Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool is bad news for the Premier League, claims Ian Ladyman on It’s All Kicking Off…. as Dom King insists NOBODY can fill his shoes, but backs Xabi Alonso for the role

Ian Ladyman has claimed Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool is not good news for the Premier League. 

The German shocked the footballing world on Friday morning when he announced his intention to depart Anfield at the end of the season, admitting that he is ‘running out of energy’.

A number of figures have since paid tribute to the German’s tenure at Anfield, in which he has won every single trophy apart from the Europa League, with Jamie Carragher and Gary Lineker leading the way. 

Klopp’s decision comes with the Reds in the midst of a stunning campaign where they remain in all four competitions, while they sit top of the Premier League.

And, speaking to Dom King and Chris Sutton on Mail Sport’s emergency It’s All Kicking Off podcast on Klopp’s departure, Ladyman felt the top flight owed the German a debt of gratitude for what he’s done.

Klopp has won pretty much every trophy possible during his historic nine years at Anfield

Ladyman added that fans of the Premier League  have a great deal to thank the German for

‘So next season at Liverpool there will be no Jurgen Klopp, there may well be no Mo Salah,’ he said. ‘So I’d imagine that this news will be greeted with some enthusiasm at places like Manchester City, Tottenham and Manchester United. 

‘But for the Premier League as a whole and the spectacle and what it gives us on a week-to-week basis, this is not good news.

‘Something will be missing from the Premier League next season and could it be something we can’t replace?’

Co-host Sutton replied: ‘Yep I think so. When he first arrived people thought can he replicate what he did at Borussia Dortmund? And he did.

‘You talk about Manchester City and their dominance in terms of Premier League titles. But without Klopp, Manchester City would have absolutely wiped the floor and been out of sight from everybody. 

‘So Premier League supporters have got, not just Liverpool supporters, a lot to thank Jurgen Klopp for.’

Ladyman added: ‘We do owe Jurgen Klopp a debt of gratitude. There have been endless back-and-forth games (involving Liverpool), breathtaking football, incredible goals and great drama. It really was the hottest ticket in the Premier League for a while.’

King, who has covered Liverpool for years, attempted the sum up the gigantic impact Klopp had on both the club and the city, adding how his departure was the biggest news around the Reds since Kenny Dalglish quit in 1991.

‘Nobody will be able to fill Jurgen Klopp’s shoes,’ he said. ‘The best way that I can describe it is he’s the modern Bill Shankly.  And by that I mean, Shankly built Liverpool, built Liverpool into what he called it, the bastion of invincibility.

‘The lineage that went from Shankly, Paisley, Fagan, Dalglish, all the way through. But football changed in the 1990s. 

‘When Jurgen Klopp came in, Liverpool had been languishing. They were as far away when Klopp came in to winning the Premier League as ever. What he’s done in the last eight years has been absolutely miraculous.’

Dom King, who has covered Liverpool for years, insisted nobody can fill Klopp’s shoes

He also claimed Klopp was the modern day Bill Shankly in the way he built the club up again

Chris Sutton also insisted that if it wasn’t for Klopp, Man City would have wiped the floor

He continued: ‘The best way I can say, he’s the modern Shankly because he’s rebuilt the club to what everybody thought it was before. I can’t pay a higher compliment than that.’

While Klopp will be fully-focused on ending his time at Anfield on a high over the coming months, work behind the scenes will start to look towards his replacement.

Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is the early favourite and King – who recently visited the Spaniard at Bayer Leverkusen, where he is doing a stellar job – gave him his backing for the role.

He added: ‘Xabi Alonso would be the one. He’s just adored by Liverpool fans, still is. I went to see him last month in Leverkusen. I spent two days with him and he is going places. 

‘This is a lad with his head switched on who knows how to play football. He’s worked under incredible managers and got an in-depth encyclopedic knowledge of how football should be played. 

‘He’ll be able to go anywhere he wants, and if Liverpool are smart, they’ll certainly be asking him.’

After the news was announced on Friday, Klopp then addressed the media for his pre-match press conference ahead of the FA Cup fourth round against Norwich City on Sunday.

Unsurprisingly the conversation focused on his pending departure, with Klopp explaining he has known for a while it is time to quit, while hoping to go back to living a ‘normal life‘.

King gave his backing to former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso to take over from Klopp

Ladyman also insisted the German looked ‘crestfallen and emotional’ when announcing his exit

And Ladyman thought you could see the pain Klopp was feeling after announcing his exit in an official club video earlier on Friday.

He added: ‘He did look emotional. He is an emotional man. He looked sad. And he just said, after all the things we went through together and the respect and love that grew for you, the last thing I owe you is the truth and this is the truth.

‘He really looked quite crestfallen actually, almost as if he didn’t really want this to be the end of his journey.

‘He is contracted until 2026 of course so it feels a little bit as though maybe this decision has kind of come up behind him a little bit more quicker than he ever imagined.’