Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have come a long way since the start of the previous season when then manager Brendan Rodgers managed to let two of his star players leave in the summer. The likes of Raheem Sterling and Steven Gerrard were allowed to leave the club last summer and the season showed why they missed their star players.
However, the new manager has made some great progress in the year he has been at the club and now has a squad that is one of the strongest in England. He also has players who want to play at the club and is not at risk of losing any of his first team players.
But the media will have its own take on the story with a number of players at the club linked with clubs around Europe.
Though most stories have no real venom, Jurgen Klopp seems to want to play on the safe side and is not taking any chances when it comes to his star players.
The player of the year for the past two seasons for Liverpool, Phillipe Coutinho, has been one of the most influential players this season in the league. He is in top form and is inevitably linked with a move away from the club with French giants PSG ready with money + player deal and Barcelona trying to add him to their squad.
However, Klopp does not even want to entertain any such rumors and is now reportedly ready to offer him a new contract, just 18 months after his previous one.
Reports today suggest that Jurgen Klopp wants Coutinho to sign a contract extension that will keep him at the club till 2022 and fend off interests from potential suitors.
He is not the only player in the squad who is close to landing a contract extension with the former Southampton duo Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren both in line for a new contract.
The England midfielder has been one of the best players in the league so far this season and though he is currently injured, he is still an influential player for the side. He took more than 2 seasons to settle into the life at Anfield but under Klopp, Lallana has grown on to become a world class player.
He has a couple of years on his contract at the club but Liverpool wants to sign him for the long term under Klopp.
Lovren, the Croatian defender who looks a completely different player from his time at the club a couple of seasons ago, is also in line for a new contract at Anfield.
Having settled into life under Klopp well, Lovren is now the first choice for Klopp alongside Joel Matip and has been superb early this season.
He has not really been linked with a move away from the club but Klopp does not want to take a risk and is ready to offer him a new contract.
It will be interesting to see how many of the current crop of players Klopp will keep for the long term but at the moment, Coutinho, Lallana, and Lovren seem to fit the bill.