Jamie Carragher believes Jurgen Klopp may have to wait until the end of the current season to really begin to improve his Liverpool side.
The German coach is set to be officially announced as Brendan Rodgers’ successor at Anfield on Friday morning, with the club revealing a press conference has been arranged. It is understood the 48-year-old, who is currently on Merseyside, has agreed a three-year contract and will be in position for the trip to Tottenham Hotspur when the Premier League resumes next weekend.
Klopp was hugely successful during his seven-year stint at Borussia Dortmund, which ended when he quit at the end of last season. Whilst at the Signal Iduna Park he led Die Borussen to two Bundesliga titles and the UEFA Champions League final, but Reds legend Carragher believes it may be a little while before he begins to stamp his own style and authority on his new club.
“The owners are not Roman Abramovich types,” he told Sky Sports. “A lot of the club’s money for this season may have already been spent, and it may be next summer when Jurgen Klopp can get the players he really wants. January is always a difficult time. But if he can get one or two players in that he thinks can push Liverpool on, I’m sure the club would allow him to do that.”
Klopp has been on a sabbatical since May and was expected to take a season out, with some suggesting by this time he had hoped to replace Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich. But the reigning Bundesliga champions are now thought to be confident of persuading the Spaniard to sign a new contract, and the challenge at Anfield is one the former Dortmund head coach fancies.
Rodgers’ assistant Sean O’Driscoll, who had given up his role as England Under-19 coach to join Liverpool in the summer, has already left the club following the departure of the former Swansea City boss, and Gary McAllister has been moved from first-team coach to an ambassadorial role. Klopp is expected to bring in his Dortmund assistants Zeljko Buvac and Peter Krawietz.
