As one Dutchman looks to be heading to Anfield, another is heading for the exit door.
Arne Slot is now the leading candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp but the fact Pep Lijnders has never been in the running has raised some eyebrows.
Klopp’s assistant is well regarded in the game but is intent on following the manager out the door at the end of May. Liverpool were famous for the Boot Room in the 1970s and 1980s which saw successors from within. Bob Paisley followed Bill Shankly before Joe Fagan took over. It certainly was successful given it was the Reds’ glory era.
But times have changed and the game certainly has.
Yet one of main reasons while it will be Slot and Lijnders wasn’t under serious consideration is that he didn’t want to be.
As soon as Klopp decided it was time to go, Lijnders decided the same. He’s not exhausted by the job. At 41, he has enthusiasm for a big job but he wants to follow his own path now rather than follow in the footsteps of the German.
“I always said I will finish with Jürgen; the moment I will not assist anyone else, that's the moment I will go and I will manage,” said Lijnders. “That was always the case. So when we spoke, it was clear for me: OK, then I go and manage, and we end this project together [that] we started.”
Lijnders is of interest to Ajax but, rather conveniently, there is now expected to be a vacancy at Feyenoord should the Reds land Slot as expected in the coming days.
The Dutchman is highly regarded inside Liverpool. They know how key he has been to the Reds’ rise under Klopp and his influence has considerably grown since he returned from a brief spell as NEC manager in Holland back in 2018. Klopp is quoted as saying how he trusted Lijnders in revitalising the squad last summer and in the campaign following their fourth-placed finish in 2021.
He’s got a strong relationship with the squad, too. There’s certainly plenty to say he could have followed on from Klopp. But, outside of his own eagerness to move on to pastures new, a look at Liverpool’s search for a new manager he does need more experience as a No 1.
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has time and trophies under his belt along with Ruben Amorim and Slot. They’re young, enthusiastic coaches like Lijnders which was a key component in the search for Klopp’s successor.
Given the age profile they’re looking at in the search, the Reds were never going to get a manager with a collection of league titles and a few European Cups. But the names linked all have a similar level of managerial experience. That may be a reason why Liverpool didn’t look to appoint Lijnders despite their admiration for him.
Those within the club believe that he will go on to be a very successful manager and there’s nobody ruling out a return one day.
But for now, as Lijnders wants, he’s going to make his mark elsewhere first.
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