Lucas Leiva, For One, Welcomes Our New Klopp Overlord

It has been an interesting nine months since FSG engineered a radical redesign of Liverpool Football Club's management by bringing on Jürgen Klopp, who had only recently pushed the pause button on his career.  The league campaign saw slightly more stops than starts, but the club fought their way to two big finals, reinvigorating an increasingly concerned fanbase along the way, and the owners evidently saw enough in their new appointee's methods to move quickly on a significant contract extension.

Not that it would have mattered much for this summer's transfer business, but the extension does mean that Klopp's hand in reshaping the squad will be that much freer over the next few years. Already there are signs that the manager has come to a  decisive conclusion as to which squad members will be surplus to requirements in the immediate future.

Midfielder Lucas Leiva, who in recent times has been whispered to be part of that surplus during practically every transfer window, may not be a lock to end his career at Anfield, but he has adapted well to Klopp's methods and may still have a role to play in the coming season.  Asked about Klopp's contract extension, Lucas echoed the popular sentiment, but also noted that the manager has tried not to sacrifice stability even as he seeks to reconfigure the squad.

"He came eight, nine months ago. We got to two finals last year and of course this is the first full season we will have under him.

About the new contract - it's always good, because it shows that the club believe in what he is doing and the decisions he is making.

He's trying to change [things] step by step without affecting the team so much.

It's great news for the club and for the fans as well because the relationship with him started really well and we hope that he will have a lot of success at the club."

As Father Time wreaks his havoc on everybody, it may yet be the case at some point that Lucas' body will be unable to cope with the demands of Klopp's system. Additions to the midfield are still rumored, and the final composition of that department once the season starts may provide clues as to the long-term prognosis for Lucas' Liverpool career. For now, the Brazilian midfielder - who has captained the side on a number of occasions under Klopp, including during their most recent pre-season match - has clearly found a place in the manager's quiver of arrows.