It’s been a year since Jürgen Klopp brought his unforgettable Liverpool chapter to a close—a decision that shocked fans, left a void in the heart of Anfield, and quietly shifted the rhythm of life for those closest to him. Among them is Ulla Sandrock, Klopp’s wife, who recently opened up about how life has changed since leaving Merseyside behind.

“It Was Never Just Football”

Reflecting on their time in Liverpool, Ulla describes it as more than just a footballing journey. “It was a full life,” she shared. “It wasn’t just about the trophies or the matches—it was about the people, the passion, the city that welcomed us with open arms.”

As the woman who stood beside one of the most iconic managers in Premier League history, Ulla’s role was largely behind the scenes—but pivotal. She gave Klopp the calm and clarity he needed to lead with heart.

A New Rhythm

Since their departure, Ulla and Jürgen have embraced a quieter lifestyle—more travel, more time together, and more space to breathe. “We don’t wake up thinking about the next fixture anymore,” she smiled. “Now, we wake up and ask, ‘Where should we go today?’”

But leaving Liverpool wasn’t easy. “It was home,” Ulla said simply. “We built a life there. Leaving was like leaving family.”

A Lasting Connection

Though they now live away from the buzz of the Premier League, the love for Liverpool still runs deep in their hearts. “We still follow the club, still watch the games,” Ulla admitted. “And when Liverpool wins, we still smile like we’re part of it—because in many ways, we always will be.”

What Lies Ahead

Ulla hinted at future plans—some writing, some philanthropy, and above all, peace. “We gave so much of ourselves to football. Now it’s time to enjoy what we’ve built together.”

As the Klopp era remains etched in the annals of Liverpool history, Ulla’s quiet strength reminds us that behind every great leader is often an even greater love—one that now gets to write its next chapter far away from the floodlights of Anfield.

Liverpool are set to appoint Laurie Shaw as their new chief scientist, with the Scot currently on gardening leave after leaving his role as director of football data at the City Football Group.

Liverpool have reportedly poached Laurie Shaw from rivals Manchester City to become the club’s new chief scientist. Shaw joined the City Football Group (CFG) in February 2021, leaving his role as a research scientist and lecturer at Harvard University to start working in football.

The Scot was appointed head of AI at CFG, the multi-club model that owns stakes in a number of teams including City, Girona and Palermo, before becoming director of football data in September 2023.

However, the Liverpool Echo are reporting that he is now set to join Premier League rivals Liverpool after serving a period of gardening leave.

The report states that he is set to work specifically with Liverpool, although owners Fenway Sports Group do have stakes in a number of other sports teams around the world.

Shaw’s new role will see him work under Liverpool’s director of research Will Spearman, with the club’s data department widely viewed as one of the best in football.

Dr Ian Graham spearheaded Liverpool’s analytics department after joining the club in 2012, with Spearman replacing him when he left in 2023. Liverpool’s use of data has been a huge part of their success in recent years and the addition of Shaw will come as a huge boost for the Reds.

Opening up about how analytics helped shape Liverpool’s success, Graham told The Athletic last year: “Mike Gordon, Michael Edwards, myself and the rest of the transfer committee always had the belief the process would pay off if we could get all the parts working properly.

“Our personalities were similar in not caring about the outside noise and sticking to a long-term view. The first guy I ever hired to my team, I told him ‘I’m not going to say this is a job for life; if we’re still here after two years we’re doing well’.

“I think at most clubs with those failures in the first few years, they would have gone in another direction. But Fenway knew the process was working.

“They could see that a department was being created which would give us an edge over other clubs in the future. It was just that the rest of the world couldn’t see it at that time.

“The typical experience of a data person going into a club back in the early 2010s was you come in with some bright ideas straight out of university and some old football guys think, ‘This is all rubbish; we’re not going to listen to this stuff’.

“There was resistance — and there was certainly resistance from Brendan [Rodgers]. Tough as that was, I knew it was a much better position to be in than at most clubs because I had buy-in from the owners and from Michael who was my direct manager.”

Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah is on the verge of signing a new contract at Anfield to extend his stay beyond this summer.

Mohamed Salah took to social media within two hours of the news dropping that Liverpool are increasingly confident he will sign a new contract with the club. As reported by the ECHO on Wednesday evening, the expectation from Liverpool is that a deal will be struck between them and the 32-year-old.

The forward’s current contract expires in the summer and is therefore able to walk away on a free transfer. However, that now appears to be unlikely with Salah having always insisted that he wishes to remain at Anfield beyond this summer.

The news about the breakthrough in negotiations dropped around 5pm on Wednesday, and at 6.45pm, Salah took to X to post two pictures of himself. The first was of him smiling in the gym, and the other featured the forward and team-mate Dominik Szoboszlai at the coffee bar at the club’s AXA Training Centre.

No caption was included on the post, but Salah has long spoken of his desire to remain a Liverpool player beyond this summer. And back in January, Reds boss Arne Slot said the club are keen for Salah to extend his stay.

https://x.com/MoSalah/status/1910026262304718982?t=X5zZ8Vo_o48RxZB23wdziA&s=19

He said: “It would be a surprise if anyone said they didn’t want Mo Salah. He has done so well for so many years, that everyone probably wants him.

“He has done so well without my advice so he can keep doing what is best for his career, even without my advice. My advice to him would be different to the one [of Al Faisal].

“Everybody wants him, including us. We, of course, want him to extend as well.

“That is clear. But I am not surprised someone wants him.

“He has done so many smart things in his career, so he will make the right decision for himself and hopefully for us as well.”

Providing an update on his future in January, Salah said: “It’s my last year in the club so you want to do something special for the city, that is the thing in my head.” Asked if he really believed this campaign would be his last hurrah, he continued: “So far, yeah, it is the last six months.

“There is nothing, no progress there. We are far away from any progress so we just need to wait and see.”

Before he continued: “I think the thing in my head is, ‘OK, if this is your last six months or last year, what do you want to see in the future?’ Do you want to look back and say, ‘Oh, I was concerned about the contract or stressed?’

“Or do you just want to say, ‘OK, I had an unbelievable season.’ So that is in my head now, if I feel a kind of distraction I just remind myself, ‘You want to look back and say, ‘I had an unbelievable season,’ so that’s what I want to do.”

Liverpool are closing in on fresh contract terms with Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk

“I made a mistake.” Those were the candid words of Jurgen Klopp, who once admitted he wanted to punch himself after passing up on Sadio Mane—before eventually making amends by signing him at Liverpool, where the Senegalese forward would go on to become a legend.

Sadio Mane, who turns 33 today, proved to be one of Klopp’s most inspired signings—though it took a second chance for the move to happen. After winning every major trophy with Liverpool, Mane called time on his Anfield career in the summer of 2022 with a £35m switch to Bayern Munich.

Although he won the Bundesliga, his stint in Germany was underwhelming. Injuries hampered his progress, and a dressing room altercation with Leroy Sane didn’t help. Mane scored 12 goals in 38 appearances, starting only 27 times before moving to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in August 2023.

Despite his struggles abroad, Mane’s Liverpool legacy remains untarnished. He scored 120 goals over six seasons, helping the Reds reclaim their place in Europe’s elite and win six trophies, including the Premier League, Champions League, and FIFA Club World Cup.

When Mane joined from Southampton in 2016, Liverpool already had Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah would arrive the following year to complete one of the deadliest front threes in European football.

Interestingly, Mane could have linked up with Klopp much earlier. The German coach first considered signing him in 2014 while managing Borussia Dortmund, having tracked his rise since the 2012 London Olympics. The two even held talks, but Klopp backed out.

“I made a mistake,” Klopp later confessed. “We met, we talked—but I didn’t feel it at the time. His baseball cap was askew, the blond streak, he looked like a rapper just starting out. I thought, ‘I don’t have time for this’. I got it totally wrong. A few months later I wanted to punch myself.”

With limited transfer options at Dortmund, Klopp said he couldn’t afford to make the wrong call. But once he arrived at Liverpool and had another chance, there was no hesitation.

“When Michael Edwards mentioned him in 2016, I didn’t need convincing. I just said, ‘Let’s do it.’ It was one of my first big Liverpool decisions, and it felt right.”

Dortmund’s loss was Liverpool’s gain. In fact, Klopp managed to snatch Mane from under Manchester United’s nose.

“I was really close to going to Manchester United,” Mane revealed in an interview with The Telegraph. “Everything was agreed. I had the contract.”

Then came the call from Klopp.

“He said, ‘Sadio, let me explain what happened at Dortmund.’ I told him, ‘It’s okay, it happened. I forgive you.’ Then he said, ‘Now I want you at Liverpool.’ And I said, ‘Okay, let’s focus on the future.’”

“I made a mistake,” Klopp had said—and Liverpool fans will forever be grateful he got a second chance to put it right.

After months of injustice, Isaac Kearney and his family have finally found relief after a long and painful battle against online impersonation.

A fake Facebook page titled “Isaac Kearney Fans” had been exploiting his name and image, deceiving people into sending money under false pretenses.

The anonymous owner of the page posed as Isaac, even going as far as publishing a book under his name—selling it for $9 per copy. Many fans believed it was authentic, unaware that they were being misled by a scammer hiding behind a screen.

Isaac’s mother, distraught and determined to protect her son, took action by reporting the page to Facebook multiple times. Unfortunately, those reports were met with silence. Facebook refused to take down the page, stating it didn’t violate community standards. One fan even shared how his report was rejected with a similar response. It was disheartening.

After months of injustice, the pain deepened—not just for Isaac’s family, but for loyal fans who watched helplessly as the impersonation continued. That was until Melissa, a passionate fan and advocate, stepped in.

Melissa raised her voice on social media, calling out the injustice and urging fellow fans to take collective action. Her message sparked a movement. Fans rallied, and in a coordinated effort, they flooded Facebook with reports, demanding the removal of the fraudulent page.

Finally, after months of injustice, justice arrived.

Yesterday, Facebook took down the fake page. What the system failed to do, the people accomplished—thanks to unity, persistence, and one courageous voice that refused to stay silent.

To Melissa, to Isaac’s resilient mother, and to every loyal fan who stood up for truth—this victory belongs to you. It proves that even in a world of algorithms and bureaucracy, the human voice still holds power.

Jurgen Klopp will be back in Liverpool in May – and he may well be at Anfield for what could be Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah’s final game for the Merseyside club.

Jurgen Klopp may well be back at Anfield next month, but the former Liverpool boss will be hoping it’s not the last time he sees Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah representing the Reds.

Klopp is due to make his first visit back to Liverpool since calling time on his near nine-year spell as manager last summer. Having initially taken a break from football, the 57-year-old took up a new role as Red Bull’s head of global soccer in January.

The German will return to Merseyside as the guest speaker at the LFC Foundation gala dinner at Liverpool Cathedral on Friday, May 23. Klopp was made an honorary ambassador for the club upon his exit, having supported the LFC Foundation throughout his time in charge of the club.

He may also make an appearance at Anfield, having been invited to Liverpool’s final game of the season, which takes place just two days later against Crystal Palace. Should the Reds secure the Premier League title over their remaining seven games, as expected, Klopp may well be there to watch his former side lift the trophy in person.

It’s not yet confirmed whether he will accept that invitation, although he has made it clear he will return to watch Liverpool’s celebrations. In any case, it might be his last opportunity to see some of his former charges playing for the club.

Van Dijk, Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all set to become free agents in the summer, with their contracts expiring at the end of the season. Although the latter looks to be heading to Real Madrid, Van Dijk and Salah’s futures remain up in the air.

The former has revealed this week that “progress” has been made in his discussions with the club, giving some hope that he may extend his stay. Hopefully, both players will take on board Klopp’s advice to them.

Speaking during his unveiling at Red Bull back in January, Klopp made his feelings clear on the futures of all three of his former stars, having first been asked about Salah’s contract saga. “I hope he [Salah] stays,” Klopp said. “He is the biggest striker Liverpool has had in modern times. Obviously there were other good strikers.

“Fantastic player, fantastic human being. Outstanding athlete. The best ambassador your country could have, fantastic in all departments. So I hope he stays at Liverpool.”

Klopp was later asked about Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold: “I am so happy that I am not in charge of that situation and have to answer these questions. Why should I do that now? So, Good luck. From my point of view I would love all of them to extend their contracts. But I don’t know. They haven’t told me. I could text them now and ask.”

With just over a month remaining until the end of the season, Liverpool fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that at least Van Dijk and Salah can be convinced to stay at Anfield. If Klopp’s return next month can help to convince them, then here’s hoping he accepts that invitation.

Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) has failed in its attempt to join forces in Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) venture.