7 months ago
127 It will be a summer of change at Liverpool, with several key figures set to leave Anfield.
Obviously we know Jurgen Klopp is set to leave Liverpool. The Reds boss announced earlier this year that he would be stepping down from the Anfield hotseat in the summer.
“I will leave the club at the end of the season,” Klopp said in a video shared by the Liverpool media team. “I understand that it’s a shock.”
The 56-year-old, whose Reds contract was due to run until the summer of 2026, attributed his decision to “running out of energy”.
Meanwhile, Jorg Schmadtke left Liverpool earlier this year.
Who else is definitely set to leave Liverpool?
Liverpool assistant coach Pep Lijnders is also set to leave Anfield at the end of the season, with Ajax said to be interested in the Dutchman’s services.
Fabrizio Romano has now provided an update on the links between Lijnders and Ajax, as well as reiterating that the 41-year-old is definitely not staying at Liverpool.
“Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders has emerged as one of the candidates to be the new Ajax manager for next season,” Romano told GiveMeSport.
“Lijnders is under consideration at the club, but still waiting on a decision. For sure, he will be leaving Liverpool alongside Jurgen Klopp – he’s not staying on beyond the end of this season.”
What do the Liverpool players think about the prospect of Pep Lijnders succeeding Jurgen Klopp as manager?
Earlier in March, talkSPORT’s Alan Brazil claimed on the radio station that the prospect of Lijnders taking over from Klopp is a fairly popular one amongst the Liverpool players.
“I am told the players wouldn’t mind the number two, Pep taking over,” Brazil said on talkSPORT (13/03/24, 6:25 am) amid speculation that Xabi Alonso is the favourite.
Dean Saunders replied: “I heard that as well. At least he [Lijnders] knows what’s going on there. It’s difficult, who do you give the job to? That club is that big.”
Lijnders clearly seems to be popular among the Reds playing staff, and Klopp obviously rates him very highly, previously referring to his work as “absolutely incredible”.
But at the same time, stepping in as the club’s new full-time coach may be a step too far for him at this moment in time.
Most of the 41-year-old’s experience so far has been as an assistant, save for a four-and-a-half month spell at NEC Nijmegen back in 2018.
Ajax certainly seems like a great role for Lijnders for now, one of the Netherlands’ biggest clubs and one that is currently in need of a revamp.
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