When Jurgen Klopp decided to leave Liverpool, it went unnoticed that the club also stated Pep Lijnders would be departing with him. The Dutchman has been instrumental in Klopp’s success over the years and has rapidly progressed through the ranks at Liverpool.
Lijnders began working at the club’s academy after joining from Porto. He quickly worked his way up to the first team, eventually becoming Klopp’s assistant manager. Lijnders thrived in this capacity and was instrumental in instituting significant adjustments, such as shifting Trent Alexander-Arnold to a ‘double six’ inverted midfield position.
Lijnders has been credited with being the brains behind Klopp’s operation, and he is regarded as one of the most promising managers emerging in world football right now. It’s not surprising that clubs like Ajax have recently expressed interest in his services.
Given his great football mind, it would be in the club’s best interest to keep Lijnders. Klopp has made it plain that his mind will not be changed. However, FSG could persuade Lijnders otherwise. Especially with an intriguing offer, Phil Thompson believes most club fans would be on board.
What new position would Phil Thompson like Pep Lijnders to pursue at Liverpool?
Speaking on talkSPORT, former Liverpool icon Phil Thompson indicated that there might be a way to persuade the Dutchman to stay at the club.
“I don’t think he’d [Lijnders] have too many objectors [to replace Klopp], Liverpool fans, if they know enough about the club and the people behind the scenes and the back-up staff for Jurgen,” Thompson remarked in an interview. He went on to explain why he believes Lijnders could be a viable candidate to succeed Klopp.
“Pep Lijnders is a terrific coach, and if you see him on the training ground, he is full of enthusiasm and ideas. I would have no objections to him being it. If they announced it, I’d say yes. Pep Lijnders surely have something else planned. Whatever he does, if he goes with Klopp on his own, I wish him the best, but if he was offered the job, I’d like to believe Pep would have thought about it at least.”
Many rumours have circulated concerning prospective Jurgen Klopp successors. However, surprisingly few have considered Lijnders as a plausible option. The 41-year-old seems like an almost obvious successor to Klopp.
He has been attending several of Klopp’s news conferences while Liverpool is competing in the League Cup, and he has progressively gained one promotion after another at Liverpool. Lijnders would have been the natural choice during Thompson’s time, when Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan made comparable moves from the Anfield boot room.
However, Liverpool is now considering other prospective managers. Including a candidate in Xabi Alonso, who has comparable ties to Liverpool but far more demonstrated experience as a head coach at the highest level of the game than Lijnders. In modern football, experience surpasses anything else.
