Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp has been speaking to the media before his last game in charge of Liverpool against Wolves at Anfield on Sunday.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He said it has been "the most intense week" of his life as he begins to say goodbye to staff and players.

• On being pictured alone in Anfield this week: "I love Anfield to bits, but I love when it is full. I hope that is not a picture of my time at Liverpool - alone in an empty stadium!"

• He said he has "burst into tears reading" fans letters "about what the club has meant to some people".

• On his time at the club: "A decade of your life is massive, and I will not forget a day. I was at the best club I could have imagined, in a very special city. I got the key of the city. I'm sure for some people that is rather funny, but if the city needs me, I am there."

• On Joel Matip, who will leave this summer: "Have you ever seen a better free transfer? You will not find a more wonderful person. Whoever gets him is a lucky club because he is world class and super humble. That combination is really rare."

• On assistant Pep Lijnders, who is joining Red Bull Salzburg as manager: "We have a bright future. Pep is one of the most influential coaches I have ever had. I will follow each step of him, he is a great choice."

• He said he would have voted for scrapping VAR "because these people [officials] are not able to use it properly" and "if you cannot change the people" then it does not work.

• On facing Wolves: "It would be cool if it was not a goodbye atmosphere and it was a football one. I hope, all together, we can put a really good performance on the pitch because we deserve that."

Follow all of Friday's live Premier League news conferences

Image source, Getty Images

It will be the start of Jurgen Klopp's last dance on his farewell tour when he holds his final pre-match news conference as Liverpool boss on Friday.

Klopp is speaking at about 10:00 BST before he brings the curtain down on his time at Anfield against Wolves on Sunday.

The hope was the match could have been a title-winning send-off for the German, but those dreams disappeared during a poor run of recent results.

Instead, the game is expected to be an emotionally charged farewell for Klopp, who has elevated himself to hero status at Liverpool.

Klopp took over the Merseysiders in October 2015 and, since then, has combined his natural charisma and charm with the type of success that has meant he has captured the hearts and minds of Reds fans.

He has guided the Anfield club to victory in the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Club World Cup and Super Cup during his stint in charge and supporters will have the chance to show their gratitude for his exploits on Sunday.

Image source, Getty Images

"Before he even came to Liverpool, I believed that if you really love football it would make a lot of sense if you watched Thiago Alcantara play," said Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.

Thiago will leave Anfield when his contract expires this summer, having made 98 appearances.

"Technically, he is so, so good. A talent who could play in any team in the world and it was a privilege to have him with us," added Klopp.

Thiago has shared his thoughts on social media, speaking of his "appreciation and gratitude" as he bids farewell.

"The continuous support I have received since day one has been incredible. Anfield chanting, the Kop chanting... amazing, overwhelming.

"These past four years have been a time of learning for me and my family. Some wins, some defeats, but without a doubt, a life-changing experience.

"And to the fans, I don't have the words. Just know you will have my deepest gratitude forever."

The Spanish playmaker scored six goals in his time at Merseyside and lifted the FA Cup and the Community Shield in his spell at the club.

Image source, Getty Images

Joel Matip has said he always have "special memories" of his time with Liverpool, after it was confirmed he will leave Anfield when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Matip was part of the squad that won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League a year later - the Reds' first domestic league title for 30 years.

"It has been eight wonderful years here in Liverpool," said Matip, who joined on a free transfer from German club Schalke in 2016.

"I was allowed to be part of an exciting history with a great coach and an astonishing team in an extraordinary club. We have achieved great titles and have the best fans in the world.

"I am full of gratitude for the wonderful time I was able to experience with these unique people supporting the club and the fans who love Liverpool FC.

"My wife and I have felt welcomed and supported from day one and, together with the kids, we had the best imaginable time here.

"We will always keep it in special memories."

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has paid tribute to "wonderful professional" Joel Matip after it was confirmed the centre-back will leave the club at the end of the season.

The 32-year-old has been with Liverpool since 2016, making 201 appearances and winning the Champions League and Premier League during his time at Anfield.

"In all the years that I have been involved in football, I am not sure I have come across too many players who are more loved than Joel Matip," said Klopp.

"I'm not even sure it would be possible to say anything bad about him.

"A wonderful professional, a wonderful footballer and a wonderful human being. We have been blessed to have him with us for as long as we have and now all we can do is wish him well as he heads off in a new direction.

"Joel's qualities as a player are there for all to see and as a club we have benefited from them since the first moment that he joined. I don't think he has had too many headlines over the years but he has only ever been a very famous figure within our group.

"I have said before that if there was one person who wouldn't care if he was underrated it would be Joel, but the truth is we could not have rated him more highly. Not only has he set the standards for himself, he has set them for others and this is one of the main reasons why his time here has been so successful."

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Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson believes Jurgen Klopp's impact on the club meant the Reds were the envy of many other teams for the nearly nine years he has been in charge.

Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside before the German's final game in charge this weekend, at home to Wolves on Sunday, Lawrenson said: "Our football club became completely different with him in charge.

"A lot of people you speak to who support other teams, they just go: 'Gosh, I wish we could have him as a manager.'

"He was trendy, he was cool. He answered all the questions in the press conferences, he told jokes. He lost it a few times as well, which is all part of his personality.

"Our club has always been up there but since he took over, it was right at the very top with all the best clubs."

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Wolves are in the news this week for their pursuit of a vote on the scrapping of VAR.

Their wishes drew further scrutiny on Wednesday when Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon found himself in the middle of a contentious call before offering a strong view on the technology after his side went down at Manchester United.

"Modified" is the word when we are talking about VAR going to a vote.

We are still getting to grips with it, but we have seen some good come from it. There have been some instances of indifferent decisions because calls are getting too many looks at them from so many angles.

They still do not know what is a good tackle and what is not. I think they need help from some former players, who have been in that situation and understand what the differences are in those challenges.

We keep talking about different angles and that is not going to go away because with VAR or without it, on certain challenges we would still disagree. You could have two current players in a room and they still would not agree.

It is Wolves' opinion on VAR and if they feel it is not working for them, then you can understand why they are saying to have a go without it again.

Molineux boss Gary O'Neil has been very frustrated, but he has also been balanced and tried to stay quiet. Now he does not want to stay quiet because he feels it does not benefit them and decisions are not going their way.

Overall, we have seen good things from VAR, even if it does bring with it a delay and a wait.

It would be a shame now for it to all go away when we have all the technology in place.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

As Jurgen Klopp gets set to say goodbye to Liverpool after Sunday's visit of Wolves, some have called him the Bill Shankly of the Reds' recent generation.

Shankly left Liverpool in 1974 in a decision that surprised the football world, just as Klopp's announcement did earlier this season.

Just as the German has, Shankly pointed to a tiredness and toll that comes with such a challenging role.

Image source, Reuters

Liverpool have had their issues with VAR this season.

The most controversial was Luis Diaz's goal against Tottenham not being awarded after being incorrectly given offside by the assistant referee.

The Reds called for a "review with full transparency" of VAR in the wake of an incident they said resulted in "sporting integrity being undermined", while the PGMOL said the decision to disallow the goal was "a significant human error".

Later on in the season, referees' chief Howard Webb admitted Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Arsenal for a Martin Odegaard handball.

VAR reviewed the on-field ruling not to give a penalty and confirmed the decision.

However, I understand that Liverpool are not supportive of scrapping VAR and would vote against the Wolves proposal at the meeting in June.

Here are the key facts and figures before Sunday's game between Liverpool and Wolves in the Premier League.

• Liverpool have won 13 of their past 14 Premier League meetings with Wolves, the only exception being a 3-0 loss at Molineux in February last season.

• Wolves have lost eight of their nine Premier League away games against Liverpool - the one exception a 1-0 win in December 2010 when the Reds were managed by Roy Hodgson.

• Liverpool have not lost on any of the past 16 occasions when they have finished their league campaign with a home game (W14 D2) and they have won the past eight in a row. Their last defeat was against Arsenal in the 1988-89 campaign - when the Gunners won 2-0 to secure their first league title in 18 years.

• Wolves have lost eight and won just one of their nine Premier League games on the final 38th league game. Their win rate of 11% on the final day is the lowest of any side currently in the competition - their current run of losing seven consecutive such games is the joint-longest in English top-flight history.

Liverpool's 31-year-old Egypt forward Mohamed Salah and Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker, 31, are among the top targets for Saudi Pro League clubs this summer. (Guardian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Neil Pullar, from Formby, lives near Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and serves on the management committee of fans group The Spirit of Shankly.

Despite being a lifelong Red, he said it was not the footballing achievements that earned Klopp a special place in his heart.

He said he would never forget the messages Klopp sent him after he had a cardiac arrest in 2022.

While he was recuperating, he was sent a Liverpool shirt signed by Klopp, his wife Ulla and the team.

He said the completely unprompted act of kindness showed Klopp's "place within the local community", which meant "a great deal" to him.

• Read more local reflections on Klopp here

Image source, Getty Images

Colette Halliday said her partner Stephen Murphy received a similar gesture from Klopp just weeks before he died of pulmonary fibrosis.

She said that "out of the blue came this absolutely beautiful letter", which she added was written in Klopp's "unique Scouse-German".

"We just all burst into tears when we read it," she said.

"I was so pleased Stephen got to see it because he died about three weeks later.

"The kindness that [Jurgen] showed in writing that letter when he didn't have to is the measure of the man."

She said the letter ended with a message about how the "managers, players, owners, directors, staff and supporters" of Liverpool were "all supporting" Mr Murphy "and the best thing about this I know is what a difference it can make".

"We're all with you," Klopp wrote.

"You'll never walk alone."

It will be that exact phrase that many of the city's residents will hope he carries with him himself beyond his final game.

It will be a strange feeling for Liverpool fans on Monday morning, waking up to the fact that Jurgen Klopp has said his goodbyes. He’ll want to win the final match against Wolves of course, but for once, the day will not be about the game or the result, it’ll be about Klopp. And rightly so.

From the moment he walked through the doors, describing himself as “the normal one” he somehow had an instant connection with the club and especially its fans. It’s been a special relationship, a relationship so rare in football these days because even in defeat and disappointment, they went through it together and came out stronger next time.

A world class coach, he built a team full of world class players who crucially played in a way few could live with. He gave them an incredible mental strength, a belief that Liverpool COULD win the title again. He delivered on that and much more. And don’t forget, his Liverpool teams TWICE lost the title by one single point, with 97 and 92 points respectively.

Klopp deserves all the plaudits that have come his way and there may not be a dry eye in the house on Sunday. The “normal one” has been far from normal. Special in fact.

Image source, PA Media

Jurgen Klopp says he "needs to have a look" at life away from being a football manager and did not want to wait until he is in his seventies to experience it, as he prepares for his final match in charge of Liverpool.

Klopp became Liverpool boss in October 2015 and, after a trophy-laden spell at Anfield, he will leave the club following Sunday's Premier League finale at home to Wolves., external

The 56-year-old said in an interview with The Anfield Wrap, external that he had worked "26-7" in all three of his roles with Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, in an almost unbroken spell of 23 years as a manager.

"That's how it is, it's no problem at all, it's my life," said Klopp. "But it cannot be all in life."

Asked what was next for him when he departs Liverpool, he said: "Definitely rest. Travel, relax, seeing friends... I see friends for hours, they come here, watch a game and I don't want to talk to them because they want to talk about football, and I go to bed."

He said it was important for him to spend time to "just live a life" and added later: "Coming back, watching games, still caring, getting on your toes and being on the other side of it - in the stands if possible, or sitting in front of the telly and just going wild in the living room - why not?

"I have to see it, I need to have a look at it. I can't not do it until I'm 70-something - I know that's a big difference from now to then. The rest of life - why should it start when you're 70?

"I would find a club if I want, but I'm just not available, I'm just off. And then we will see how long that takes. And I will work, I will do something 100%. The thing I understand most about is football, but maybe there is something else than doing exactly what I do now."

Image source, Getty Images

All week we are asking for your Jurgen Klopp memories as the German manager nears his final game. Send your best images to #bbcfootball on X. And send your memories of Klopp in via our form here.

Mark: I am an actor and in 2019 I landed a role being filmed at Anfield. I am a lifelong Liverpool fan and this was a dream come true. I met some of the first team, I hung out with my childhood hero (Ian Rush) and best of all I met Jurgen. He is so impressive. What you see on the TV is what you get in real life.

Paul: He’s been this generation's Shankly. My son’s 26 and we’ll be on The Kop on Sunday, and no doubt shed several tears together. Klopp has educated us all on how to be better humans. Forgive and be forgiven and be gracious with a smile - how does a manager have that impact? Because he’s honest, funny and hard working. He’ll never walk alone.

Gavin: With the short termism that we all fall into as supporters, it's all too easy, with the disappointing end to this season, to forget just where we were when Jurgen joined Liverpool. He wanted to turn us from doubters to believers, and to deliver trophies. He's done that in spades. Jurgen, Thank you, thank you. Enjoy your time ahead.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has been announced as the new manager of Austrian Bundesliga side Red Bull Salzburg.

Lijnders arrived at Liverpool in 2014 as an under-16 coach before becoming first-team development coach in 2015 first under Brendan Rodgers and then Jurgen Klopp.

After a spell at Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, Lijnders returned to the Reds as assistant manager in 2018.

Vitor Matos, who has spent four and a half years as Liverpool's elite development coach, will be Lijnders' assistant in Austria.

"I am very proud to become the new head coach of FC Red Bull Salzburg," said Lijnders, external.

"This is a real privilege for me. After PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto and Liverpool FC, I am now moving to another exceptional club with a really good structure and a particular focus on youth development.

"I want to develop a mentality with the team that places a lot of emphasis on attacking style of play and where passion and hunger for success are the basis of everything.

"Together with my assistant coach Vitor Matos and the entire support team, we will do our best to help the club continue to grow in an ever-changing football world.

"My family has visited the city before and was overwhelmed by its beauty and the friendliness of the people. That was the last and important step for me in choosing FC Red Bull Salzburg."