At least there's one German football manager who's a happy man this morning, after it was just announced by Liverpool that Jurgen Klopp has agreed terms on a brand new long-term contract at Anfield - just nine months into his Anfield tenure.
Klopp inherited a misfiring Liverpool squad from former boss Brendan Rodgers and, with little investment, guided them to the finals of both the Europa League and the Capital One Cup, impressing owners the Fenway Sports Group along the way.
Jürgen Klopp has committed his long-term future to #LFC by signing an extended contract: https://t.co/pXstv84WCz pic.twitter.com/Gk3jBfu5j0
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 8, 2016
According to reports the new deal will tie him to the red side of the mersey for until 2022 and will allow Klopp time to devise a long-term plan for the future of the club.
John Henry, principal owners of FSG and therefore Liverpool, seems delighted to have tied down the German to Anfield for the foreseeable future. A statement on the club's official website said:
When you have an individual of Jürgen’s quality in the building it makes perfect sense to secure that person for the long term. To not do so would be irresponsible.
The overriding motivation behind this decision is Jürgen’s commitment to overall improvement and development. In Jürgen we have someone who is always looking ahead, always looking beyond his own wants and needs and putting the club first.
The ideas and plans he has for the football infrastructure excite us and we believe it benefits the organisation to have Jürgen committed to Liverpool for a sustained period, to make sure he is here to oversee this development. By making this commitment to him, we are taking away any future distractions or doubt. We will move forward in partnership together, with confidence in each other and with the club’s future at the forefront of every decision.
He is a world-class managerial talent and his leadership will be critical to everything we hope to achieve in the years ahead.
Klopp also spoke of his joy at the deal:
It’s hard to express in words how honoured myself, Zeljko and Peter feel by the commitment shown in us by the ownership and the club in general.
We are very much at the beginning of our journey, but to already have the connection we have with this very special place is incredible.
I am the first to recognise that with this great commitment comes a great responsibility. All of our coaching careers we have looked to make teams and clubs better, with the ultimate goal of making the supporters proud and happy.
To do this we have to make sure we always put player and team development at the heart of every major decision. It is my job to lead that and ensure every element of the LFC football environment reflects the best practices in the game. It is fantastic that the club’s ownership is just as committed to this as we are.
There is much to do and much to achieve and we look to do this by being the most completely together group anywhere in the world. That’s everyone and we all have responsibility for it - all of us who are part of this LFC family: players, staff, ownership and of course the supporters.
By being together at all times, we will be stronger, better and our successes sweeter.
