Liverpool ‘not normal’ secret desire revealed despite imminent Arne Slot appointment
Liverpool have a secret desire to see Pep Lijnders return as manager despite the imminent appointment of Arne Slot, according to a Dutch journalist.
The Reds have been on the lookout for a new manager since Jurgen Klopp announced earlier this year that he will be leaving Anfield at the end of the season to take a break from football.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso and Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim were the early favourites with the bookmakers to take over with the latter even reported to have a ‘verbal agreement’ with Liverpool.
However, widespread reports have indicated that Feyenoord boss Slot has agreed to become the new Liverpool boss and it will announced imminently.
There were some calls from Liverpool fans hoping to see Klopp’s assistant Lijnders stay but the Dutchman will leave at the same time as Klopp and has been linked with jobs in the Netherlands.
But Dutch journalist Henk de Jong insists that Liverpool are holding out a secret hope that Lijnders will return to Anfield as manager in the future.
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De Jong said: “Pepijn Lijnders, he has had a hard time here, but that’s really the man over there.
“How people at the club talk about that boy, that’s not normal. They really hope Arne will do very well, but also that he will come back. I thought that was really nice to experience.”
Current Liverpool boss Klopp has explained why the 2024/25 season would’ve been “tricky” for him if he’d stayed on at Anfield.
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Klopp told Sky Sports: “The initial decision was not a joint decision. It was my decision in this specific case.
“There’s only one person who can make that call and it was me. I had to explain it to her that for me it is about being in the best possible shape until I finish.
Jurgen Klopp: Next year it could have been tricky
“The football hasn’t been great the last few weeks, and as a result you start hearing people say that I look really tired. I’m just old! But I’m about being in it 100 per cent until the last day. That was always the plan.
“I was sure that if I didn’t make that decision now, next year it could have been tricky. The thought of picking yourself up for another pre-season, make big decisions.
“For that, you really need to be full of energy. 80 per cent is not enough. That’s the truth. It’s too much. It’s a 24/7 job. Yes, there are more important things in life, but if you really care then it’s 24/7.
“I did it for a pretty long time and I knew I couldn’t continue to do it at the standard necessary for a club like Liverpool.”
More: Liverpool | Arne Slot | Pep Lijnders
