Jurgen Klopp has been named as the new manager of Liverpool FC, the club confirmed on Thursday night. He will replace Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked earlier in the week after failing to win a single trophy in his first three and a half years in charge as manager.

Klopp, 48, has signed a three-year deal with the Merseyside club believed to be worth £15 million (AU $31.6 million). He was on a break from football management after leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season, but has returned earlier than expected to take over at Anfield.

Rodgers was fired after a poor start to the season which saw them lying in 10th place with 12 points from their opening eight games of the season, despite again having spent heavily on player transfers. The announcement of his sacking came soon after the 1-1 draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, although it is believed the decision had been taken prior to the match itself.

Klopp is a former Mainz and Borussia Dortmund manager, having spent seven years at each club. He won back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Dortmund in 2011 and 2012, and also led them to the finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2013, which they lost to arch-rivals Bayern Munich.

“Liverpool Football Club are delighted to announce Jürgen Klopp has been appointed as the club's new manager. The German coach has signed a deal to take the helm at the Reds and will be presented at a press conference at Anfield on Friday morning,” Liverpool announced in a statement on their website.

Klopp’s signing is a major boost to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season. It is also a major coup of sorts considering he was widely expected to take-over from Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich, whose contract with the Bundesliga champions ends in 2016 but is yet to sign an extension to stay on at the club.

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