JURGEN KLOPP will surely have mixed feelings when he reflects on his eight-plus years at Liverpool after announcing his impending departure today.

The former Mainz player’s achievements with the Reds were quite extraordinary, transforming the club to heights they had not experienced in a long time.

Anfield has not seen a more impressive or successful manager certainly since their last pre-Klopp title triumph in 1990 under Kenny Dalglish.

Take the fact that Klopp guided Liverpool to three Champions League finals in four seasons. Not even the great Reds managerial legends of the past, Bill Shankly or Bob Paisley, were able to do that in the days of the European Cup.

It’s one of the few achievements to elude Pep Guardiola at Man City and indeed only one manager of an English side has replicated the feat in the competition’s history — Alex Ferguson’s Man United (2008-2011).

Klopp also brought a level of excitement and innovation to the Premier League that added to his allure.

His emphasis on a high tempo, Gegenpressing and rapid counter-attacking, or ‘heavy metal football’ as he memorably referred to it, made Liverpool seem like an unstoppable force at times.

The 2018-19 season was arguably the zenith for Klopp’s Liverpool. Mo Salah and Sadio Mane both finished the season with 22 league goals, while fellow attacker Roberto Firmino was close to his peak as well.

That campaign saw them beat Tottenham to triumph in the Champions League final.

They also lost just one Premier League fixture in the entire season, to Man City, which cost them the title ultimately, as they were pipped by a single point amid a tense climax.

Although they went on to win the Premier League in the following pandemic-interrupted season, 2018-19 perhaps best sums up Klopp’s tenure.

The German boss presided over an exceptional side who were frequently eclipsed by a slightly more exceptional City team.

Klopp’s Liverpool feature three times in the top 10 highest recorded points tallies in Premier League history, yet only once have they tasted glory.

Guardiola’s City also have featured three times on the same list, indicating that the Premier League is becoming harder to win of late and less competitive than ever.

Of the 11 teams that have recorded 91 points or more in Premier League history, seven have done so since the 2016-17 season.

The exceptions are Jose Mourinho’s all-conquering Chelsea, who picked up 95 and 91 points in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons respectively, and Alex Ferguson’s Man United in the 1999-00 (91 points) and 1993-94 seasons (92 points), keeping in mind the considerable caveat that the latter was a 42-game season.

Yet Klopp’s Liverpool twice achieved better points tallies than either Ferguson or Mourinho ever registered.

There is consequently a strong argument to be made that, despite their sole title triumph, they are among the greatest teams and he is one of the best managers that English football has ever seen.

Of course, there is still time for Klopp to inflate those statistics.

Liverpool are in a strong position to add to the five major trophies the German has already won as manager.

Only Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea can deny them a sixth when the sides meet in the EFL Cup final on 25 February.

They are also in a promising position in the title race — as it stands they are top of the table, five points ahead of second-place City, who have a game in hand.

The Reds are also strong favourites with the bookmakers to win this season’s Europa League and Klopp’s last match in charge could be at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, assuming they don’t also reach the FA Cup final, which takes place three days later.

But perhaps Klopp’s greatest legacy will be that he regularly managed to go toe to toe with a club that are both backed by a nation-state and accused of significant financial wrongdoing.

Without Klopp’s Liverpool and their tendency to overachieve relative to the other mega-rich English sides like Man United and Chelsea, the Premier League would have been have a far less interesting place in recent years.

Of course, Guardiola’s City have still been crowned champions in five of the past six seasons, and Klopp’s impending departure unquestionably leaves their rivals in an even stronger position.

The former Dortmund coach built a dynasty at Anfield. He succeeded in becoming a Ferguson-esque figure, virtually unsackable, and Liverpool faring similarly to United in the wake of their legendary coach’s departure is not inconceivable, as they attempt to compete not just with City but sides such as Arsenal and Tottenham who appear to be currently on an upward trajectory.

Another similarity to Klopp is that Ferguson also once prematurely announced his intention to step down as manager.

Ahead of the 2001-02 season, the Scottish coach revealed plans to retire at the end of the campaign.

Having won three titles on the bounce, the club subsequently struggled that year.

United finished third in the Premier League table, 10 points behind title winners Arsenal.

They were dumped out of the FA Cup in the fourth round and the League Cup in the third, in addition to losing out in the Champions League semi-finals.

Ferguson ultimately performed a u-turn, staying in the job for another 11 years and winning six Premier League titles, three League Cups, the FA Cup and the Champions League during that period.

The iconic coach later described the misguided retirement announcement as “the biggest mistake of my career”.

Might Klopp also come to regret jumping the gun on his decision? And could Liverpool struggle in the short term and beyond as a result?