Jurgen Klopp names the transfers that turned Liverpool into champions | OneFootball

Jurgen Klopp picked out the arrivals of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker as key in turning Liverpool into domestic and European champions during his time in charge as manager.

The German boss will leave Anfield after Sunday's clash with Wolves, bringing a close to an eight-and-a-half-year tenure on Merseyside that saw Liverpool crowned English champions for the first time since 1989/90, having won their sixth European Cup/Champions League a year earlier with victory against Tottenham Hotspur in the final in Madrid.

Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers in the Reds dugout in late 2015 and had the team challenging for the top four again before important signings helped them transform into regular title hopefuls, often providing the sturdiest opposition to perenial winners Manchester City.

Asked about the team that won the Champions League and Premier League in 2018/19 and 2019/20 respectively, Klopp told Liverpool's website: "The good fun about it was that we had a good team when I arrived. They got to a Europa League final and people go back; he wasn't good enough, he wasn't good - they qualified for a Europa League final!

"We played incredible games. Would we have been champion years later with this team? No chance. But for that time, it was the team. A good team. But we had to change it step by step and we did. Players coming in, and I always talk about this, rightly so, Ali [Alisson Becker], Virg [van Dijk], Mo [Salah], before that Sadio [Mane], incredible player, Gini Wijnaldum, incredible player. Andy Robertson, incredible. Fabinho, incredible player. Joel Matip, incredible player.

Klopp won the Premier League in 2020 / LAURENCE GRIFFITHS/GettyImages

"So many things that we had to put together, in the end we created a specific way of football. Did we invent the false nine? I don't know. Probably Bobby Firmino invented it! But did we invent being a striker with Sadio and Mo? I'm not sure. But we used it in a very special way.

"We created the most offensive full-backs. We played an incredible high line. Rightly so, which leads then always to if you concede a goal then the line is too high from your colleagues [pundits]. Love that! You create that and it leads to the midfield doesn't score often enough and you just think, 'Oh my God.' Yeah, they were right, midfield doesn't score often enough. Absolutely right."

Liverpool fell out of Premier League title contention towards the end of this season but will wrap up third place regardless of the result at Anfield and games elsewhere in the Premier League.