Juergen Klopp led Borussia Dortmund to the 2013 Champions League final after winning the Bundesliga in 2011 and claiming the German league and cup double in 2012
LONDON, October 7 – Jurgen Klopp is expected to be unveiled as Liverpool ‘s new manager on Friday.
Talks have been ongoing with the 48-year-old and his advisors since Sunday and Liverpool are so confident of landing the charismatic German that they have begun planning his introductory press conference.
No contracts have been signed but it is expected that Klopp will be offered the minimum of a three-year deal by Fenway Sports Group, as was the case when they appointed previous managers Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers.
Klopp has long been the man FSG wanted to replace Rodgers and they have moved quickly to ensure they do not miss the opportunity to secure one of the most highly-regarded managers in the European game.
He is expected to bring his long-term assistants Zelkjo Buvac and Peter Krawietz with him but no decision has been made about the futures of Sean O’Driscoll, Gary McAllister and Pepijn Lijnders, who were all appointed by Rodgers in the summer.
Club legend Robbie Fowler, however, has stated his ambition to work with Klopp.
He is currently an ambassador but has completed all his coaching badges and he said: “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested – when the new manager comes in I’d love to be on the backroom staff.”
There is a buzz on Merseyside about the prospect of Klopp revitalising Liverpool’s fortunes after the club’s results under Rodgers – who is in the process of settling his severance pay via the LMA – dipped alarmingly over the last six months.
FSG have spoken with Klopp during that period. He wanted to take a sabbatical after seven years at Borussia Dortmund but given Rodgers had to face a review after failing to deliver any of the required targets, it was prudent for Liverpool to gauge his intentions.
Though they sounded out Carlo Ancelotti and held meetings with the Italian, Klopp was the No 1 target all along and as results failed to pick up – with the 3-0 defeat at home to West Ham on August 29 being the beginning of the end – he was waiting for FSG’s signal.
The project of restoring Liverpool to the peak of the English game and getting them competing in Europe is one he relishes.
Liverpool have no intention of re-jigging their much-discussed transfer committee but Klopp, as was the case with Rodgers, will have the final say on all potential signing and the format at Anfield is not too dissimilar to the one under which he worked in Dortmund.
Support for Klopp’s arrival has been unanimous and Dietmar Hamann, the former Germany international who won the Champions League during his six years as a Liverpool player, is in no doubt that FSG have chosen wisely.
“He is the ideal candidate for the job – he is the one I would pick,” said Hamann, who insists he has had no role in bringing the two parties together.
“The expectations and the mood couldn’t be any further down than it is at the moment at Anfield so it is a great time to come.
I don’t think with his appointment Liverpool will become title contenders overnight but you need to have a lift from somewhere and I think he can do this.”
“Liverpool is a working-class club, a working-class town, and you need somebody the fans take to.
It is very important at a club like Liverpool that the fans take to the manager. For a lot of fans, Klopp would be the first choice and it looks like he is coming.
And I think he can create that spark, the emotion, and give people hope again, which has been lost in the last 12 months.
He has a lot of love and passion for the game and this is why he fits the bill perfectly and why he will be a success.”
There was a lull on Tuesday around Melwood, Liverpool’s training ground, with so many of the squad away on international duty.
But McAllister and Linders took charge of a small session in the morning with players such as Alberto Moreno, Lucas Leiva and Joao Teixiera.
Christian Benteke and Kolo Toure, meanwhile, were doing fitness work as they recover from injuries.
Benteke, a player whom Klopp considered signing for Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2013 when they were replacing Robert Lewandowski, has been out of action since pulling his hamstring in the 1-1 draw with Norwich on September 20 but he has been given the all-clear to do light jogging.
-by Daily Mail-
