Jürgen Klopp said that the start of construction of Liverpool's new £50M ($66.4M) training facility represents a "big statement" by the club as it continues "forward momentum on and off the pitch," according to Chris Bascombe of the London TELEGRAPH. Building work "has begun to merge the first team and Academy on one site at Kirkby." The development will be complete in time for the start of the '20-21 season. Liverpool's senior squad will leave its current site at Melwood, "where the first team has trained for over 60 years." Klopp took part in a ceremony at the building site as the constructors moved in, "joking he was confident he will still be in charge at Liverpool when the switchover is complete." Klopp: "We need it. When I heard we will start in 2020, it's pretty rare that a manager can plan that far, but I'm quite optimistic that I'll be in when we start using the facility. I'm really looking forward to it." The construction is an expansion of Liverpool's current Academy complex, built in '99, "but a 20-minute drive from the first-team base." The club recognized "the necessity to ensure all players work on the same site to identify a clearer pathway to the first team" (TELEGRAPH, 9/20).
