Jurgen Klopp is expected to be unveiled as Liverpool’s new manager on Friday on a three-year contract.
It is clear that Klopp is the man that Fenway Sports Group want to replace Brendan Rodgers and with ongoing talks between the club and his advisors since Sunday, Liverpool are so confident of landing the charismatic German that they have begun planning his introductory press conference.
The former Dortmund boss is expected to bring his long-term assistants Zelkjo Buvac and Peter Krawietz with him to Anfield, But I expect Klopp to retain Gary McAllister, who was appointed by Rodgers in the summer, to give him a link to Liverpool’s famous history.
There is a buzz on Merseyside about the prospect of Klopp revitalising Liverpool’s fortunes after the club’s poor start to the season.
And the project of restoring Liverpool to the peak of the English game and getting them competing in Europe is reportedly a challenge that Klopp is looking forward too.
Liverpool have no changing their much-discussed transfer committee but Klopp, as was the case with Rodgers, will have the final say on all potential signing and the format at Anfield is not too dissimilar to the one under which he worked in Dortmund.
Support for Klopp’s arrival has been unanimous and Dietmar Hamann, the former Germany international who won the Champions League during his six years as a Liverpool player, is in no doubt that FSG have chosen wisely.
‘He is the ideal candidate for the job – he is the one I would pick,’ said Hamann, who insists he has had no role in bringing the two parties together. ‘The expectations and the mood couldn’t be any further down than it is at the moment at Anfield so it is a great time to come.
‘I don’t think with his appointment Liverpool will become title contenders overnight but you need to have a lift from somewhere and I think he can do this. Liverpool is a working-class club, a working-class town, and you need somebody the fans take to.
‘It is very important at a club like Liverpool that the fans take to the manager. For a lot of fans, Klopp would be the first choice and it looks like he is coming. And I think he can create that spark, the emotion, and give people hope again, which has been lost in the last 12 months.
‘He has a lot of love and passion for the game and this is why he fits the bill perfectly and why he will be a success.’
