Hitzfeld tips Klopp to transform Liverpool

Former Borussia Dortmund coach Ottmar Hitzfeld believes Jurgen Klopp will transform Liverpool into title contenders next season.

Klopp will be hoping to land his first piece of silverware for the Merseysiders on Sunday when he leads out his side to face Manchester City in the League Cup final at Wembley.

And Hitzfeld, who had two trophy-laden spells at Bayern Munich as well as leading Dortmund to Champions League glory in 1997, is confident eighth-placed Liverpool will make more of an impact in the Premier League in 2016-17 after a summer of recruitment under the German.

He told Omnisport: “He chose a top club with Liverpool. It was good timing for him to join Liverpool, since they are not that successful at the moment.

“He will be able to invest a lot in the summer and shape a team the way he wants. Then Liverpool will be a contender for the title next season.”

Hitzfeld would like to see Klopp take over at Bayern at some stage of his career.

“Jurgen Klopp received a lot of offers after leaving Dortmund. I thought he might come to Bayern, like I switched from Dortmund to Bayern, but he decided differently,” he said.

“He wants to have a couple of different clubs before he might eventually become Bayern coach.”

Before Bayern can even consider Klopp, they will be looking to Carlo Ancelotti to replicate the domestic success of Pep Guardiola when the Spaniard leaves for Manchester City at the end of the season.

“I hope Ancelotti stays a couple of years and shapes a new era at Bayern Munich, because he is a huge figure who likes to identify himself with his clubs,” said Hitzfeld. “What comes after that, we will see.”