Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool legacy in focus as he prepares to relinquish Reds reins

Jurgen Klopp said when he was appointed Liverpool manager in 2015 that it was “not so important what people think when you come in. It’s much more important what people think when you leave”.

Opinions of Klopp, who manages his final game for the Reds on Sunday, have only been enhanced during his eight-and-a-half years but what state is the club in for his predecessor, expected to be Feyenoord’s Arne Slot?

Here the PA news agency assesses Klopp’s legacy at Anfield.

Belief

Klopp’s assertion he had to turn “doubters into believers” at his first press conference has proved to be a success. A first league title after 30 years – something else he predicted at his unveiling – ended an interminable wait and adding another Champions League trophy has restored pride and showed Liverpool could compete with Europe’s elite again.

Competitiveness

In the years between Liverpool last winning the league in 1990 and Klopp arriving in 2015, the club had just four second-placed finishes under four different managers. However, they finished seventh or eighth five times in that spell. Klopp, facing the most dominant Premier League club of the era with vastly superior finances and one of the all-time great managers in Manchester City, has an average finish of third for his eight full seasons, winning the league once and missing out by a point on two occasions. Three Champions League finals in five seasons have underlined that consistency. And seven trophies.

Squad strength

Having won every trophy except the Europa League with a squad assembled over four years it was evident the natural life of that group was coming to an end. Klopp could have left after the struggles of last season but he stuck around to oversee the rebuild. A whole new midfield of Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch provided the necessary rejuvenation and only a poor fortnight in April derailed another title bid. The new man is set to inherit a team which has Trent Alexander-Arnold enjoying his prime years, with Virgil van Dijk back to his best and Mohamed Salah continuing to consistently produce, not withstanding a blip after injury at the turn of the year.

Academy progression

Part by design, part by necessity, Klopp’s promotions from the academy have produced a number of successes. Alexander-Arnold is the benchmark for that, but of the current squad Caoimhin Kelleher, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley and Curtis Jones are all success stories. Harvey Elliott is not technically an academy graduate but, having already made over 100 appearances at the age of 21, is already vastly experienced and starting to find his feet in the first team. The likes of Tyler Morton and Stefan Bajcetic, and just starting out Bobby Clark, James McConnell and Jayden Danns, also warrant a mention.

Fan power

Klopp will always be criticised for not winning enough with the squad he had at the peak of their careers, but for supporters the drama and excitement of the journey over almost nine years is what has re-energised them. Klopp’s ability to connect with the fanbase and speak to the ordinary man in the street undoubtedly helped power some of their greatest achievements