by Jurgen Klopp has spent the last few years infusing Liverpool with confidence in his team and in the last few weeks has been trying to fill them with hope for a future without him. Making supporters feel better about their club seems to be one of his greatest assets as a communicator. Klopp’s triumph may be part of his legacy but some of his predictions can touch on a prophetic feel: give people enough hope and the remarkable can indeed happen.
But if it has long been clear that Klopp’s legacy to his successor would be far superior to his legacy – a team in 10th place, a club with one trophy in nine years, far from England’s elite, but their European counterparts alone – the turn since. he announced that he will leave during the summer to support his case and defend his position. Nine wins at Liverpool in 11 games, cup secured, four still possible.
Just as important, however, are the circumstances. Liverpool’s succession planning has accelerated as Michael Edwards’ return to Anfield is confirmed, with the former sporting director taking control in his new role as Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of football. “The best news for the club,” said Klopp. “I am very happy. I just want this club to do as well as possible, and I’m absolutely convinced [that can happen] if we create a good foundation with the right people in charge and Michael is the best choice.”
Richard Hughes is expected to join Edwards as sporting director. Klopp may have played down his own importance with his sunny prospects, but he said: “The club is in a good place. Of course, people will only measure that at the end of the season when they look at what we have really achieved, but that is not important for the future; It’s what we’ve achieved this season at the moment.”
And right now, Klopp is expanding the number of players available to the next power brokers and marginal figures can indicate that more duties can be taken on. In recent weeks a series of rookies have been making an impact, whether Jayden Danns or Lewis Koumas, Bobby Clark or James McConnell; Meanwhile, Conor Bradley, Kevin Kelleher and Harvey Elliott have traded status as substitutes for talismanic roles. Perhaps the instructive aspect is how good each of them is without Klopp’s alchemy, whether the team has enough chemistry without him, whether anyone else can show his credible ingenuity and display his sure touch, whether of them in their rotation or replacement use.
The Klopp factor can feel huge but he said: “What’s important for the future is how good the team is, how good the players are, how good the structure is, how good the organization. That’s where my hope comes from. That’s why I think it’s a pretty good time to be with LFC. That’s the way it is and I’m very happy about that.”
And if there is still a question about how well everything is without Klopp, he has given Edwards an insight into his thinking. They worked very well together for much of their reign. Since Edwards’ departure in 2022, however, Klopp’s rebuild has grown. Liverpool 2.0 is largely his build: signings such as Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis McAllister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo took place in Edwards’ absence. Many of the mainstays from his era, players he often recruited, are now gone: Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane from attack, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho from midfield. If Edwards decorated Klopp’s team, he helped assemble his successor’s side.
“Obviously our conversation was excellent,” Klopp added. “We talked about a lot of things, about my opinions about different things, players, situations in the club because I was here all the time when it wasn’t, what changed, what could be changed .”
If the biggest decision involves a change of manager, there will be no change of heart from Klopp. Edwards did not ask him to reconsider. “Because, and he’s very important in his job, he’s not dumb,” Klopp said. “That was not something to talk about.”
Edwards’ return is not convincing enough. Nor, he argues, anything else. “For me, it’s the best club in the world and I’m still going anyway,” he said. “That’s what I was trying to explain. I don’t say these things [about leaving] without thinking about them before. It would mean that I now understand how great this club is; I know it all the time. I’ve said a few times that I want to see the club in the best possible place after I leave, so I’ll do everything we can while I’m here. After that, other people have to do it.”
Now the identity of one of the “others” has come to light. And perhaps Edwards’ first task will be to determine how much of the formula that is working so well now is Klopp’s own and how he should compensate for his departure.
