Paul Gorst has suggested that he expects Jurgen Klopp to honour his current contract at Liverpool, but has seemingly cast doubt over Pep Lijnders replacing him when he does decide to leave the club.
The German has hinted that he may leave Anfield when his current deal expires in 2022, as reported by Sky Sports, but Gorst is not convinced that assistant coach Lijnders is the right man to take up his mantle.
Writing for the Echo, the reporter said: “I expect him to honour his contract until 2022 but the noises he’s made recently hint that Klopp might call it a day after that.
“He could have a new deal signed, sealed and delivered within hours if he made it known to FSG that is his intention, however.
“Pep Lijnders is a bit of a mastermind behind the scenes at Melwood, but his management career was brief and unsuccessful with NEC Nijmegen last year.”
OPINION
It would be a real surprise if Lijnders was given the full time role after Klopp leaves. First and foremost, that shouldn’t happen for another three years or so, and anything can change in football over the course of three seasons. Secondly, it’s hard to imagine the Reds going with one of Klopp’s backroom staff to take over from the German. You can understand the logic behind such a move, but it feels far more likely that they will look for a clean break, perhaps turning to favourite son Steven Gerrard to manage his old club. Thirdly and most importantly, however, Lijnders isn’t a great manager. As a coach, he is wonderful, and a really valued asset of Klopp’s team, but his time at NEC Nijmegen last season, lasting just 22 games and averaging 1.68 points per game, as per Transfermarkt, is hardly the record of a man who would walk into one of the top clubs in the world. It would be a shock if the board let that happen.
