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Jurgen Klopp already said who he thinks will be next Liverpool manager

Jurgen Klopp spent years avoiding speculation about who would eventually replace him at Liverpool, but he has already made one thing clear.

Long before announcing his departure at the end of the 2023–24 season, Klopp openly stated who he believed would one day take the job: Steven Gerrard, despite the legend already giving his verdict on becoming Liverpool's manager years ago.

His endorsement dates back to December 2021, when Gerrard was managing Aston Villa and preparing for his first return to Anfield as an opposing coach. Asked directly whether the former Liverpool captain could become the Reds’ future manager, Klopp didn’t hesitate.

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“Oh yes I do, absolutely,” Klopp said at the time. “I believe it will definitely happen — and good for everyone.”

Klopp’s old remarks quickly came back into focus once the German confirmed he was stepping down, reigniting talk about who might follow him. Liverpool went with Arne Slot in 2024, but Klopp’s words showed the regard Gerrard held inside the club during that stretch.

The timeline behind Klopp’s belief is rooted in Gerrard’s coaching rise. After retiring in 2016 following a stint with LA Galaxy, Gerrard returned to Liverpool to begin his managerial education.

"My possible successor? Yes..." #LFC boss Jurgen Klopp says their former captain, Steven Gerrard, could be his successor at the club pic.twitter.com/uJvyMDQ9jX

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 9, 2022

He took charge of the club’s Under-18 side during Klopp’s second full season, giving him daily access to Melwood and Liverpool’s senior staff. By 2018, Gerrard had departed for Rangers and immediately set about transforming the club.

In 2021, he delivered Rangers’ first Scottish Premiership title in a decade, ending Celtic’s run of nine straight championships. That success led Aston Villa to appoint him as their manager in November 2021, and Klopp praised the trajectory.

“Stevie is doing really well, and he’s very young from a manager’s point of view,” Klopp said. “It’s just about when the right moment is for him to take the job.”

Gerrard played for Liverpool from 1998 to 2015

Gerrard played for Liverpool from 1998 to 2015 -Credit:Getty

Gerrard himself downplayed the idea that the Villa match was an “audition,” insisting he was solely focused on the Premier League clash. Klopp also pushed back against the idea that Gerrard needed trophies to qualify for the future Liverpool role.

“People say you have to win things, but I'm not sure about that,” Klopp said. “It’s more important that the club is stable and the manager improves things. Everything Stevie has done looks like it’s heading in the right direction.”

At the time, Liverpool were locked in a tight title race, sitting second in the Premier League just one point behind Manchester City. Gerrard, meanwhile, insisted he would accept being “not very popular” at Anfield if Villa managed to upset his former club, but the match ended in a 1-0 defeat for his team.

Now, Gerrard remains out of club management, recently turning pundit for TNT Sports after leaving Al-Ettifaq in January 2025. Meanwhile, Slot’s first season at Liverpool delivered the 2024-25 Premier League title, making him the first Dutch manager to win it.

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