Liverpool axes manager Rodgers
Club opens talks with Germany’s charismatic Klopp
Liverpool will open discussions with the former Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp after ending Brendan Rodgers’s three-year reign at Anfield.
Having made it clear how eager he is to move to Merseyside, Klopp is expected to hold talks in the coming days and is seen as a more likely fit for the club than Carlo Ancelotti.
The Italian will still be sounded out, but Liverpool plan to name Rodgers’s replacement before the club’s next League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on Oct 17.
The club’s American owners Fenway Sports Group informed the outgoing manager of their decision to make a change shortly after the 1-1 draw in the Merseyside derby yesterday, Rodgers paying the price for a prolonged run of poor form.
A decision on the next manager will be based on which of the candidates is most willing to work within Liverpool’s existing structure, and who believes they can get the most out of the existing squad.
Klopp’s familiarity with Liverpool’s club model — and comfort working at a club where others have more control over recruitment — is attractive to the Anfield owners. He has not disguised how keen he is to end his sabbatical and move to English football, and a partnership between the charismatic German and The Kop has caught the imagination of the red half of the city.
There is no possibility of Liverpool’s transfer committee being disbanded, although the backroom team must await their fate.
Ian Ayre, the chief executive, and the FSG president, Mike Gordon, spoke to Rodgers, who can expect a payoff in the region of seven million pounds ($14 million) within an hour of the draw at Goodison Park to inform him of the board’s decision. Ayre visited Rodgers’s home after Gordon delivered the news by phone.
The Northern Irishman will be devastated his tenure has ended so soon into a season as he hoped to be given more time to oversee what he felt was another period of transition. He had given a robust defence of his coaching credentials in recent weeks, not least in the aftermath of what turned out to be his final game in charge. However, a statement was delivered at 6.30 p.m. confirming a fresh direction for the club.
Fenway Sports Group principal owner John W. Henry, chairman Tom Werner and Gordon said in the statement: “We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Brendan Rodgers for the significant contribution he has made to the club and express our gratitude for his hard work and commitment.
“All of us have experienced some wonderful moments with Brendan as manager and we are confident he will enjoy a long career in the game. Although this has been a difficult decision, we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch.”
Rodgers had been hearing for weeks his job was on the line, but there was no inkling confirmation of his departure would be so swift.
In the Goodison Park press room he warned Fenway that whoever took over would face similar difficulties leading a young side in a top-four challenge. “If we are to replicate what we did two years ago, we will have to build something,” he said.
“That will take time whether that is me or someone else. That is frustrating for the supporters but there are new players. For me, when you are at such a huge club, you are always going to get other managers linked with your club. It is where you are, the level. I have never felt anything other than secure. I was brought here to do a job, I signed a new deal and the owners know it takes time.”
FSG’s owners obviously saw things differently.