Klopp agrees new Liverpool deal

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. [Courtesy]

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has agreed on a new contract extention to 2024 ensuring he will remain at Anfield for a further four-and-a-half years.

In a club statement seen by Game Yetu on Friday, the German said that Liverpool are in a good place and couldn’t contemplate leaving.

“For me personally this is a statement of intent, one which is built on my knowledge of what we as a partnership have achieved so far and what is still there for us to achieve.

“When I see the development of the club and the collaborative work that continues to take place, I feel my contribution can only grow.

“People see what happens on the pitch as a measure of our progress and although it is the best measure, it’s not the only measure. I have seen the commitment from ownership through to every aspect and function of the club you can think of.

“When the call came in autumn 2015, I felt we were perfect for each other; if anything, now I feel I underestimated that. It is only with a total belief that the collaboration remains totally complementary on both sides that I am able to make this commitment to 2024.

“If I didn’t I would not be re-signing.

 “I must also highlight the role of our sporting director, Michael Edwards, in this journey so far. His input and collaboration has been just as important as anyone else’s in getting us into a position to compete for the game’s top titles.

“For anyone in football who aspires to compete in an environment where every element of the organisation is at its very best – from the support of the supporters to the vision of the owners – there can be no better place than this,” said Klopp.

Assistant managers Peter Krawietz and Pepijn Lijnders also agreed deals to continue working alongside Klopp.

During his first campaign at Anfield, Liverpool reached the finals of both the League Cup and Europa League but narrowly lost on both occasions.

In 2016-17, Klopp navigated the Reds back into the Champions League for the first time since 2014, with a top-four finish secured with a final day victory over Middlesbrough at Anfield.

The club marked their return to Europe’s premier competition the following term by storming their way to the final in Kiev, though there was heartbreak after a 3-1 loss to Spain's Real Madrid in the Ukrainian capital.

Nevertheless, Klopp and Liverpool regrouped and, in 2018-19, the 52-year-old guided the club to their sixth European Cup as the Reds lifted the Champions League after a 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur on an unforgettable night in Madrid.

Liverpool missed out on a maiden Premier League title in 2018-19 - chasing a first top-flight championship since 1989-90 - as they finished a point adrift of champions Manchester City.

The Reds are well on course to put that right in 2020.