Ex-Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer has spoken about Jurgen Klopp’s decision to step aside and believes certain key players could follow.
Klopp’s announcement on Friday dispersed shock waves across the football world and the Reds are now working behind the scenes to try and identify a replacement for the German.
Names like Xabi Alonso, Roberto De Zerbi and Julian Nagelsmann have all got a mention so far.
But speaking on BEIN Sports about Klopp leaving, former Red McAteer is more concerned about the players who could leave with Klopp.
Speaking about the issues of such a big manager leaving the club, McAteer expressed his worry that the likes of Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold could follow Klopp out the door.
“Van Dijk signed for us (Liverpool) and puts it down to Klopp. But the other thing is players staying at the club. We know Mohamed Salah’s on the brink of possibly leaving at the end of the season and we don’t know how that’s going to pan out.
“But Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, their contracts are up in 18 months. I said yesterday if Klopp is there, they sign new deals and they continue the journey and fairy tale. But a new manager, results might go the other way.
“We might have two managers when the contract negotiations start, the team might be in decline. And they will leave. So, all that is uncertainty as well,” McAteer said.
Things will be different
We’ve seen this before with Alex Ferguson leaving Man United and to an extent we saw it with David Moyes leaving Everton.
When a club loses a manager who has his finger prints on everything at that club then it just makes things even harder in terms of carrying on and doing the same.
As McAteer says, a lot could change and FSG must ensure they’ve got all these top stars tied down to contracts. If anything, simply to protect the club if they do want to leave in terms of them getting a fair price.
Liverpool are going to feel very different for some time come the summer. The owners and board, then, have got to get the house in order.
