Jürgen Klopp was 'overruled' on three Liverpool contracts as biggest Arne Slot change is clear

Liverpool’s most notable change this summer will obviously be with regards to its manager. Jürgen Klopp will take charge of his final match on Sunday and — although nothing has been officially confirmed — he will be replaced by Arne Slot.

This is far from the only role with the Reds that will be changing hands before 2024/25 gets underway though. Two former sporting directors will return to FSG in the shape of Michael Edwards and Julian Ward, while Richard Hughes will take on that role at the club having recently left Bournemouth.

This means the running of the club is likely to return to how it was during Edwards’ first tenure at the club. The next manager of the Reds will be more of a head coach, with contract decisions left to those above him in the structure. It has been revealed that Klopp was overruled when three players he wanted to keep at the club were at the end of their deals.

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That’s according to Paul Joyce of The Times, as reported by This Is Anfield. The most recent example related to Joël Matip, who will leave Liverpool this summer after eight seasons with the club.

The former Cameroon international has been out of action since December after suffering an ACL injury. As the 32-year-old worked on his recovery, Klopp reportedly said that Matip should receive a new contract, saying: "I’m pretty sure the club will show their class."

However, the hierarchy at Anfield decided against giving the center-back a new deal. This decision has continued a recent trend. Klopp wanted new contracts for Roberto Firmino and James Milner too, but again the club decided otherwise, and both left the Reds last summer. It has been previously suggested that Edwards was also against giving Jordan Henderson a four-year extension in 2021, when the then-Liverpool captain was 31 years old.

Klopp has been praised for his loyalty in the past, as his players appear willing to do anything for him, with a fantastic team spirit integral to the team’s success. His view on extended deals for veterans shows how hard it is for him to let key lieutenants go, and it’s reasonable to think we won’t see such sentimentality at Liverpool once Klopp has left.

Liverpool.com says: Achieving the perfect squad is all about balance, with a blend of youth and experience crucial. It sounds like Klopp was occasionally too in favor of the latter, though you can’t blame a manager for wishing to stand by players who served him so well. The wind of change is certainly blowing through the corridors of power at Anfield this summer ahead of Slot's arrival.