Jurgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool could mark just as big a change for them as his arrival in 2015 as the Reds face up to a future without their talismanic manager.
Their priorities for now will be concentrating on maintaining their place at the top of the Premier League while continuing to fight for cups both domestically and in the Champions League, to say nothing of searching for Klopp’s successor.
Beyond that, though, the future is a question mark. Here’s a handful of predictions for what we might see in the wake of Klopp’s exit.
5 things that will happen at Liverpool once Jurgen Klopp departs: 1. Mohamed Salah follows Klopp out
Liverpool resisted serious money for their most productive goalscorer in the summer, but the manager’s confirmation of his plans for his own future will surely have a few players thinking about what they want out of the careers, too.
Salah is a prime candidate for that: he has already seen his long-standing teammates Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane leave for pastures new over the past couple of years, and with his 32nd birthday coming up this summer, he will be aware that he probably only has one more big career move left in him.
Liverpool themselves may meanwhile come to feel increasingly confident about their ability to succeed without Salah – though his younger teammates’ capabilities will truly be tested over the next month or so while he recovers from a hamstring injury picked up at the Africa Cup of Nations. More to the point, they will know that this summer could be the last real opportunity to cash in big-time stylie for the winger.
Or, you know, he might be quite content to stay and they’ll be keen to keep him because he’s good at football. One or the other.
2. Trent Alexander-Arnold: midfield maestro
Trent Alexander-Arnold has always been about worthwhile sacrifices. Yes, he’s no stranger to a defensive lapse and has never knowingly looked over his shoulder to scan for opponents when defending the past post, but he offers so much in attack that he still manages to tip the scale firmly in his favour.
But what if you could keep everything good Alexander-Arnold does and make it so his defending is less of an issue? That’s the question Gareth Southgate asked himself, eventually deciding to play him as an attack-minded midfielder instead of his usual right-back berth.
Klopp has rejected the notion of following that tack at club level, but a different manager may mean a different approach.
3. Pep Lijnders pursues a management career
Reports have already suggested that Klopp’s assistants will leave the club with him this summer – and one of his most-trusted generals could take the opportunity to spread his wings and try to flow solo.
Pep Lijnders has already given that a go with a short-lived spell with Dutch second-tier side NEC in 2018 before returning to the dugout alongside Klopp, but has spoken in the recent past of his ambitions to have another crack once his time at Anfield comes to an end.
Well, that day will soon be here. Put Huddersfield Town on alert, they might just have their next David Wagner.
4. Statement signings made
“We’re still a force to be reckoned with despite Klopp going.” That will be the message the top brass at Liverpool will be keen to send, but it will ring hollow unless they’re able to back it up with a suitably ambitious successor – and whichever they prefer out of a transfer kitty, a transfer war chest or a transfer backing.
That’s not just a matter of optics for the fans, either: it’s always important to give a new manager the players he wants, and it would help reassure the squad that the club will remain ambitious in their hunt for silverware.
Get Kylian on the phone, stat.
5. The classic post-manager slump
The reason Liverpool fans have been practically in mourning since Klopp’s announcement, and one that history tells us is as likely as not.
Of course, there are exceptions: once upon a time Bob Paisley moved into the house that Bill Shankly built and ended up outstripping the Scot for trophies.
But generally speaking, you never want to be the guy to follow The Guy, and the common trend is that after Sir Alex Ferguson comes David Moyes. After Jose Mourinho comes Avram Grant.
Hell, ask Liverpool fans, they’ll tell you: after Kenny Dalglish comes Graeme Souness, and it then took until Klopp came along for their next golden age to really begin (though they had their moments along the way). They will be desperately hoping they get this next appointment right – and that they won’t go another 30 years without a league title.
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