Jurgen Klopp and Steven Gerrard both renewing their contracts at their respective clubs on the same day is purely coincidental, according to James Pearce.
The Liverpool boss put pen to paper on a deal that will keep him at Anfield until 2024 on Friday, while Kop hero Gerrard signed a contract for the same amount of time at Rangers earlier in the day.
That led to some speculation online as to whether the plan was for Gerrard to takeover on Merseyside when the two come to the end of those deals, but Pearce is unconvinced.
Writing in a Q&A for The Athletic, he said: “Yes, that’s a coincidence.
“You can’t plan that far ahead in football. Four-and-half years is such a long time.
“There are no guarantees that Klopp will definitely leave in 2024.”
OPINION
You can understand why some people jumped to the conclusion that the stars were aligning for Gerrard to take over at Liverpool, but honestly, Pearce is almost certainly bang on the money. Anything, literally anything, can happen in four years, especially in professional football, and to plan that far ahead, not to mention conspiring with another massive British club to do so, seems ludicrous. Perhaps the one take away from this should be that Gerrard is seen as a genuine candidate for the job when Klopp does eventually go. If he can keep progressing at the rate he is at Rangers, and barring some freakish fallout with the Kop, then the dugout at Anfield will surly be his one day. It all seems perfect, and you can understand why people are so desperate for it to happen, but the key here is patience. Bide your time, let Klopp build his empire, and maybe one day Gerrard will indeed be his heir apparent. It would so incredibly sweet to witness.
