While I wasn’t exactly at peace with it, I’d kind of had my head around the fact that Jurgen Klopp was going to leave Liverpool in 2024.

The news is absolutely fantastic.

He is, for me, the best manager in the world and whoever has to replace him will have a very, very tough job. We now don’t have to cross that bridge until 2026, at the earliest.

Jurgen, along with the club’s owners, has transformed Liverpool Football Club from also-rans into one of the best sides on the planet.

He’s the man who brought some truly great players to Anfield; he’s the man who has galvanised the fanbase; he’s the man who convinced the owners to build a state-of-the-art training complex; and, most importantly, he’s the man who brought us major trophies.

Here’s to another four years (hopefully more) of watching Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

It’s been an absolute pleasure so far. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Ste Hoare, The Redmen TV

Stephen Warnock
Former Liverpool defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Jurgen Klopp spoke about his wife and said she was so happy in Liverpool. Why would you want to leave this situation? When you've got that backing of your family, it is worth its weight in gold. The club are in a really healthy place at the moment with the manager and staff.

A lot has been made of the ownership in the last year or two; Fenway Sports Group have had criticism from certain sections, but real fans understand what they've done in backing Jurgen Klopp. It is an exciting time to be associated with Liverpool; the football they are playing is incredible.

Gary Rose
BBC Sport at St James' Park

Jurgen Klopp didn't seem best pleased with today's early kick off and perhaps with good reason too given the relatively short turnaround from their Champions League game.

Looking at the statistics might brighten his mood, however. Liverpool have won all four Premier League matches this season played at 12:30pm (UK time) on a Saturday by an aggregate score of 11-0.

The Reds players are also looking relaxed and were all smiles as they left the pitch following the warm ups. If there's any nerves over the title race they are hiding it well.

Image source, Getty Images

More from Jurgen Klopp on his new deal earlier in the week - he said Liverpool is "the perfect place to be" because the club is so relentless in trying to develop.

"This club offers a lot. I'm very happy about it. For me, at this moment in time, it's the perfect place to be," he said.

"They are building a stand again, which is just a sign they never stop trying to develop the situation.

"We have to prepare the little things ready for the future. We want to be special as a club."

Klopp has been at Liverpool for six and a half years and is enjoying the moment as the Reds pursue trophies on all fronts.

"Nothing is guaranteed, so you have to enjoy the journey," he said. "I don't know if we'll win anything, but we have to try to squeeze everything possible out of the season.

"We want to cherish and appreciate what we can achieve when we are all together and what we have in this moment."

Liverpool

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, speaking to BT Sport about his new deal: "It was not a long negotiating just the right decision, that's why we found an agreement pretty quickly."

On making five changes: "Of course we have to do it because of the intensity of the period we are in - when you make five changes, then you obviously have a good squad, we could have changed it even more but it is about rhythm and stability as well."

Mark Lawrenson
BBC football expert

Villarreal did not really pose Liverpool too many problems in their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday, but I'd expect Newcastle to be much more of a threat going forward.

After winning four games in a row, the Magpies will be full of confidence but, if that means they are even slightly more open than usual this weekend, that will suit Jurgen Klopp's side.

Prediction: 0-2

Image source, Getty Images

Patrick Vieira says he does not want players to be protected because “challenges are part of the game”, despite Wilfried Zaha being the most-fouled player in the Premier League this season.

Zaha came in for some rough treatment against Leeds on Monday and his temper almost boiled over in a first-half flashpoint with Raphinha.

Zaha has been fouled 87 times this season - 17 more than second-placed Ivan Toney - but Vieira only sees the good reasons behind this.

“That is who he is as a player and a person,” he said. “It’s important to try to be positive and try to understand why opposition teams want him to lose his control.

“If you watch the Leeds game again, some of them were lucky not to get a yellow card. Their plan was to target Wilfried - but he remained calm and concentrated on his game.

“This is a compliment. He is really good on the ball, he fights for it and is a really good dribbler."

Image source, Getty Images

Michail Antonio and Callum Wilson have backed Southampton's set-piece specialist James Ward-Prowse to "smash David Beckham's free-kick record out of the water".

The Saints captain scored his 14th direct free-kick in the Premier League to move four behind Beckham's mark - and Wilson has no doubt he will surpass the Manchester United icon's tally.

"He's an absolute technician from outside the box," Newcastle striker Wilson told the Footballer's Football podcast he hosts with Antonio.

"He can put the ball either side and you basically are asking your team-mates not to give away a free-kick against Southampton. He's got time on his side to break that record."

Antonio agreed with his co-host's verdict on the Saints midfielder.

"His free-kicks are as good as penalties," the West Ham forward said.

However, scoring from set-pieces is not something either Antonio or Wilson can relate to.

"I'm staying well away from those," Antonio said. "Hopefully one bounces off the crossbar, comes off my chin and goes in."

"Sniffing out rebounds!" agreed Wilson. "That's exactly what I'm doing."

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has insisted that he "only looks up", despite his side's recent struggles.

They host rock-bottom Norwich on Saturday and go into the game eight points clear of the relegation places with six games left.

Villa are 15th in the Premier League and also play Burnley, who are six points behind them, twice in their final run-in.

But Gerrard dismissed any relegation concerns, saying: "I only look forward and I only look up. Tomorrow poses a strong opportunity for us to put in a strong home win.

"I'm sure the table will look completely different come the final whistle tomorrow, if we put in the performance which deserves that.

"I'm concerned about Villa every minute of every day and I'll continue to be concerned and focused for every minute moving forward."

Image source, BBC Sport

Wolves boss Bruno Lage sees some similarities between his side and Brighton and is expecting a “tough” challenge against Graham Potter's outfit, a manager who has impressed him.

“He is a great manager, doing a fantastic job and I know how tough they are,” he said. “Every time they play, they have a surprise for the opponent.

“We have been watching a lot of games to try to understand what surprise they will bring to us.

“They want to dominate the game and play with the ball – it’s going to be another exciting game and we want to be ready to play how we want to play.”

Meanwhile, Potter has expressed his admiration for Lage’s work at Molineux, reserving particular praise for their defensive record.

“Bruno has done a really good job and they’ve had a really good season,” he said. “Credit to them for where they are.

“I get asked lots of questions about scoring goals and they’ve not scored too many more than us (31 for Brighton and 33 for Wolves).

“But their defence and clean-sheet record is the foundation of their success - it’s vitally important. That’s why they are challenging for the European spots.”

Connor Roberts feels Burnley "playing with more freedom" is the reason for the remarkable turnaround that has given them hope of avoiding relegation from the Premier League.

Since Sean Dyche was sacked on 15 April the Clarets have picked up seven points in three games under Michael Jackson, including a 1-0 win over Wolves last weekend that lifted them out of the bottom three.

"We only had ourselves to blame with the position we were in, we haven’t been good enough all season," said Roberts.

"Things just clicked lately, we’ve played with more freedom and got two massive wins.

"We’ve got five games left, and it's a situation many people didn’t think we could get out of.

"We’ve taken a little step towards doing that and there’s excitement among the lads."

Geoff Doyle
BBC Three Counties Radio sport

Watford aren't down yet but it seems just a matter of time. The Hornets need to win four of their five remaining games to stay up - and even that might not be enough.

After a woeful campaign, fans are already looking ahead to the next one. You can't blame them. For those supporters who only watch the Hornets' home games, they have only seen two victories all season.

Bearing in mind most of the promotion-winning season was played behind closed doors, and the season before that they were also relegated, fans haven't had any sustained success for a very long time.

Three years ago actually - and that good FA Cup run. So you can understand why this season has almost been written off by fans.

Attention has now turned towards who will succeed manager Roy Hodgson at the end of the season. Gino Pozzo, Scott Duxbury and the board have got to get this right.

They have claimed, in a recent fans' meeting, that they want more stability at the club and less manager chopping and changing. For that to happen the next manager has to be the right one.

Names like Diego Martinez (ex-Granada boss who Pozzo will know well) and former Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro, who has worked in China and Saudi Arabia, are two being mentioned.

But maybe it's time to hire a young one with English Football League experience - a promotion or two on their CV wouldn't go amiss either.

Image source, Getty Images

Dean Smith says Norwich will come back stronger if the worst happens and their relegation is confirmed today.

The Canaries' one-year stay in the Premier League will come to an end if they lose to Aston Villa and Burnley beat Watford.

Smith said: "At the moment it is unlikely we will be in the Premier League with how results have gone, but while there is a mathematical chance we will keep fighting.

"If we have to go down and come back up then we come back stronger.

"We want to see the season out well and show that, despite the criticism we’ve had for where we are in the league, we are more than capable of being in the Premier League. But we have to cut out the mistakes and have more consistency in our play.

"The only way we can improve as a football club and get better and if we do go down and come back is by being together and having that solidarity."

Aston Villa winger Bertrand Traore could return to the squad after recovering from a groin injury.

Lucas Digne, Kortney Hause and Morgan Sanson all remain sidelined.

Norwich City's Josh Sargent is close to a recall after a month on the treatment table with an ankle ligament injury.

Lukas Rupp is back from a knee problem, while Kenny McLean is nursing a broken toe but will have an injection to try to make himself available.

Defender Christoph Zimmermann is out with a hip flexor issue.

Right, let's have a little look around the grounds...

Gary Rose
BBC Sport at St James' Park

It is hard to imagine just what the pressure on these Liverpool players must be like as they head into each game.

If the Reds are to win the quadruple - unprecedented in English football - then there can be no margin for error in any game.

They passed the test comfortably against Villarreal in the semi-finals of the Champions League in midweek but if any game screams banana skin in their remaining fixtures it is this one.

Only the Reds and Manchester City boast a better record in 2022 than Newcastle and, with safety long since assured, the hosts would love to have a say in the title race.

With Manchester City at Leeds later today this could be a crucial day at the top of the table.