Liverpool fans say farewell to Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp after the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on May 19, 2024. – Jurgen Klopp was given a heartfelt reception by home fans at Anfield as he walked out for his final match as Liverpool manager on Sunday. Klopp, who arrived at the club in October 2015, won seven major trophies at Liverpool, including the club’s first league title for 30 years and the 2019 Champions League. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR ‘LIVE’ SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES. AN ADDITIONAL 40 IMAGES MAY BE USED IN EXTRA TIME. NO VIDEO EMULATION. SOCIAL MEDIA IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES. AN ADDITIONAL 40 IMAGES MAY BE USED IN EXTRA TIME. NO USE IN BETTING PUBLICATIONS, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. /
Liverpool show Kaizer Chiefs how it’s done!
Liverpool didn’t waste time in replacing the departed Jurgen Klopp but here at home, Kaizer Chiefs are still scrambling for a new coach.
Liverpool fans say farewell to Liverpool’s German manager Jurgen Klopp after the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on May 19, 2024. – Jurgen Klopp was given a heartfelt reception by home fans at Anfield as he walked out for his final match as Liverpool manager on Sunday. Klopp, who arrived at the club in October 2015, won seven major trophies at Liverpool, including the club’s first league title for 30 years and the 2019 Champions League. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR ‘LIVE’ SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES. AN ADDITIONAL 40 IMAGES MAY BE USED IN EXTRA TIME. NO VIDEO EMULATION. SOCIAL MEDIA IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES. AN ADDITIONAL 40 IMAGES MAY BE USED IN EXTRA TIME. NO USE IN BETTING PUBLICATIONS, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. /
Premier League giants Liverpool have indirectly shown Kaizer Chiefs how it’s done in the transfer market when a team needs a coach or manager.
The Reds hierarchy knew at the start of the season that this would be Jurgen Klopp’s final campaign with them.
And they worked hard behind the scenes to secure a new manager for the new season, and on Monday, they announced their man.
In a statement released on the day, Liverpool announced Arne Slot as Klopp’s successor from 1 June pending his work permit.
Slot joins Liverpool after three successful seasons with Feyenoord where he won the league title in 2023 and KNVB Cup in April this year.
The Dutch mentor also won the Eredivisie Manager of the Year on two separate occasions during his time in the Netherlands.
Klopp spent nine solid seasons with Liverpool where he delivered the Premier League title and UEFA Champions League among many trophies.
LIVERPOOL ANNOUNCE NEW COACH
WHAT ABOUT KAIZER CHIEFS?
Kaizer Chiefs knew in October 2023 already that they will need a new head coach for the upcoming season but they still haven’t made any appointment.
This was after the sacking of Molefi Ntseki and the appointment of Cavin Johnson as his successor on an interim basis.
But perhaps the Chiefs hierarchy was waiting to see if Johnson, who arrived at Naturena as Head of Youth, would turn their fortunes around.
However, it was clear from the start of 2024 that Johnson wasn’t the right man for the job, and Chiefs appear to be scrambling to find a new coach.
And the likelihood of Chiefs following in the footsteps of Liverpool by announcing a new coach immediately after the season has concluded are close to zero.
In 2018, Chiefs waited until two weeks before the start of the season to make a coaching appointment, and they disappointed their fans as Giovanni Solinas was roped in.
It was clear that Solinas was a ‘panic buy’ given his record in the PSL – and a few months later, the Italian mentor was shown the exit door.
Now, a number of coaches continue to be linked with Chiefs, including but not limited to Pitso Mosimane, Manqoba Mngqithi and Miguel Gamondi.
It remains to be seen if the next Chiefs coach will come from the list that’s been thrown around week and week out.
Should South African teams take a leaf from Liverpool’s book when making coaching changes? Let us know in the comment section below…
