Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Anfield until at least 2026.
The German and his coaching team were already committed to remaining on Merseyside until 2024 but now they have agreed to extend their stay, with assistants Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz also putting pen to paper on new terms.
“There are so many words I could use to describe how I am feeling about this news … delighted, humbled, blessed, privileged and excited would be a start,” Klopp said.
“There is just so much to love about this place. I knew that before I came here, I got to know it even better after I arrived and now I know it more than ever before.
“Like any healthy relationship, it always has to be a two-way street; you have to be right for each other. The feeling we were absolutely right for each other is what brought me here in the first place and it’s why I’ve extended previously.
“This one is different because of the length of time we have been together. I had to ask myself the question: Is it right for Liverpool that I stay longer? Along with my two assistant managers, Pep Lijnders and Pete Krawietz, we came to the conclusion it was a ‘Yes!’
“There is a freshness about us as a club still and this energises me. For as long as I have been here, our owners have been unbelievably committed and energetic about this club and it is clear that right now this applies to our future as much as I’ve ever known.
“When the owners brought the possibility to renew to me, I asked myself the question I’ve mused over publicly. Do I have the energy and vibe to give of myself again what this amazing place requires from the person in the manager’s office?
“I didn’t need too long to answer in truth. The answer was very simple … I’m in love with here and I feel fine.”
Klopp has won the Fifa Club World Cup, Uefa Champions League, Uefa Super Cup, Premier League and League Cup since taking over as manager in 2015.
And this season Liverpool are closing in on an unprecedented Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup quadruple – with the latter trophy already safely in the bag having defeated Chelsea on penalties in February.
In March, Klopp, who guided Liverpool to a sixth European Cup triumph in 2019 and followed that up with a first league title in 30 years the following season, was asked about his contract.
Tying Klopp down to a longer stay will be a huge boost for the club as they look to attract more world-class players to the club and also persuade those already there to sign new deals.
The likes of Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Alisson Becker, Virgil Van Dijk and Andy Robertson have already committed their long-term futures to the club.
While Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino – plus midfielders Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – are all approaching the final 12 months of their current deals.
Only last week, top-scorer Salah gave an interview in which he said “I think the fans know what I want, but in the contract it’s not everything about the money at all”.
