Roberto De Zerbi believes in-form Brighton top scorer Joao Pedro must sustain performances over 90 minutes to take the final step in becoming a “great, great player”.

Brazilian forward Pedro increased his tally for the season to 18 goals in all competitions with a hat-trick during Saturday’s 5-2 FA Cup win at Sheffield United.

The 22-year-old – a £30million summer signing from Watford – opened his Albion account on the first weekend of the campaign in a 4-1 victory at home to Tuesday evening’s Premier League opponents Luton.

“Joao Pedro’s DNA is of a top player,” said Brighton boss De Zerbi.

“The target of Joao is to play better and better and to keep this mentality because now he’s showing a great mentality, a mentality he needs and we need.

“He’s becoming amazing as a striker because his quality to play in ball possession, to play in between the lines, to make assists were important but in terms of goals, he’s improving a lot.

“The last step to become a great, great player is to play 90 minutes in the same way.

“Sometimes he starts the game not pushing off his best and I would like at the beginning of the game until the end of the game the same mentality.”

Pedro is likely to receive a hostile reception from Luton fans due to his Watford connections.

De Zerbi feels Kenilworth Road is one of the most challenging places to go in the top flight.

The relegation-threatened Hatters have beaten Newcastle and drawn with Liverpool on home soil this term, in addition to suffering single-goal defeats to Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea.

“Playing in the Luton stadium is one of the toughest games in the Premier League because they have a great intensity,” said De Zerbi.

“People think Brighton have to win and it’s normal if Brighton win in Luton but in football there are no easy games and if you want to win you have to push until the end.

“Arsenal and Man City, they won a game at the end of the game and I watched both games and they were very, very difficult games for both teams.”

Seventh-placed Brighton have been linked with a move for Leicester midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall before the transfer window closes.

De Zerbi, who has a close relationship with Foxes boss Enzo Maresca, says Dewsbury-Hall has “great quality” but was tight-lipped on the speculation.

“I don’t know anything about him (personally); I know him as a player,” the Italian said of the 25-year-old.

“He has great quality but it’s not my business speaking about other players, especially because Enzo Maresca is my friend and I want to be correct with him.”

Brighton remain without Joel Veltman, Solly March, Simon Adingra, Kaoru Mitoma, Julio Enciso and Ansu Fati.

Barcelona loanee Fati has returned to training following an injury sustained in November but will not be rushed back into first-team action.

“He’s a risk and he’s important for us in the second part of the season,” said De Zerbi.

“We can’t take any risks in this moment.”

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.”

Eddie Howe has promised the Newcastle hierarchy will not ignore their role as “guardians of the club’s future” as they attempt to negotiate a path through a transfer window minefield.

The big-spending Magpies have found themselves thrust into the limelight in recent weeks amid speculation that one of their biggest names could be sold as they juggle the restrictions imposed by profit and sustainability and financial fair play rules with their desire to strengthen their squad.

More than £400million has been spent on transfers since the club’s Saudi-backed owners took charge at St James’ Park in October 2021 and, with the club having reported losses in excess of £70million for each of the two most recent financial years, chief executive Darren Eales has admitted that even their biggest names have their price.

However, asked what would be his desired scenario for the remaining few days of what has proved a difficult January window, head coach Howe said: “Keeping the squad intact and, as the manager, trying to produce a team to win games would be the one for me.

“But we are guardians of the club’s future and we want to make the right decisions for the club’s future and for FFP. We don’t want to breach FFP.

“That is where I will support the decisions that are made for the long term and that will benefit the club.”

Newcastle’s search for reinforcements, which has increased in urgency as a result of summer signing Sandro Tonali’s 10-month ban for breaching betting regulations and a lengthy injury list to which star midfielder Joelinton has been added in the last week, is ongoing but appears to be going nowhere fast.

Howe twice insisted the club had made no approach for Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey ahead of Tuesday night’s Premier League trip to Villa Park, and was downbeat when asked if fans should prepare themselves for no January signings.

He said: “(The prospect of) no new arrivals increases with every passing hour because the deadline looms.

“Probably what we won’t do is bringing a player in without losing a player the other way, I think that’s impossible.”

By the same token, Howe remains adamant that he wants to keep Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron, all of whom were linked with moves away from St James’ Park last week, as well as Jamaal Lascelles and Bruno Guimaraes, the subjects of further speculation over the weekend.

In the meantime, he will concentrate on the task of trying to end a four-game league losing streak against a Villa side rapidly establishing themselves as this season’s potential top-four gatecrashers.

Unai Emery’s men were trounced 5-1 on Tyneside in the opening game of the season, but much water has passed under the bridge since.

Howe said: “It was a very difficult team to pick, I remember that because there was a lot of strength in depth.

“But I think that showed out qualities and we still have that quality within the squad, so nothing has changed, it’s just the fact that obviously we are missing some of the players who performed that day. But that shows what we’re capable of.”

What the papers say

A game of managerial musical chairs is underway as big vacancies open up at the end of the season. Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta is on Barcelona’s three-man shortlist to replace Xavi, according to The Sun via Spanish reporter Gerard Romero, alongside departing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Germany boss Julian Nagelsman.

Liverpool defender Nat Phillips is attracting attention from Championship clubs. Cardiff, Blackburn and Leeds are all interested in the 26-year-old, according to the Daily Mail.

West Ham are still hopeful of securing a January deal with FC Nordsjaelland for Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Osman, according to The Sun. The Hammers have had one £15million bid rejected by the Danish club.

Bruno Guimares’ stay at Newcastle could be entering its final few months. The Daily Mirror reports Paris St. Germain are confident of signing the Brazil midfielder, 26.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Jean-Philippe Mateta: Bayern Leverkusen are weighing up a move for Crystal Palace’s French striker, 26, according to The Sun.

Daiki Hashioka: Luton are discussing a deal for the Japan full-back, 24, with Belgian club Sint-Truiden, reports The Daily Telegraph.

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.

Kalvin Phillips has revealed his loan move to West Ham ends a near two-year long pursuit by manager David Moyes.

The England midfielder has joined the Hammers for the remainder of the season after struggling for game time at Manchester City.

The 28-year-old has made just two Premier League starts for Pep Guardiola’s side since moving to the Etihad Stadium from Leeds in a £42million deal in the summer of 2022.

Phillips completed the move on Friday after West Ham rekindled an interest they first showed when he left Leeds.

Phillips told the club’s Iron Cast podcast: “I’m delighted. I was in Abu Dhabi with City, a warm-weather training camp, and all I could think about was getting a loan sorted.

“I spoke to ‘Moyesy’ over the phone while I was there. He reassured me that this was probably the best place for me to come on loan and that I’ll love every second and minute of it, and so far I have done. I’m very happy coming here. I’m looking forward to getting going.

“I think, honestly, if City hadn’t come in for me 18 months ago, then West Ham would have been the club I would’ve come to. It was always in the pipeline.

“Moyesy, he’s been after me for two years, he told me on the phone. So eventually, it was going to happen.”

Phillips was part of City’s treble-winning squad last season but, on a personal front, it was a frustrating campaign.

Injury initially restricted his opportunities but Guardiola could not find a clear role for him in his side and he rarely featured.

With the situation not improving this season, Phillips decided to seek opportunities elsewhere.

It was initially thought the loan move would include an option for West Ham to buy the player this summer but it is understood that is not part of the final agreement.

Phillips’ future beyond this summer will therefore be determined at a later date. In the meantime, he has a chance to build form and fitness that might boost his chances of retaining his place in the England squad ahead of Euro 2024.

He could also be part of an exciting end to the season with the Hammers, who are sixth in the Premier League and through to the Europa League knockout stage.

His debut may come as the club host Bournemouth in the league next Thursday.

Phillips said: “I’ve looked at the fixtures. Bournemouth and then United in Manchester. I’m ready and raring to go.

“I’m very excited to be here. It’s been a whirlwind few days but I’m here, I’m ready to play and I’ll give everything for the team.”

Moyes believes Phillips will be a good addition at the London Stadium.

The Scot said: “We’ve been big admirers of him for a long time and we believe that he will add strength and competition to our squad.

“Kalvin is an England international midfielder with proven Premier League experience. We’re excited to welcome him into the group and look forward to working with him.”

Jurgen Klopp will stand down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season.

The 56-year-old has informed the club’s ownership of his shock decision after a hugely successful spell in charge which has – so far – yielded six major trophies, including the Premier League in 2020 and 2019 Champions League.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the possible contenders to succeed Klopp at Anfield.

Gerrard looked a potential Liverpool manager in waiting after starting his coaching career with the youth teams at Anfield and then enjoying success at Rangers, leading the Scottish giants to their first league title for 10 years. However, he failed to repeat such success at Aston Villa and was sacked after just two wins in the first 12 league games of the 2022-23 season and subsequently made a controversial move to Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia.

Another former Anfield favourite, Alonso began his coaching career with a Real Madrid youth team before being appointed Real Sociedad B boss in 2019. Alonso guided the club to promotion in his second season in charge, but left the following season with relegation guaranteed with a game to spare. The 42-year-old is currently in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, who are unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season and top the table by four points from Bayern Munich.

Former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk manager De Zerbi would certainly match Klopp’s passion on the touchline, the 44-year-old serving two bans last season and admitting in November he does not like “80 per cent of English referees”. On the pitch, De Zerbi guided Brighton into Europe for the first time in their history and they topped Group B of the Europa League to reach the last 16.

News of Klopp’s departure was quickly linked with the future of Germany head coach Nagelsmann, whose short-term contract with the national team ends after this summer’s European Championships. Could the pair simply swap roles? Nagelsmann made his name at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig before winning the Bundesliga title and DFL-Supercup in his first season at Bayern Munich.

The former Porto, Chelsea and Manchester United manager is out of work after being sacked by Roma earlier this month with the side ninth in Serie A. Mourinho won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and three League Cups during two spells in charge of Chelsea after winning the Champions League with Porto. The 61-year-old also won the Champions League as manager of Inter Milan and claimed the LaLiga title with Real Madrid, but would have plenty of work to do to win over Liverpool fans.

Jurgen Klopp is to leave Liverpool at the end of the season after almost 500 games in charge and a host of trophies.

The German has won seven different honours including the Premier League and Champions League with the club and here, the PA news agency takes a statistical look at his time in charge.

Klopp arrived in October 2015 as Brendan Rodgers’ replacement and while he made a low-key start in a goalless draw with Tottenham, and draws in his first three games overall, it was the precursor to one of the club’s most successful eras.

He has won more than 60 per cent of his 466 games in charge – with a minimum of 21 remaining this season – and provided Liverpool’s greatest Premier League performances since the competition’s rebranding.

They won the 2019-20 title with 99 points, just one fewer than Manchester City’s record 100 two years earlier, while their 97 as runners-up in 2018-19 is a record for any team who did not finish as champions. They lead this season’s standings, five points clear of City having played one game more.

Klopp’s next Premier League win will be his 200th, with his record currently standing at 199 out of 317 games. In all competitions he has won 283, drawn 105 and lost 78 and the club have scored 972 goals on his watch, a number that will surely hit four figures before the season is out.

That league title and the 2018-19 Champions League stand out as the highlights of Klopp’s Anfield reign but success has come in all competitions.

Victory over Tottenham in Madrid, following a spectacular semi-final fightback against Barcelona, brought his first trophy with the club and the following season saw Liverpool win the UEFA Super Cup, the Club World Cup and then the Premier League.

A domestic cup double in 2021-22, winning both finals in penalty shoot-outs against Chelsea, allowed them to add the 2022 Community Shield.

An eighth different trophy could come in this season’s Europa League, a competition in which Liverpool lost the 2015-16 final to Sevilla at the end of Klopp’s debut season.

Klopp could finish with the highest win percentage of any manager in Liverpool’s history and still has the chance to climb from fourth place in terms of trophies won with the club.

As of the announcement of the German’s imminent departure he has won 60.7 per cent of matches, trailing only Sir Kenny Dalglish’s 60.9 per cent across two spells and narrowly ahead of the club’s formative managerial partnership William Edward Barclay and John McKenna who won 60.6 per cent from 1892 to 1896.

Only Bob Paisley, with 20 trophies including six league titles, Bill Shankly (11) and Dalglish (nine) rank ahead of Klopp’s trophy count with the club.

With Liverpool still competing on four fronts this season – top of the league and in another Carabao Cup final, as well as the Europa League knockout stages and this Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round clash with Norwich – he has the opportunity to match or pass Dalglish and even potentially catch Shankly with a perfect finish to the season.