Credit: Imago

Liverpool News Speaking to Ian Darke

Sat 8 March 2025 6:00, UK

Liverpool have certainly offered some generosity to their former staff, it emerged last week when the Reds’ accounts were released.

It was indicated that the hierarchy at Liverpool paid Jurgen Klopp and his staff a total of £9.6million when they departed Anfield last summer, to be replaced by Arne Slot and his backroom team.

Klopp won seven major honours during his famous stint on Merseyside including the first-ever Premier League title at Anfield in 2020, a year after lifting their sixth Champions League trophy.

Klopp payout is ‘eye-watering’ but doesn’t surprise Darke

Speaking exclusively to Liverpool News, TV commentator and football analysis expert Ian Darke claims he is not surprised by the amount Liverpool paid Klopp and his backroom team.

The Reds’ accounts from 2023-24 – published by The Athletic (28 February) – show administrative costs hit the £600million mark, aided by £38million which included the near-£10million amount issued to the former Liverpool coaching staff force.

Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz, Vitor Matos, John Achterberg, Jack Robinson, Andreas Kornmayer and Andreas Schlumberger were among those to be paid up for the remainder of their individual contracts, based on the decision taken by Klopp for all to depart.

“It’s some goodwill payout. But it’s also where we are with the Premier League in that everything is inflated, many many times over,” Darke admitted.

“So it’s an eye-watering amount, but does it surprise me? No. And I don’t know what the specified terms of the contracts were for Klopp and his staff were. Because Klopp decided to go a fair while before he left, there then would have been the case for the contracts of his staff members.

“Nearly £10million sounds like a huge amount, but then again how much is that amid Liverpool’s huge turnovers? I don’t really know.”

Liverpool worship Klopp but Slot has seamlessly slotted in

Klopp will forever go down in Liverpool folklore alongside the greats, given what he did to restore the Reds among the elite in both England in Europe.

The fear among fans and everyone attached to Liverpool in some way was that there would be a lull or a square-one difficulty in rebuilding after his exit.

Klopp, 57, cited tiredness as his reason for stepping down. He is now Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull, overseeing different footballing operations for the mammoth franchise which includes Leipzig, Salzburg and New York Red Bulls among others.

Slot has come in and been tremendous, however, with the red corner of Merseyside preparing for a potential multitude of trophies in his debut season in English football.

One wonders what his payout could total in years to come, given Darke’s point on the rapid inflation of the Premier League and European game.