Jurgen Klopp has signed a new contract that will keep him at Liverpool until 2024.
The Reds boss has ended speculation he may exit the club when his current deal expires in 2022, and says he “couldn’t contemplate” leaving.
Klopp’s assistants, Peter Krawietz and Pep Lijnders, have also agreed new contracts.
The news comes with Liverpool eight points clear at the top of the Premier League and having secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League. Next week they will seek to become Club World Champions for the first time, while they also have Carabao Cup and FA Cup ties to look forward to in the next month.
Klopp said: “For me personally this is a statement of intent, one which is built on my knowledge of what we as a partnership have achieved so far and what is still there for us to achieve.
Next Match
“When I see the development of the club and the collaborative work that continues to take place, I feel my contribution can only grow.”
After penning his new deal, Klopp paid tribute to Fenway Sports Group, the club’s owners, for the faith they have shown in him since his appointment in October 2015.
He said: “People see what happens on the pitch as a measure of our progress and although it is the best measure, it’s not the only measure. I have seen the commitment from ownership through to every aspect and function of the club you can think of.
“When the call came in autumn 2015, I felt we were perfect for each other; if anything, now I feel I underestimated that. It is only with a total belief that the collaboration remains totally complementary on both sides that I am able to make this commitment to 2024.
“If I didn’t I would not be re-signing. This club is in such a good place, I couldn’t contemplate leaving.”
He added: “I must also highlight the role of our sporting director, Michael Edwards, in this journey so far. His input and collaboration has been just as important as anyone else’s in getting us into a position to compete for the game’s top titles.
“For anyone in football who aspires to compete in an environment where every element of the organisation is at its very best – from the support of the supporters to the vision of the owners – there can be no better place than this.”
Discussing the importance of Krawietz and Lijnders, who make up his first-team coaching staff, Klopp said: “It was so important to me that my staff also agreed these new deals with the club. Without them being prepared to make the same commitment, quite frankly I would not have been able to do this.
“I am blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing staff; honestly, I feel the luckiest manager in the world in this regard.
“Peter and Pep have contributed just as much as I have to the development of this team and although as the manager, many may see me as the face of the club, their input and expertise is invaluable to what we’re looking to achieve.
“I have worked with Pete for many years now, going back to my time at Mainz and Dortmund. And even now I am still amazed at the things he spots during a game. He has an incredible talent and one that is priceless for us.
“It has been one of the best professional experiences for me to see him grow and become the coach he now is. He’s always been essential to me, but his own personal development since arriving at Liverpool has been outstanding. He is so smart, so insightful and so important to us.
“Pep, what can I say? What this guy doesn’t know about football isn’t worth knowing! I have never met a guy more passionate and dedicated about the game.
“I only got to know him when I first arrived at Liverpool, but I instantly fell in love with his infectious commitment and knowledge of the game. He left for a period and came back – but he came back in a more senior capacity and he’s flourished since. He is every inch a top manager of the future, but in the meantime, I am thankful we have him with us.
“But going beyond Pete and Pep, these new deals are a mark of not only our collective belief in our project, but also a sign of our development so far.
“We always say it is a collective effort at Melwood; it’s not just about me, the players or my coaching team, everybody who works here contributes in their own way to what happens on the field and how we have progressed as a club – that’s why we have everybody’s names on a wall in a corridor here.
“We all share the same vision and we all share the same belief in the way Liverpool FC continues to move forward.
“And that’s why today is such an exciting day for myself, Pete and Pep and why I am delighted they will be alongside me for the journey still to come.
“Both view this decision to extend exactly as I do: a fantastic opportunity to do what we all love at the best place in the world we could do it.”
Klopp will be hopeful of celebrating his new deal on Saturday when the Reds welcome Watford to Anfield as they look to stretch their lead at the top of the table.