Rodgers left disappointed by Liverpool axe, Klopp talks progress

Carl Markham 08:51 06/10/2015
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  • Sacked Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has spoken of his disappointment at being dismissed but has wished his successor well for the future, as the club on Monday reportedly opened talks with representatives of Jurgen Klopp.

    The Northern Irishman was relieved of his duties after Sunday’s 1-1 Merseyside derby draw after owners Fenway Sports Group decided a change was needed to deliver success. 

    The BBC claim talks between Liverpool and Klopp are “progressing well”, with the German, who has been out of work since resigning from Borussia Dortmund in May, open to the idea of taking over.

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    FSG plan to have a new manager in place by the time the Reds face Tottenham on October 17.

    Rodgers’ standing has declined since the high of almost guiding the club to their first league title in over two decades in 2013-14 and results towards the end of last season and the beginning of this forced FSG to pull the trigger.

    In his final press conference, just over an hour before his contract was terminated, Rodgers spoke of the rebuilding job which was required at Anfield and the time needed and he reiterated that in a statement released by the League Managers’ Association.

    “I am, of course, incredibly disappointed to be leaving Liverpool Football Club,” he said.

    “It has been both an honour and a privilege to manage one of the game’s great clubs for the last three years.

    Meanwhile, former Reds striker Michael Owen believes a hungry Klopp would “be the best fit” to replace Rodgers. Klopp is certainly the popular choice of fans ahead of the more experienced Carlo Ancelotti.

    Owen said: “A younger and potentially hungrier manager in Klopp would be the best fit for Liverpool in their current predicament.

    “It would certainly excite the fans who had become so disillusioned with Rodgers and in this day and age their part in the whole process cannot be over-estimated.”

    Ex-midfielder Danny Murphy, however, favours three-time Champions League-winner Ancelotti.

    “Reading the CVs and what they have done and where they have done it and how many times they have done it, it is a no-brainer really,” he told talkSPORT.

    “Ancelotti has done it as a player, he has done it as a coach, and he has done it in different countries. He has done it here already with Chelsea. He knows this league. That in itself gives him a head start on Klopp.”

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