- Klopp opens up on Liverpool extension
- Acknowledges need for rebuild
- Admits Reds can't financially compete with Chelsea
WHAT HAPPENED? Liverpool's iconic, Premier League winning manager has opened up on the club's recent stutters and explained his thoughts on the ongoing rebuild. He explained his part in that process, particularly how signing a new deal was "necessary" in getting the challenge underway.
WHAT THEY SAID: "I’m not saying it’s the biggest challenge, but it’s a challenge, and it was one of the main reasons why I signed a new contract because I knew it’s necessary,” explained Klopp on BT Sport podcast Mike Calvin’s Football People, via The Independent. He added: "It will not go overnight, and imagine the situation now with another coach in the chair. I would be somewhere on holiday and everybody would shout my name ‘with him it would not have happened!’ I’m obviously not a miracle worker.
"That’s why it’s good how it is, because all the problems you have in a transition time period, we have an awful lot of injuries, and that makes life really complicated. I have no problem with that because I see obviously… I know the majority of the outside world is just interested in the short term but we have to be long-term focused as well, and that’s what we are."
Klopp went into further detail, discussing the realities of a rebuilding process: "There are obviously plenty of different ways you can do it, but it’s all based on the situation you are in, especially with the things happening around, Chelsea with the new ownership obviously, nobody knows exactly how they do it, how they can spend this much money."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Liverpool find themselves in a tough spot after years of battling at the top of the Premier League, with Klopp's squad sitting ninth in the Premier League after 19 games. Their front three has undergone major changes, with Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz all recruited, although the latter has been missing for most of the season through injury - a story of their campaign thus far. Many are calling for the boss to make further changes and to replenish the squad in other areas, too.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL? With half of the season to play and the Champions League still to return, the Reds have plenty to play for and must regroup quickly to get back on track in the race to make the Premier League's top four. Klopp is in it for the long run, and will be leading the club through what lies ahead.
