he is always genuine, warm, likeable and carries an aura before him that only a few in the game do. He also has a God-given talent for saying the right thing at the right time, whether it be talking about the sensitive subject of Hillsborough or in a post-match interview.

His video message for the ‘This Means More’ campaign in April 2018 was played on the big screen before the Champions League final against Real Madrid a few weeks later in Kiev.

The packed stadium quietened down to listen. At the end of his two-minute speech even I felt I could go out on the pitch and put in a shift for him. Klopp’s ability to elevate people beyond their perceived limitations is one of the things which makes him great.

It is why he is loved by his players, adored by fans and, let’s be honest, even begrudgingly admired by rival supporters (perhaps excluding those of City, United and Chelsea) for his forthright approach to the game and life in general.

However, his high-energy football is not only draining for his squad, the intensity of gearing up for a fight seemingly every three days eventually takes its toll and many observers were surprised he made it past the seven-year itch stage which ended his tenure at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.

He looked physically and mentally shot during last season’s struggle to fifth place but insisted he had returned re-energised and refreshed and he has certainly transmitted that to his team as they currently top the Premier League, having reached one final and still competing in two other cups.

But even the great Jurgen Klopp has to succumb at some point and that point is now.

One thing is for sure, he will – to use one of his favourite sayings – “go for it and give it 100 per cent” for the remainder of what will be a landmark season and the Kop will sing their “I’m so glad that that Jurgen is a Red” song with more emotion than ever before.

It’s could be one hell of a send-off.