Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool legacy was shaped by a fierce rivalry with Manchester City, who were found guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. The verdict, announced on Tuesday, has reignited debate over what Klopp's team might have achieved had City not been operating with what the Premier League's redacted verdict called "sham" contracts "clearly intended to circumvent the Premier League rules."
Klopp's Private Celebration Plan
In one of his final interviews as Liverpool manager in May 2024, Klopp was asked what he would do if City were ever found guilty of the 115 financial charges. The German took a deep breath, laughed, and after being invited to go off the record, privately revealed the extent of the party he planned to host if that day arrived.
Over two years later, it's fair to report that Klopp said he would foot a bar bill that one suspects would run into thousands, given that everyone at the club was to be invited to the Spanish island of Majorca to celebrate the extension of Anfield's honours list.
The £830m Question
How much more impressive would Klopp's time at Anfield look had Liverpool not been denied by what we now know were "sham" City contracts? That, we can now say pending appeal, is the £830m question - the figure City have been told they used to flounce financial rules around commercial revenue between 2009 and 2018.
Officially, Klopp's Liverpool are only due potential recognition for the 2016 Carabao Cup, when they were beaten on penalties by Manuel Pellegrini's men. But artificially inflating income by an average of £100m a year between 2009 and 2018 unquestionably had a knock-on effect on how much Pep Guardiola was able to build up his City side.
Fine Margins and a Stolen Legacy
The 2018/19 campaign was where the Premier League drew the line regarding its investigation into City's financial chicanery. When John Stones cleared off the line to deny Sadio Mane in a game at the Etihad in January 2019, just 11mm of the ball remained within the width of the painted grass to ensure there was no goal. Leroy Sane eventually struck the winning goal in the second half to condemn Klopp's Reds to their first and only defeat of a campaign that saw them finish with 97 points.
Three weeks later, having lost out on a 19th league title on the final day, Liverpool won their sixth European Cup by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in Madrid. Victory, rather than defeat, in January 2019 could have cemented Liverpool as the 'Invincible Centurions' - the first-ever team to have earned 100 points without defeat. That, perhaps, is the true legacy that has been stolen from Klopp-era Liverpool.
Whatever happens next, it feels as though the end-game is nearing in this tawdry, and ultimately shameful period of English football. Somewhere, there's a bar in Majorca with a tab now open. The day Klopp and his guestlist arrive there might just be nearing.
