Jurgen Klopp has asked Liverpool fans to welcome his replacement in the same way they did in 2015.
The German announced in January that he would leave the club at the end of the season and earlier this week, Arne Slot announced that he would leave Feyenoord to update Klopp at Anfield.
Klopp oversaw his final game on Sunday, a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and after the win, the 56-year-old addressed the Anfield crowd.
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“Obviously, I’ve noticed a lot of other people crying and I’m going to do that tonight as well,” he said, “because I’m going to miss other people, but replacing is a smart thing to do. Everything will be fine because the basics are 100 percent there.
“You welcome the new coach as you welcomed me. You are all-inclusive from day one. You keep believing. You push the team. Now I’m one of you. I love you very much.
“Thank you. You are the team of the world. Thank you!”
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Klopp leaves after the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and two League Cups with the Merseyside club.
“It doesn’t feel like an end,” Klopp said. It’s just like a start. Today I saw a football team full of talent, youth, creativity, preference and greed play. That’s a component of development, that’s obviously what you need.
“During those few weeks when I had too much attention, I learned a lot of things. People say I’ve turned them from skeptics to believers. It’s true. You (Liverpool fans) did it. No one tells them to stop believing. This club is in a better moment than it has in a long time.
“We have this beautiful stadium, this educational centre and you, the superpower of world football. We make a decision if we’re worried or excited. We make a decision whether to accept it or not. Today I’m one of you and I’m still at it. I’m 100 percent into it.
Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah secured the final victory of the day for Liverpool, who finished the season in third place, nine times better than Manchester City, who clinched their fourth successive title.
Klopp was appointed to update Brendan Rodgers in October 2015. Liverpool finished eighth in the 2015–16 Premier League season, losing 3–1 to Sevilla in the Europa League final.
Klopp then guided Liverpool to fourth place, reaching the Champions League final in 2017-18, before being beaten by Real Madrid. In the following campaign, Liverpool ended their time in the Premier League and overtook one more in the Champions League, beating Tottenham. Hotspur will win their sixth European crown.
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Liverpool then won their first Premier League title in the 2019-20 season, their first league win since the 1989-90 top flight.
Slot, who guided Feyenoord to second place in the Eredivisie this season, will have the unenviable task of following the German when he arrives on Merseyside, but Klopp has spoken of the “potential” he leaves behind.
“If I continue, those guys and others will say, ‘He’s been here too long. ‘You have to be the spark,” he told Sky Sports. I love the team. There’s a lot of potential. They’ll make adjustments here and there.
“I’m sure everyone will agree that a review is not necessary. We finished third. We were ahead of schedule. It’s a strong league and it suits me perfectly.
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(Top photo: Paul Ellis/AFP Getty Images)