Matip will leave Merseyside after spending eight seasons at the club, while Thiago will depart after four seasons.
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Liverpool will see the departures of two senior players at the end of this season, with Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara set to leave Anfield as free agents. Matip will leave Merseyside after spending eight seasons at the club, while Thiago will depart after four seasons. Both players’ contracts will come to an end this summer, allowing them to leave the famous Premier League club as free agents.
This summer will also witness the departure of their popular manager Jurgen Klopp. The 56-year-old German announced months ago that he will leave Liverpool at the end of this season. In his final pre-match press conference as the club’s manager, Klopp spoke about the departures of Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara. “Joel [Matip] and Thiago [Alcantara] were in my office, we spoke a bit longer this week,” Klopp, quoted on the club’s website, said ahead of the Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Premier League contest.
He then went on to praise Matip’s ability on the pitch and his humble nature off it. “Have you ever seen a better free transfer than Joel Matip? You will not find a more likeable person than Joel Matip. He is funny in his own way. He is ridiculously funny, to be honest, and a wonderful man with a wonderful family. He has to make a decision, does he want to play on or not? We will see that or read it. But whoever gets him is a lucky club definitely, because he is world-class and super-humble. That together is really rare. Like, super-humble,” he explained.
On Thiago, the manager said, “The next world-class player is then obviously Thiago. In a parallel world, I would have loved to see the career without injuries. He is, I’m not sure the best, but definitely one of the best I ever saw. He can do things, I’m not sure before that I thought were possible. He is in control of absolutely everything on the pitch. Unfortunately, the body didn’t play exactly a part. But he is in a good way, he looked really good yesterday and I’m sure he will want to give it a try again. I told them already thank you for everything they did so I don’t think I have to tell you that now.”
Klopp also gave an insight on how this week has been for him ahead of their final game of the season against Wolves. “Yeah, the most intense week of my life definitely. I said so often goodbye this week, to so many people. Great moments already. We don’t have to pretend it’s a normal week, because it isn’t. But on the other side, looking at the game, I said it as well this week already – I’m a very pragmatic person and very often I try to just save myself. This is the last game of the season, yes, and after that is a holiday – that’s what I had for the last 24 years. So, business as usual… knowing that everything around the game and during the game will be completely different,” he elaborated.
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