Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has heaped praise onto Jurgen Klopp for the job he’s done that leaves the club in a strong position for their next manager.
The Reds have some exciting young players coming through, and Fowler believes Klopp has been unselfish in prioritising the development of the likes of Curtis Jones and Conor Bradley in recent times, instead of being tempted to just have more ready-made and proven players in every position for his final season in charge at Anfield.
Klopp recently announced he’d be stepping down as Liverpool boss at the end of this season, and that will undoubtedly be a big blow for the club, as well as a huge challenge for whoever comes in next.
Still, Fowler believes Klopp has already helped his successor by leaving this squad in such a good shape with so many top players who can make an impact for the present and future.
“I don’t agree that the manager who takes over from Jurgen Klopp will be accepting a poisoned chalice. In fact, I think Liverpool’s next boss will have reasons to be cheerful about the legacy Klopp will leave behind,” Fowler wrote in his column for the Daily Mirror.
“Conor Bradley is the latest youngster to illustrate what a brilliant job Alex Inglethope and his staff at the club’s academy is doing to produce players who are good enough to wear the famous red shirt.”
He added: “Usually, when a manager exits a club they leave behind a team that is struggling. Rarely does the next incumbent inherit a squad that is geared for success. It illustrates the kind of manager Klopp is that he has not turned a blind eye to bringing through the next generation.
”It would have been easy for him, knowing this was his final season at Liverpool, to rely on the same select group of experienced players who he knows won’t let him down.”
Liverpool fans will no doubt be worried about what the post-Klopp era looks like, but the German tactician couldn’t have done much more to leave the club in a better state than it looks now.
Liverpool take on Arsenal away from home in the Premier League today in what could be a crucial match in terms of determining how Klopp’s final campaign with the club will play out.
A win for LFC gives them a commanding lead at the top of the table, whereas a draw or defeat would surely keep Arsenal right in the mix in the second half of the season.