It’s sad to think that, one day, Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool for good.
The German is the fourth longest-serving manager in Premier League history, closing in on 3,000 days in charge in the Anfield hotseat. He is, of course, Liverpool’s longest-serving manager of the modern era, too.
But all good things come to an end, one way or another, and there will be a time when the Reds faithful have to wave Klopp behind for good.
When it was confirmed that the UK and Ireland had won the rights to host the European Championships in 2028, it seemed almost a formality that Anfield would be one of the stadiums to welcome the competition.
And yet, when the list of host grounds was revealed, the home of Liverpool FC was notable by its absence.
The main talking points of any Premier League weekend should be amazing goals, audacious pieces of skill and thrilling games.
And yet, more often than not it’s VAR – whether it’s questionable overrules, a lack of intervention or just downright human error – that dominates the back pages and social media discourse.
Over the course of a season, you’d like to think these things even themselves out – sometimes you’ll be on the right side of an officiating gaffe, other times you’ll be the victim. That’s modern football’s ying and yang.
But when the error is as cataclysmic as the breakdown in communication that cost Liverpool a goal against Tottenham, it’s hard not to feel extremely hard done by.
It’s fair to say that, in some quarters of Anfield, the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) aren’t the most popular of characters.
The majority owners of Liverpool FC have come under scrutiny for their business dealings over the years, with accusations that they haven’t supported the club enough with transfer funds at a time when money talks – their inability to finance a move for a defensive midfielder in the summer window left Klopp having to opt for Plan B signings in Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.
There are numerous different revenue streams available to football clubs, from ticket and merchandise sales to cashing in on their most valuable assets: their players.
But one of the most profitable and reliable income streams for outfits like Liverpool is commercial revenue, a catch-all term dominated by sponsorships and agreements penned with brands from across the globe.
For context, the Reds make around £600 million per year from these commercial deals – essential, really, given that their Premier League rivals dominate the list of richest football clubs on the planet.
Today, September 15, marks the anniversary of one of the most memorable Merseyside derby goals in recent memory.
At Goodison Park in 2001, a youthful Steven Gerrard dropped his shoulder, surged past Gary Naysmith and buried an unstoppable cross-shot into the top corner of the Everton net.
One of Liverpool’s punishments for their flaccid 2022/23 campaign is that they must face the rigour of a Europa League campaign in 2023/24.
Gone are those famous Champions League nights at Anfield against a Real Madrid, a Barcelona or an AC Milan; instead, it’s LASK, Union SG and Toulouse that will provide the Reds with their continental opposition this term – with no disrespect intended, that’s quite the comedown.
Given the proximity of Anfield to Aintree, Chester and other racecourses in the North West, it’s perhaps no surprise that Liverpool FC and the sport of horse racing are indelibly linked.
Horses named Van Dijk, Klopp and Mosala – that’s a nod to Mo Salah, if you hadn’t figured it out – have all enjoyed success in British racing, while Jurgen Klopp himself once described speedy forward Darwin Nunez as being ‘like a racehorse’ after his performance against Fulham back in May.
Liverpool have bolstered the ranks of their various academy and youth age group teams this summer.
Trey Nyoni joins from Leicester City, where he made a catalogue of appearances for their Under-18 team despite being just 16. He has also represented England at youth level.
Amara Nallo has also put pen to paper on terms with the Reds, joining from West Ham. The defender was described by his academy coach Carlton Cole as a ‘Rolls Royce’ of a player.
Although the duo haven’t come through the ranks with the Reds, they will now enter Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s ‘finishing school’ of an under-18s side, where they will be hoping to become the latest cabs off the rank to make the breakthrough into first-team action at Anfield.
If they can, they will be following in the footsteps of some Liverpool FC legends….
In comes another one.
As Liverpool flail desperately in a bid to sign a defensive midfield player in the summer transfer window, Jurgen Klopp has turned to a happy hunting ground in the hope of signing the right player.
Wataru Endo looks to be Klopp’s number one choice to fill the void left behind by Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and co. The Stuttgart man is expected to sign for around £15 million, and at the age of 30 brings an end to Liverpool’s traditional transfer policy of signing players for tomorrow as much as today.