London: Jurgen Klopp said Friday he signed a contract extension keeping him at Liverpool until 2024 to project an image of security and stability for future potential transfer targets. Klopp, who became Liverpool manager in 2015, guided them to Champions League glory in June and they are currently eight points clear at the top of the Premier League. The German's previous deal was due to expire in 2022 and while he said extending it was not a priority for him, he felt it could be a key factor when it came to persuading new recruits to join.

If he sees out the contract he would be the club's longest-serving manager since Bob Paisley. "The club was asking for a while already if we could talk about an extension and I thought it makes sense before things are getting a bit intense -- not now, I was completely calm -- but maybe in the summer we would have started again," Klopp said at his pre-match press conference.