Liverpool owner John Henry has been speaking to the Associated Press on the eve of his side’s massive Champions League final clash with Real Madrid in Kiev.
Henry, whose Fenway Sports Group took over the club in 2010 from fellow Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. during a troubled time in its history, has brought stability off the field and an improved side on it in the intervening time period.
A sixth win in European football’s biggest competition would be a money-spinning reward for the hard work of rebuilding a club that had been mired in dysfunction at boardroom level for many years.
Henry was keen to heap praise on the man he appointed as manager in 2015.
"He has done a tremendous job getting us into this position,” he said of Klopp’s work since his arrival while talking to the AP.
"He has been just as effective in inspiring not just our players but everyone who loves this club.”
The much-loved favourite player of those fans, Mo Salah, was in line for some praise too from a seemingly contented chairman.
"His record-setting scoring became one of the biggest stories in England this year," Henry said.
"Perhaps my favorite Anfield songs ever are a couple about Mo.”
But what of the danger of the club’s prized asset, signed for a £38M fee that seems minuscule in the light of his award-winning exploits this term, moving on from the club?
Having lost his club’s last two genuine world-class operators, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho, to Barcelona, the possibility of one of the ‘big two’ in Spanish football coming knocking must be close to Henry’s mind.
“Maybe it's because I'm an American, but I have a difficult time understanding why anyone would want to leave Liverpool," he said.
The club is so rich in history and tradition, supported by so many millions around the world, in virtually every country of the world."
For his part, Henry finds it difficult to figure out why the trail to La Liga is so well-worn by Premier League stars.
"You don't want to be in the position where players want to go somewhere else, even if it is a great club like Barcelona,” he said.
"It's hard to understand why players would want to go to a league where the competition is so weak. They must play 30 or so meaningless matches per year waiting for Champions League matches."
