Jason McAteer has voiced his fears that Jurgen Klopp’s decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the season could prompt some of the club’s biggest players to follow suit.
We now know that the German is into his last four months at Anfield, and there could also be some major player exits in the foreseeable future, with the contracts of Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk all due to expire in June 2025 as it stands.
Speaking on beIN SPORTS, the former Reds midfielder believes that the 56-year-old is such an influential figure that those players would’ve stayed while he’s at the club, but might now reconsider their own futures.
McAteer said: “Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool, they had to entice players to come. We lost Jude Bellingham because of that scenario. Van Dijk signed for us when everyone else wanted him, puts it down to Klopp.
“The other thing when we talk about recruitment is players staying at the club. We know Mo Salah’s on the brink of possibly leaving at the end of the season. We don’t know how that’s going to play out.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk, their contracts are up in 18 months. I said yesterday if Jurgen Klopp’s there, they don’t leave. They sign new deals, they continue the journey and the fairytale.
“With a new manager, results might go the other way. We might have two managers [after Klopp] when the contract negotiations start. The team might be in decline or they might want a different challenge, so they will leave. All that is uncertainty.”
You can understand why McAteer is fearful of key players such as Salah, Trent and Van Dijk following Klopp out the door if Liverpool suffer a significant slump after the current manager leaves.
That’s why the Anfield hierarchy simply have to get it spot-in with their choice of successor, as a continuation of the imperious form we’re showing under the German could be enough to convince the squad’s highest-profile players that they can still be successful with the Reds even after the 56-year-old goes.
We’re still reeling from Friday’s news, so right now we don’t even want to think about three members of our on-field leadership group potentially exiting as well.
You can view McAteer’s comments below, via beIN SPORTS on X (formerly Twitter):
Former Liverpool midfielder @MCATEER4 is concerned about players like Trent Alexander-Arnold staying at the club without Jurgen Klopp…#beINSPORTS #LFC pic.twitter.com/hdsoCS4cgl
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) January 28, 2024
I would not blame them if they left LFC!! When Klopp took over LFC some 8 years ago or so, we all had high hopes that LFC would DOMINATE THE EPL because Klopp is the kind of manager who CAN DO THAT given the kind of support Pep has right now. I mean who can compete with Man City in the EPL right now….UNLESS YOU BUY TOP QUALITY PLAYERS TO DO THE JOB!! FSG let Klopp down BIG TIME, INCLUDING THE FANS AND CLUB!! That’s why I pray Klopp goes to Real Madrid, who have about 4-5 players that should be playing for LFC right now!! I also hope RM snag Mbappe to complete the dream team that WILL DOMINATE BOTH LA LIGA AND UEFA CHAMPIONSHIP, which is what Klopp should have been afforded the full opportunity to do at LFC….but FSG put paid to that!! FSG has robbed us of a golden era for LFC like Fergie did for Man United…I wish he goes to RM to show what we missed out on, he deserves that, and if these players leave to join him, THEY DESERVE FOOTBALL IMMORTALITY TO!! Klopp is a brilliant manager who kept LFC in the headlines for all the wonderful football he brought to LFC….FSG are wankers who are taking LFC backwards or keeping it a second best club, just wait and see!! I say this without prejudice, am just mindful of the realities of modern football which FSG aren’t!!