Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who led the club to its 19th Premier League title, has expressed his optimism for the future. The Reds were confirmed as champions for a 20th time on Sunday after a resounding 5-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, ending a 35-year wait for fans to witness a championship triumph on home turf.
Klopp, who departed the club 11 months ago to make way for Arne Slot, guided Liverpool to their last title under COVID-19 restrictions, with only around 500 spectators allowed in the stadium during their 5-3 win over Chelsea in July 2020. Despite the addition of Federico Chiesa, the squad remains largely composed of players signed during Klopp’s tenure.
In an Instagram post on Monday, the 2019 Champions League winner shared his first message to his former club since their recent confirmation as Premier League champions.
Accompanied by a photo of the team and staff celebrating in front of a packed Kop, Klopp wrote: “Super grateful for the past. Super, super happy about the present, extremely positive about the future! Congratulations YNWA (You’ll Never Walk Alone) Thank you Luv”.
Klopp is set to return to Liverpool next month as a guest speaker at the LFC Foundation’s Gala Ball. The event, which will take place at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral in partnership with Forever Reds, will see Klopp serve as the charity’s first official honorary ambassador.
The timing of the event, just two days before the final match of the season against Crystal Palace, could potentially see Klopp present at Anfield for the Premier League trophy lift.
Slot paid tribute to Klopp following the victory over Tottenham, having not made any significant additions to his predecessor’s squad last summer. He said: “It feels great. I don’t think I want to say a lot. The only thing now is to send my appreciation to Jurgen Klopp. The work Jurgen and Pep Lijnders did – the culture, work-rate, quality – was outstanding.”
Slot then serenaded the Anfield crowd with a chant for Klopp, just as the German did for him on the final day of last season before walking away from the job.
