For some time there has been the date of 2024 looming on the horizon, a year when Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool contract comes to an end and when it had been long suggested he would end his remarkable tenure as manager of the Reds.
The highs of winning the 2019 Champions League and 2020 Premier League were followed by the challenges of trying to maintain their dominance through a pandemic, playing in front of an empty Anfield. The absence of fans hit every club, player and manager, but for a manager with such a special bond with supporters as Klopp has, one where they have often carried the Reds over the line in their time of need, those empty seats were a major drain.
Klopp's passion for what he does, his players, Liverpool Football Club, the fans and the city itself provide the bedrock for his success, something that when allied with his status as a world class manager has been a match made in heaven. But while the questions persisted during the pandemic around what he would do when his contract did expire, perhaps it was catching Klopp at a time when thinking about football in the long term through such a gruelling period made it difficult to comprehend doing it indefinitely.
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Fans returned, passion returned and form and confidence returned to Liverpool and Klopp and his charges are now on the march to an unprecedented quadruple and having intimated that 2024 would be the point when him and Liverpool said their goodbyes there is understood to be a renewed energy to extend his stay at Anfield beyond that date and oversee a key period of transformation for the Reds as they seek to cement their position at the very summit of world football.
Given Klopp's reported softened stance, Fenway Sports Group will know that there is no other candidate better suited to deliver success at Liverpool in the present and future than Klopp, a man who they had identified long ago as the best person to steer the ship and make best use of the tools that would be provided through the more business-minded and analytical approach of FSG.
Klopp has a good relationship with Mike Gordon, president and third in command at FSG and a potential long term successor to John Henry at the helm. That relationship will mean that Gordon will be well positioned when it comes to knowing if the door is open to an extended stay for the German boss, something that, like supporters, FSG would dearly love to see.
Klopp has been of enormous importance to FSG growing their empire through Liverpool's exploits on the pitch. Liverpool were a Champions League rarity for the early years of FSG's reign at Anfield but have since become a staple, reaching the final in 2018, winning it in 2019 and on the verge of reaching another final in 2022. That return to Champions League football and sustained success in the Premier League has been worth hundreds of millions to Liverpool and been a major factor in seeing their value grow from the £300m that was paid in 2010 to a club that is now worth in excess of £3bn.
Klopp has made Liverpool box office again and returned them to their glory days. This has all arrived at a time when media rights have never been more valuable and football clubs have become even bigger global brands. Liverpool and FSG have had great success in leveraging what they have achieved on the pitch into financial rewards through greater commercial deals and key partnerships, such as the multi-year Nike deal.
He has also been the man to be able to deliver on what they wanted. Liverpool's net spend under Klopp stands at around £130m, while Pep Guardiola's at Manchester City has been close to £580m during his tenure at the Etihad Stadium. Liverpool's transfer policy has been one of signing players for lesser values based upon significant analytical research into where they fit into the squad, building those values up to either sell them, as in the £142m case of Philippe Coutinho who was initially signed for £8m, or see them become world class operators with the Reds, as has been seen with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Luis Diaz, signed for £49m in January, seems to be another destined to follow the latter path.
Klopp has been able to achieve success by spending less than his rivals, and that is something that makes him one of the most valuable individuals that FSG have in their camp. His success has also been able to take away some of the heat that FSG have felt in the past for what has been a perceived lack of investment in the first team, with Klopp able to continue to deliver the results regardless of the lesser spend. He is also a big part of the selling point when courting new players or attempting to renegotiate deals, he has been the glue that binds in recent years.
While the contract situation with Salah may be one more centred around how much Liverpool and FSG would be willing to pay, and with both sides having good reasons for their stances, there is little doubt that if there were one person who FSG would be happy to pay whatever it takes it would be Klopp. But money won't be the issue for Klopp staying, that will be something that would likely be sorted very swiftly and FSG would know that they would have to pay him what he is worth, and when you are arguably the best manager in the world that is a big number. For Klopp, though, the only obstacle will be whether he feels energised enough to go one more time around the block, to commit to one last long contract before taking some time away. More famous European nights under the lights, more epic duels at the summit of the Premier League and more vociferous backing from the fans will only serve to aid the decision making process.
