Liverpool journalist James Pearce has given his thoughts on the idea of Pep Lijnders taking over from Jürgen Klopp in the future.
It’s fair to say that Liverpool have become a pretty remarkable force once again under Klopp. After something of a difficult start, he has turned them into perennial challengers for trophies and has managed to win them a few along the way.
However, there will eventually be a time where he is no longer in the dugout at Anfield, with the German himself claiming in the past that he plans to step away from the club in 2024 when his current contract expires, meaning the club may need to start looking for a replacement in the not too distant future, and according to Pearce, they may not have to look too far for a suitor.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Red Agenda podcast, Pearce hinted that Dutchman Lijnders, who is currently in his second spell as Klopp’s assistant, could be the man to take on that role and that it wouldn’t be too drastic a change if that was the road Liverpool ended up going down.
He said: “Liverpool do like that continuity, don’t they? And I think that’s why we’ve talked before about [how] Pep Lijnders is a very serious option to take over if Klopp does go in 2024, because he gives you that continuity.
“The style certainly won’t change, the messages won’t change, because Pep Lijnders is absolutely integral to that on a daily basis at the minute. He already has full responsibility for the training programme. So, it’s going to be really interesting to see how the next few years map out.”
TIF Thoughts on James Pearce’s comments about Pep Lijnders and Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool…
Will Klopp see out his Liverpool contract?
Yes
No
Pearce’s comments certainly do make sense from a continuity standpoint, because given Klopp’s style of football and how it has helped change Liverpool, the last thing that they need is to completely go the other way with it and risk ruining something that the German has helped build over the years.
So to keep someone that holds the same ideals and methods as Klopp would be a smart move to make. Although, whether or not he’s up to the task will be a different matter.
His only spell in management was with Dutch side NEC Nijmegen where he only lasted a few months before coming back to Liverpool to be Klopp’s assistant again. So for only his second job in management to be in charge of a side that will be challenging for the top honours will be a big step and one that Liverpool need to be careful with to make sure that he isn’t out of his depth and ruin everything before it really begins.
In other news: Dazzling: Jurgen Klopp surely impressed as footage of Liverpool 20 y/o surfaces – opinion