Harvey Elliott opens up on ‘the really weird day’ when Jurgen Klopp told his Liverpool players he was leaving

Jurgen Klopp’s legacy at Liverpool may already be set in stone but Harvey Elliott believes his former manager’s impact at Anfield deserves to be commemorated with a statue. 

Klopp walked away as Liverpool manager last summer, ending a nine-year spell as boss during which he won seven major titles including the Premier League and European Cup.

Elliott signed for Liverpool from Fulham as a 16-year-old in 2019 and so, until Arne Slot’s arrival this season, had only ever known one Kop boss. 

The winger was therefore understandably emotional as he lifted the lid on the day the team were unexpectedly called in for a meeting in which his mentor announced he would leave the club at the end of that season.  

‘It was a really strange situation,’ Elliott told Amazon Prime video.

‘Jurgen wasn’t really one for having meetings after a game. All the lads were speaking saying “What’s going on?” because it’s never happened before.

The German won seven major titles at Anfield including the Champions League in 2019

Elliott’s voice cracked with emotion as he spoke about Klopp’s departure in an interview

‘As he walked in, you knew something was wrong and that he was going to say something because he is normally bubbly and joking around. That’s when he told us.

‘It was really weird that day. It felt like you lost someone. Everyone was just quiet. It felt like the whole building was quiet because we didn’t know how to take the news.

‘Up until he left it was strange, trying to get your head around the fact he was leaving.’

Slot was given the daunting task of succeeding a club legend when he took over as Liverpool boss at the start of this season. But the Dutchman has hit the ground running and his team are on the brink of securing the Premier League title — holding a 12-point lead over second-place Arsenal.

Slot has kept in contact with his predecessor — the pair have occasionally spoken on the phone after matches — and credited Klopp for the team he inherited. 

Elliott also believes that the groundwork for this season’s success was set by Klopp and believes the German’s contribution to the club deserves to be marked by a statue.

‘The players, the fans, everyone in this building and around the world feels together and I think that’s because of him,’ Elliott said.

‘I’m surprised there isn’t a statue of him yet. He came in, he built the team up. He won so many things, he has a legacy that will live for ever. Even after I’m dead, it will go on. 

‘He deserves it for what he has done for this team, made it like a family.  The way he is as a person, the way he handles everything that comes his way. He is a legend in my eyes and will be a legend at this club for ever.’