Pep Lijnders reveals how close he came to succeeding Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool boss

“Secondly, I’ve been at Liverpool for almost 10 years. I was ready for a new experience: new people, my own staff, my own players. I gave everything I had to this playing group. I think the team will continue with the same if i stayed here

“I feel that the team also needs something new. But I never knew 100% what my answer would be if Mike Gordon called me. You say “no, no, no” but then…”

Gordon spoke to Lijnders shortly after the news that Klopp would step down became public knowledge, but ultimately it was decided that it would be best for both sides if they went in a different direction.

“Mike said: ‘Pep, we did consider you, but I think it’s fair for you not to put you after Jurgen,'” he continued. “Mike is a good guy. He knew it too. I made my ambition clear. It was best for the future.”

And Lijnders is looking forward to a fresh start in Austria, adding: “I won’t go to Salzburg for one or two years. I really want to go there and build something.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and get your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out anytime you want. If you are curious, you can read Privacy Notice.