Liverpool confirm Klopp as new manager
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| AFP |
Liverpool confirmed German coach Jurgen Klopp as their new manager in a deal worth a reported £4m a year.
Former Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp is understood to have signed a three-year contract with the Premier League giants and succeeds Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked by Liverpool's American owners Fenway Sports Group on Sunday.
"Liverpool Football Club are delighted to announce Jurgen Klopp has been appointed as the club's new manager," the club said in a statement on their official Twitter account. "The German coach has signed a deal to take the helm at the Reds and will be presented at a press conference at Anfield on Friday morning."
Klopp, whose first game in charge will be against Tottenham Hotspur on 17 October, arrives with Liverpool languishing in tenth place in the Premier League. The 48-year-old will be presented at a press conference on Friday following a whirlwind week at Anfield that started with the abrupt conclusion of Rodgers' reign and ends with the significant coup of securing one of Europe's most highly-rated managers.
Klopp comes to Liverpool with a lofty reputation after leading Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles in seven years, while finishing as UEFA Champions League runners-up in 2013. However, Dortmund struggled last season, finishing seventh in the Bundesliga and losing the DfB-Pokal final in Klopp's final game in charge before he quit at the end of the season saying he wanted a sabbatical.
High expectations
Expectations for success remain high among supporters of a club who have won 18 English titles, seven FA Cups and five European Cups. But Liverpool's relative lack of investment in comparison to their main rivals has seen them fall off the pace both in the title race and the battle to qualify for the Champions League. Former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson, now in charge of the England national team, offered Klopp his congratulations.
"We wish him well," Hodgson said. "It's a club business when clubs change managers, but I welcome Jurgen to England and wish him the best with making Liverpool the top team that the owners want them to be."
Rodgers became Liverpool manager in 2012 after joining from Swansea City and guided the Reds to second place in the Premier League in 2013/14 as they narrowly failed to win the English title for the first time since 1990. But his failure to win a major trophy during his reign proved fatal and he was sacked by the American owners after a 1-1 draw against Everton that left Liverpool with only four wins in their 11 games in all competitions this season.
Several of Rodgers' coaching team -- including Gary McAllister and Sean O'Driscoll -- left Liverpool on Thursday as the club cleaned house before Klopp's arrival. McAllister, a former Liverpool and Scotland midfielder, has accepted an ambassadorial position with the Reds.