Pep Lijnders refused to be drawn into discussing the specific possibility of replacing Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager one day.
It’s a day that would appear set to come sooner than fans of the club will hope, with the German’s current terms set to only take him as far as the summer of 2024 – conveniently the same date the 38-year-old’s contract runs out.
“That’s the plan (to be a manager again),” the Dutchman told reporters in his pre-match presser (via the Echo).
“That’s the plan but Jurgen knows this.”
“This isn’t the time to speak about these things because I have a contract until 2024. When the time comes, I will sit down with my management and will see the options I have.
“But we are in the middle of this project, this beautiful project, and after that I will decide. But definitely, yeah, that’s the plan.
“This is not the moment to speak about these things (becoming Liverpool manager one day).”
The former NEC coach had presided over presser duties – as he has in the head coach’s stead for domestic cup fixtures this term – and raised concerns over the quality of officiating.
The idea alone of Klopp’s potential departure is enough to invite an overbearing feeling of anxiety, such is the impact he has had in transforming the club from a sleeping giant into a European heavyweight.
We at the EOTK don’t envy the mammoth task set to face our recruitment team down the line given the pressure the likes of Julian Ward and co. will be under to make the perfect appointment.
If the Liverpool Way has anything to say about the situation, however, the possibility of continuity will certainly appeal to both recruiters and the upper management, with Lijnders said to be admired by both the players and our ownership.
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