Jurgen Klopp noted that his wife, Ulla, was instrumental in the decision to extend his stay in Merseyside and sign a new contract with Liverpool Football Club.
Beyond that point, of course, Pep Lijnders’ enthusiastic response to the prospect of another couple of years with the 54-year-old at the club helped tip the coach in favour of remaining at Anfield beyond 2024.
“When that started then I thought, let’s have a think and when I thought about it then it was clear I need to have one more really important conversation and that was the one to Pep Lijnders,” the German told the club’s official website.
“He is probably the main reason for it because he is a real energiser – you know him, this man is on fire and our connection is beyond football things.
“When he said, ‘Oh, yes, I am in!’ then it was clear that we are open for any kind of talks. That’s why we sit here now.”
The former Borussia Dortmund head coach had initially appeared greatly reluctant to put pen to paper on fresh terms, with the pressures of the prior campaign appearing to weigh heavily on him at the time.
It’s remarkable the impact a potential quadruple push has had on Klopp, however, with the former Mainz man looking reinvigorated and eager to face the challenges ahead.
With an eventual rebuild utterly inevitable (and having already started arguably as conversations of the futures of Mo Salah and Co. continue), it’s news that will reassure many a supporter over the future of the squad.
As far as our hopes of securing a piece of history are concerned, perhaps this latest update will provide yet another vital shot of adrenaline in the arm to get us over the line in what could be a momentous run of fixtures.
Happy days