What Jurgen Klopp’s exit could mean for Liverpool
Liverpool will bid farewell to legendary manager Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season and enter a period of serious uncertainty.
How they choose to replace one of the greatest bosses in club history could have an enormous impact on both the short and long-term future at Anfield, with a new era likely to bring about significant changes away from the dugout as well.
Here’s what Klopp’s exit could mean to Liverpool.
The most obvious dilemma for Liverpool is the fact that nobody has a clue what the future holds for the club now that Klopp is gone.
No known manager means no idea about tactical direction, which also limits Liverpool’s ability in the transfer market. Players aren’t going to jump at the chance to move to Anfield until they know who they will be working under.
With clubs already working on their summer transfers, Liverpool face an uphill battle to keep up and sell themselves while they’re still such an unknown entity. What if the next manager wants two strikers, three centre-backs or any other major tactical tweak? Liverpool simply cannot prepare adequately right now.
With the Klopp era now coming to a definite end, perhaps talisman Mohamed Salah will also take this opportunity to head for pastures new.
Saudi Arabian officials were planning to buzz Salah’s phone this summer even before Klopp’s announcement, but they will be licking their lips now. Salah has loved his time under Klopp but, at 31 and approaching the final year of his contract, is at a point in his career where he may be ready to embark on a new challenge.
While Salah’s happiness at Liverpool is not directly tied to Klopp, there’s no doubting the changing of the guard in the dugout might tempt the Egyptian to bid farewell as well.
Alongside Salah, 2025 will see the expiry of the contracts of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. While the latter is almost certain to ink an extension, doubts will undoubtedly surface about Van Dijk’s continuation at Anfield.
Van Dijk is turning 33 this summer, and so he’ll have to ask himself all the usual questions. How are the legs? Is there one more dream move left to seal? Can he afford to spend an entire year in what could be another transition?
There may be some nervous moments behind the scenes at Anfield as they await the decision of one of the Premier League’s best-ever defenders.
Alexander-Arnold has played under two managers in his senior career – Jurgen Klopp and Gareth Southgate. At this point, his hit rate is just 50%.
Alexander-Arnold is an acquired taste, a unique footballer that transcends typical systems and needs work to both maximise his strengths and shield from his own frailties. Klopp has perfected his use of the 25-year-old but there are no guarantees any incoming manager would have the same success. England boss Southgate grew tired and needed convincing to even call him up to his squads at times.
Does he stay at right-back, where his defensive lapses could prove problematic, or move into midfield, where Liverpool have just spend hundreds of millions rebuilding? Any new manager will likely need a plan for the hometown hero ready for their interviews, but whether Alexander-Arnold can adjust is a different question.
Liverpool’s hopes of signing Kylian Mbappe always seemed incredibly slim, but the departure of Klopp may bring a firm end to any flame that was still flickering.
Most reports credit Mbappe’s admiration for Liverpool to his feelings for Klopp and the supposed relationship the duo have built through years of phone calls and conversations about the future. If Mbappe was to move to Liverpool, it would have been to work under Klopp.
Now braced for a transitional year, Liverpool may struggle to sell themselves to Mbappe without Klopp at the helm.