Two weeks ago, some very strong rumors emanated from Turkey linking the now former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp with the top job at Fenerbache. Those rumors were quashed by the club within 24 hours, proving yet again that 99% of transfer gossip is triple-filtered horseshit.
One deflated rumor, however, simply means another can be pumped up to bursting point. Hooray!
Hooray, that is, unless you’re Brendan Rodgers. Despite the Northern Irishman's manful efforts to convince all and sundry that Liverpool have been “terrific” this season (in spite of 38 Premier League fixtures’ worth of evidence to the contrary), Jurgen Klopp is said to be “under consideration” by Liverpool’s power brokers as Rodgers' replacement. Look, Sunday Times journalist Jonathan Northcroft says so right here:
LFC assessing manager options before season review. Klopp one of them. Rodgers may v well survive but LFC seeing who's out there.
— Jonathan Northcroft (@JNorthcroft) May 31, 2015Klopp for The Kop makes a fair degree of sense. The Merseysiders are a community club, steeped in history and with a fervent fan base that could easily replicate the tingles the hipster’s hipster says he felt each time he stepped out into the Westfalenstadion. What’s more, however much Reds supporters may try to delude themselves to the contrary, Liverpool are currently a second tier club whose best days are behind them, much as Dortmund were when Klopp took over in 2008.
So it’s not difficult to imagine Klopp being open to the Liverpool job, but will Fenway Sports Group discard Rodgers so flippantly? On the one hand, our Brendan has just become the first Liverpool manager in half-a-century not to win a single piece of silverware in his first three years as manager. On the other, he was shorn of over 50% of his goals from 2013-14, with Suarez in Catalonia and Sturridge on the physio’s table for the lion’s share of this season.
One reason FSG might show their ruthless streak in the coming days is the instant impact Klopp could have on Liverpool’s woeful recruitment policy. Contract rebel Raheem Sterling is said to be willing to stay at Anfield if Klopp comes in, while Manchester City’s James Milner - available on a free transfer this summer - is also said to be waiting on the German before committing to Liverpool. Throw in his proven track record of turning around sleeping giants and, most importantly, his immediate availability, and Rodgers’ days could be numbered.
Liverpool supporters certainly seem to hope John Henry et al show Brendan the door: a recent poll compiled by the Daily Mirror found that fully 89% of respondents wanted Klopp over Rodgers.
So the increased noise around a proposed move for Klopp will be salve for Scousers wounds after such a torrid season. We just hope those 89% of Liverpool fans remember the aforementioned golden rule: 99% of transfer rumors are unencumbered nonsense.
