Departed CEO Peter Moore Compares Klopp’s Liverpool to “Bill Shankly Era”

After five years in charge, it almost feels obvious to put
Jürgen Klopp alongside Shankly such is his importance to the
club.

When Liverpool signed Jürgen Klopp back on October 8th of
2015, it was the perfect match of manager and club to lift the Reds
back to the pinnacle of English and European football. Five years
on and you wouldn’t find anyone willing to argue otherwise.

Not that there was ever any great doubt. Still, even for the
many who believed Klopp was the right man for the job, the heights
to which Liverpool have ascended have exceeded expectations, and
Klopp has already established himself as one of the club’s
greats.

“We often reflect on the Bill Shankly era,” reflected recently departed CEO Peter Moore of the
impact Klopp has made on the club—and to his standing as one of the
storied club’s great managers for winning their sixth European Cup
and 19th league title.

“The phrase he used was ‘I was made for Liverpool and Liverpool
was made for me,’” Moore continued. “The same could be said of
Jurgen. I think he is a Scouser at heart. He understands the values
of the club, what it means to the fans, and how important they
are.

“Shankly called it The Holy Trinity—managers, players, fans.
Jurgen recognises it. There is a psychological bond between manager
and fans. We have had lots of that at Liverpool over the decades
but the closest example is what Shankly and Jurgen Klopp have
done.”

For a club that had come close but failed to win the league for
three long decades, any manager that brought number 19 to
Merseyside would have been lauded, but clearly Klopp’s connection
to the club and the fanbase goes beyond just silverware.

Five years ago, when he first signed, it would have perhaps
seemed sacrilege to suggest Klopp would end up the first name
mentioned alongside Bill Shankly. Now, it almost seems obvious such
has his impact been on and off the pitch over five years in
charge.