After months of waiting, change is finally now afoot at Liverpool, or it will be after Sunday, anyway.
Once the whistle blows on Liverpool’s match against Wolves at Anfield, the Reds will be managerless.
Not only will they lose Jurgen Klopp and everything that he brings, but Liverpool are also waving goodbye to plenty of the German’s coaching staff.
The most notable of Klopp’s backroom team is of course assistant manager Pep Lijnders. It will tough to see the Dutch coach leave after almost 10 years at the club.
But with Lijnders reportedly highly rated across Europe and with dreams of being a head coach, the time feels right to part. And now, the 41-year-old has seemingly found an ideal landing spot.
Pep Lijnders poised for RB Salzburg appointment
There were plenty who were keen on Lijnders succeeding Klopp as Liverpool manager. In the immediate aftermath of his boss’ shock announcement in January, the assistant was initially tipped for the job.
But after it became clear that that was not going to happen, Lijnders has been linked to a couple of head coach positions.
The first was at Ajax, who are going through a tough spell. Next, it was claimed that Liverpool’s No.2 could be in line to take over at Besiktas. But while noting those two club’s interest, The Times report that the ‘strongest’ attraction is from Austrian champions RB Salzburg.
The Red Bull club have won 10 straight titles in Austria, although trail Sturm Graz by two points heading into the final game of the season on Sunday. Having employed interim coach Onur Cinel after sacking Gerhard Struber in April, Salzburg are looking for a new manager this summer.
It’s claimed that Lijnders sees the job as the ‘perfect step’ in his development as a coach. With previous RB managers Roger Schmidt, Adi Hutter, Marco Rose and Jesse Marsch since being given chances in bigger leagues, Lijnders reportedly thinks it could be the ideal position for him.
As has previously been reported, it’s reiterated that Liverpool’s elite performance coach Vitor Matos will join the Dutchman in his next role.
Lijnders move to Salzburg could open up path to Liverpool
The obvious thing to note about Lijnders potentially joining Salzburg is how it could affect his future chances at Liverpool.
The Reds have previously done business with both of Europe’s Red Bull franchise clubs and are fans of how they run and operate.
It isn’t hard to see how Lijnders now joining could be attractive to Liverpool in the future. If he does well, the pathway may start to open up for him.
In the more immediate future, it could also have a beneficial affect on the Reds in the transfer market. Salzburg is well known as a talent factory and with Lijnders at the helm, perhaps Liverpool may get a leg up on any potential targets.
In our opinion, we’d actually like to see Lijnders move to a club at a slightly more competitive level. Ajax would have been perfect, for example. But wherever he ends up, Liverpool fans should be keeping an eye on his progress.