Jurgen Klopp will not confirm whether he plans to overhaul his managerial career, but he did rule out the possibility of ever managing another Premier League club if he leaves his post at Liverpool this summer.
The German sent shockwaves through the football world on Friday morning when he made his seismic announcement that he will leave the Reds at the end of the current season.
Klopp joined Liverpool in 2015, inherited an ailing side from Brendan Rodgers and transformed the Reds into European and domestic champions, but will hand over to a new manager for the first time in almost a decade.
Liverpool are currently in the race for four different trophies and will be desperate to give their iconic manager a trophy-laden farewell as his reign at the helm comes to an end.
While speculation will naturally increase as the football world tries to guess his next move, one thing remains clear: he will not, by his own admission, be returning to England.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has announced he will leave the club at the end of the season
The German took the Reds back to the top of Europe, giving them their sixth Champions League title
He also guided Liverpool to their first English top-flight title in three decades in 2019/20
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‘If you ask me: ‘Are you ever going to work as a manager again?’ I would say no now. But of course I don’t know what that will feel like, because I’ve never had this situation.
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‘What I know for sure is that I will never, ever manage any club in England other than Liverpool.’
Klopp has risen through the ranks and is regarded as one of the best managers in the sport, following the work he did at Liverpool.
With his side once again at the top of the Premier League, his unveiling on Friday may come as a surprise as few managers can quit while at the top.
Sir Alex Ferguson won the title in his final season at Manchester United, and the German will undoubtedly look to emulate this feat.
Announcing his departure, he said: ‘I can understand that it is a shock for many people at the moment when you hear it for the first time, but I can of course explain it – or at least try to explain it.
‘I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But the fact that I am still making this decision shows that I am convinced that this is the decision I have to make.
‘It’s that, how should I put it, I have no energy anymore. I don’t have a problem with it now, of course I knew for some time that I would have to announce it at some point, but I’m doing absolutely fine now. I know I can’t do the work again and again and again and again.
The 56-year-old joined Liverpool in 2015 after leaving Dortmund and was tasked with overhauling an underperforming squad
Klopp admitted he was unsure whether he would return to management after leaving Anfield
‘After the years we had together and after all the time we spent together and after all the things we went through together, the respect for you grew, the love for you grew and the least I owe you is the truth – and that’s the truth. truth.’
Although he has remained non-committal about his future post-Liverpool – suggesting he may be calling it quits for good – news of his departure from the club is sure to pique the interest of rival teams.
Thomas Tuchel’s position at Bayern Munich in Klopp’s native Germany is starting to come under pressure, while Xavi’s hold on the manager’s position at Barcelona appears far from concrete of late.
He added: “I told the club back in November. I have to explain a little bit that people may see the work I do from the outside, I’m on the sidelines and in training sessions and things like that, but the majority of all the stuff happens around these kinds of things. This means that a season is starting and you are already largely planning the next season.
‘As we sat there together talking about possible signings, the next summer camp and where we can go, the thought came up: ‘I’m not sure if I’ll still be here then’ and I was surprised about that. Of course I’m starting to think about it.
He won the clean trophy of every trophy available during his time in English football
The directors of Liverpool’s Fenway Sports Group praised Klopp for his performances at Anfield and said work is already underway to ensure success if he leaves
‘It didn’t start (then), but last season was of course a super difficult season and there were moments when at other clubs the decision would probably have been: ‘Come on, thank you very much for everything, but probably we have to split here, or it end here.” That clearly didn’t happen here.
‘For me it was super, super, super important that I can help get this team back on track. It was the only thing on my mind. When I realized quite early on that this was happening, it’s a very good team with huge potential and a super age group, super characters and all that, then I could start thinking about myself again and that was the result. It’s not what I want to (do), it’s just what I think is 100 percent right.”
While it will be an emotional end to the season for everyone involved at the club, owners Fenway Sports Group have called for a ‘business as usual’ approach as Klopp looks at the final five months of the season.
FSG’s statement also expressed gratitude to the German for ‘all he has done and continues to do for Liverpool Football Club’.
