Jurgen Klopp “could not have been more disappointed” with the Liverpool fans booing Trent Alexander-Arnold and revealed who has right to be “angry” with the departing Reds star.
Alexander-Arnold opted not to extend his Liverpool contract and is leaving the club for Real Madrid as a free agent at the end of the season.
The Reds fans made their feelings clear during the champions’ 2-2 draw with Arsenal earlier this month, booing the academy graduate as he came off the bench to replace Conor Bradley.
Klopp was asked about the situation at the LFC Foundation Gala Ball on Friday night and revealed his disappointment at the fans’ reaction, claiming only Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group have the right to be “angry”.
“I don’t want to tell anyone what they should think, I don’t want to say what you have to think but I can tell you what you think is wrong. I am an old man and I don’t waste time with hiding my opinion,” Klopp said.
“I watched the game when he came on and I heard the booing. I’m old so it my be my hearing so I turned up the volume and said: ‘That’s booing’.
“I needed another 10 seconds to realise and then I switched the telly off. I honestly could not have been more disappointed in this moment. This is not us, 100 per cent.
“I don’t tell you you should not be disappointed or angry, I tell you: ‘Don’t forget’. This club does not forget. We are famous for not forgetting.
“We don’t forget anything. We don’t forget the good thing and we don’t forget the bad thing. But we ignore the bad things and remember the good things.
“You don’t have to be happy he is going but don’t forget what he did for this club because I can’t forget it.
“I was there every day – if he wouldn’t have given everything, I would tell you now but every day he gave absolutely everything for this club and now, after 20 years, he has decided he wants to go somewhere else.
“If someone should be angry it should be the owners – but they are not. ‘Why didn’t he sign a new contract?’ I hear this from fans, this money discussion: ‘He goes without a transfer fee’.
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“They (the owners) have to be angry. Not us but it is not about that. He gave absolutely everything and wears the Liverpool badge in the skin.
“This boy, 18 years old, scored a free-kick in Hoffenheim where if he doesn’t score that we don’t qualify for the Champions League.
“Against Barcelona he did the most cheeky thing in the world and set up the goal for 4-0, a result and a game which will not happen again.
“But now he plays next year for another club and we decide how we deal with that.”
The Liverpool legend also shut down rumours he might succeed from Claudio Ranieri as Roma boss.
“I’m not going to become AS Roma new head coach,” he added. “That story is bull****. If you read any rumours about me taking a coaching job in the next few years it’s bull****. You can be the first to say it.”