Pep Lijnders says “no-one can replace Jurgen Klopp” at Liverpool but believes the club will find a successor who can maintain his success.
Klopp will walk away from Anfield at the end of the season having won six major trophies since joining the club in 2015 – a haul that could be increased significantly come the summer with Liverpool still fighting on four fronts.
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Their immediate focus is Sunday’s EFL Cup final against Chelsea in which a win would help cement Klopp’s status on Merseyside.
His assistant Lijnders, who will depart Liverpool alongside Klopp, points out that it’s not the first time a club has faced a situation where they have to replace a fan favourite.
He said: “No-one can replace Jurgen Klopp but the past showed a few difficult transitions.
“What was the most difficult one here? Bill Shankly saying ‘that’s me done’. Who stepped up? Bob Paisley.
“He was completely different. It showed that we as a club search for someone who wants to grow, has the mindset to develop but it is for the owners, they can make the decision. We made the right decision by announcing it early to give them time to get this transition smooth.
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— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 23, 2024
“Look at Barcelona when Pep Guardiola announced ‘that’s me done’ and then Tito Vilanova took over and got them the most points ratio ever. That was the most difficult transition.
“I was at Porto when Andre Villas-Boas won four trophies and Victor Pereira was completely different than Andre and became champion after.
“They don’t have to replace Jurgen, they need to find a good manager as no-one will replace Jurgen.”
Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso remains the favourite to take over although the situation has been clouded by the Spaniard also topping Bayern Munich’s wish-list after they announced Thomas Tuchel would leave the Allianz Arena at the end of the season.
