Jurgen Klopp confirms four more Liverpool backroom staff to leave club with him

Jurgen Klopp has revealed that John Achterberg will join Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq when he leaves Liverpool this summer.

Achterberg is one of a number of coaches to be joining Klopp in leaving the Reds at the end of the season, with Sunday’s clash with Wolves at Anfield their final game with the club.

Assistant manager Pep Lijnders was confirmed earlier this week as the new head coach of Red Bull Salzburg, where he will be joined by Vitor Matos. And Klopp paid tribute to the departing trio, while also confirming a further three Liverpool exits.

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“Pep and Vitor have a bright future,” he said. “They are incredible coaches, fantastic coaches. They are the most influential coaches, you can imagine, I’ve ever had because we created a style of play which I really love together.

“They’re incredibly talented, full of energy. I will follow each step of them. It’s a great choice, both sides. They will be really good.

“Jonny, John Achterberg joins Stevie (Gerrard). Good luck with that! A fantastic coach. If you ask the goalies over the years, he coaches 12 goalies in one day. I didn’t know we had that many at the club. He coached everybody and their dogs.

“It was unbelievable. Jack Robinson (goalkeeper coach) is leaving as well. A fantastic young goalie coach, the future is bright for him.

“Andreas Kornmayer (fitness coach) will leave, the future is bright for him. His C.V. is Bayern Munich and Liverpool FC in the most successful spells they can have, so that’s really cool.

“Andreas Schlumberger (head of recovery and performance) will leave, so many people will leave but it’s normal actually. They don’t leave because I go but it’s a new start and that’s fine.

“If you want to be part of the football business, you need to be ready to move a lot because usually you get the sack after half-a-year or a year and go to the next one.

“It’s always an experience but we experienced eight-and-a-half years together which is pretty special and everyone is super-thankful and appreciative for that. They all see it like that. They will be fine and I will follow whatever they will do.”

Meanwhile, Klopp also hailed both Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara, after it was confirmed on Friday morning that both players would leave the club at the end of their contracts this summer.

Matip has been sidelined since December with an ACL injury, and has played his last game for the club as a result. However, Klopp shared that Thiago had looked good in training on Thursday ahead of a possible comeback following an injury-plagued 15 months where he has been limited to just five substitute appearances.

“Joel and Thiago were in my office. I spoke a bit longer this week,” he said. “Have you ever seen a better free transfer than Joel Matip?

“You will not find a more likeable person than Joel Matip. He is funny in his own way, ridiculously funny and a wonderful man.

“He has to make a decision, does he want to play on or not. We will see that, or read it, but whoever gets him is a lucky club. Definitely, because he is world class and super humble. That together is super rare.”

“The next world class player is obviously Thiago. In a parallel world I have loved to have seen the career without the injuries.

“Definitely one of the best I ever saw. He can do things, I’m not sure, before I didn’t think it’s possible. He is in control of absolutely everything on the pitch.

“Unfortunately the body did not play exactly a part. But he’s in a good way, he looked really good yesterday (in training). I’m sure he will want to give it a try again.

“I told them already thank you for everything they did. Whoever leaves this club, we worked together the last few years, they were all brilliant. If they wouldn’t have been brilliant, they would have left last year because we don’t carry problems with us. I’m really, really thankful for that.”