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Klopp to the Kop rumours increase as Rodgers feels the heat

21st April, 2015
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Brendan Rodgers has moved to Celtic.
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21st April, 2015
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With only a handful of games remaining in the English Premier League the silly season is now upon us and with it comes rumours – most of which are completely and utterly wrong.

One such rumour that has sprouted since Jurgen Klopp’s impending departure from Borussia Dortmund is that he will end up in the Premier League at one of a selection of clubs including Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and West Ham.

Out of those clubs you could pretty much rule out Manchester United, with Louis van Gaal seemingly steering them back towards Champions League football, Arsenal with evergreen manager Arsene Wenger still in charge, and West Ham would seem a very outside chance – which leaves only Manchester City and Liverpool.

Manchester City seems hell-bent on adding Pep Guardiola to its already burgeoning collection of ex-Barcelona head honchos. Whether or not though City can hold out for another season with current manager Manuel Pellegrini most likely to be held responsible for a season without silverware is difficult to call.

Liverpool may seem like an outlandish place for Klopp to end up, with current manager Brendan Rodgers seeming to have the faith of current owners Fenway Sports Group. But to be the first manager since the 1950s not to win a trophy in his first three years at the club, it is no doubt taking its toll on him.

Brendan has struggled through this season, while pulling it back from the death in December before yet another setback during this last month or so, but this is a story for another time. Rodgers could be living on borrowed time.

Jurgen Klopp might just be the man Liverpool need if they wish to return to the glory days of the ’80s, because he’s got a pretty good record from his previous clubs Mainz and Dortmund.

He took a relatively small, cellar-dweller club in his beloved Mainz (the only club he played for as a professional player himself) to promotion from the second division, along with qualifying for the UEFA Cup (now Europa League).

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Klopp then got the opportunity to take charge at Dortmund, a sleeping giant of German football, to work his magic. He took a couple of seasons to get going but he won back to back Bundesliga titles along with the club’s first domestic double in the second title-winning season.

The 2012-13 season saw Klopp take Dortmund all the way to the Champions League final against old adversaries Bayern Munich. They were in it until the final minute of the final in Wembley, where Arjen Robben exorcised some of his World Cup final demons with a goal to win the match 2-1.

This current season however it’s all fallen apart for Dortmund and Klopp, with the side taking an age to get going and now relying on a late-season revival to make the Europa League.

It’s debatable whether Klopp’s methods failed this season, or if it was the result of his recruitment in the last summer window. It’s all academic now however, as Klopp departs Dortmund as a folk hero. He’s a bit of a character as well, which Liverpool fans will warm to instantly. You only have to peruse YouTube for minutes to find some quality Klopp antics.

Klopp is also one of the most quotable managers going round. Go on, you know you want to Google them! He would certainly liven up the Premier League and would quickly become a Kop sensation were he to move to Liverpool.

It’s not often that a manager of Klopp’s quality becomes available without having to buy him out of his current contract. This would certainly suit FSG’s strategy with Liverpool, where they have looked to apply their ‘Moneyball’ strategy to football.

FSG really don’t need to make a rash call here and sack Rodgers in order to land Klopp if they don’t want to. It certainly would be a brave decision though and would also signal their intentions to their domestic rivals.

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Bringing in Klopp could help Liverpool break through that top-four barrier once again and compete with Chelsea, Arsenal and both Manchester clubs for the big names.

There would be a few on the almighty Kop hoping that this rumour is true.

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