English football's longest serving current managers as…

English football's longest serving current managers as Liverpool eye Jurgen Klopp deal

Liverpool are hoping to tie Jurgen Klopp down to a bumper new contract as the German coach looks to build a dynasty at the club.

Marc Kosicke, Klopp’s agent, was in attendance at Anfield for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg win over Villarreal, along with FSG president Mike Gordon. Klopp has previously indicated that he would walk away from the club at the end of his current deal, which is due to expire in 2024, but Reds chiefs have been getting positive noises that he would be open to extending his stay.

Talks have been advancing over a new deal in recent weeks, and Klopp has become more open to the idea of staying at a club he joined from Borussia Dortmund seven years ago.

Klopp's time at the helm means he is now the longest-serving manager in the Premier League, following the recent departure of Sean Dyche from Burnley. Dyche had been in the Turf Moor hotseat for nearly a decade, having been appointed in October 2012.

But Klopp has three bosses ahead of him when it comes to the longest-serving managers across the top four tiers of English football. His time at Anfield is roughly half of what Simon Weaver has spent as boss of League Two side Harrogate Town. Weaver is top of the tree when it comes to longevity, having been in situ since May 2009 and fast approaching 13 years in the job.

Wycombe Wanderers chief Gareth Ainsworth is next in line, having been boss at Adams Park since September 2012 - nine years, seven months. John Coleman is third on the list having been in charge of Accrington Stanley for seven years, seven months. His appointment in September 2014 marked a second stint at the club. His first, amazingly, spanned 13 years from 1999 to 2012.

The fickle world of football management means bosses rarely get time in the job nowadays and the four aforementioned coaches are among a select few to be given such a luxury.

There are however another four managers to have held their current posts for five or more years.

Manchester City chief Pep Guardiola has been at the Etihad since July 2016 - five years and nine months. Rotherham's Paul Warne (five years, five months), Blackburn's Tony Mowbray (five years, two months) and Coventry's Mark Robins (five years, one month) complete that particular list.

Speaking in March about the possibility of extending his current deal with the club, Klopp said: "If I have the energy levels for it.

"That is important. I love what I do but I’ve said a couple of times there must be something else out there in the world, to be honest, apart from always thinking about properly skilled, good-looking, fantastically nice football players."