London, Apr 29 (IANS): Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Thursday signed a two-year contract extension, committing him to the club until 2026.
The 54-year old Klopp joined the Reds in 2015, but suggested in March he would follow through with a plan to take a break from the game when his deal ended in 2024. But he is now set to stay until the summer of 2026 at least.
The Reds have also confirmed that assistant managers Pep Ljinders and Peter Krawietz have also signed new contracts with the Merseyside club, in a further boost to Klopp's new contract.
"There are so many words I could use to describe how I am feeling about this news… delighted, humbled, blessed, privileged and excited would be a start. There is just so much to love about this place. I knew that before I came here, I got to know it even better after I arrived and now I know it more than ever before," said Klopp in a statement.
"Like any healthy relationship, it always has to be a two-way street; you have to be right for each other. The feeling we were absolutely right for each other is what brought me here in the first place and it's why I've extended previously. This one is different because of the length of time we have been together. I had to ask myself the question: Is it right for Liverpool that I stay longer? Along with my two assistant managers, Pep Lijnders and Pete Krawietz, we came to the conclusion it was a 'Yes!'
"There is a freshness about us as a club still and this energises me. For as long as I have been here, our owners have been unbelievably committed and energetic about this club and it is clear that right now this applies to our future as much as I've ever known," he added.
Liverpool appointed Klopp as manager on October 8, 2015 following seven successful seasons in charge of Borussia Dortmund.Prior to his spell at the Westfalenstadion club, he had been in charge of FSV Mainz 05, leading them back into the Bundesliga and reaching Europe for the first time in their history.
In his first term on Merseyside, he led the Reds to the finals of the League Cup and Europa League, though they lost narrowly on both occasions. In 2016-17, Klopp steered the club back into the Champions League, where they would reach the final in Kyiv the following year, though it ended in heartbreak with defeat by Real Madrid in Ukraine.
Liverpool's response saw a 97-point haul in the Premier League – finishing just one behind Manchester City – and success in Europe when Tottenham Hotspur were defeated in Madrid to clinch the club's sixth European Cup. The UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup were added to the trophy cabinet before the Reds ended a 30-year wait to be crowned league champions as they emphatically swept to the Premier League title.
Earlier this season, the Carabao Cup was added to the honours list after Chelsea were beaten on penalties at Wembley -- and the teams will meet again in the final of the Emirates FA Cup next month.