By Samuel A. January 26, 2024
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has broken the internet after announcing that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season. The German boss, who has won it all for the club – the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup since arriving at Anfield in 2015, made the stunning announcement on Friday morning in an emotional video released by the club.
He later told a press conference: “I’ve been doing this for 24 years. You invest everything you have. I did that and it was never a problem. I realised that my resources are not endless. I preferred to give absolutely everything to this season and then have a break or to stop. We are no young rabbits any more and we don’t jump as high as we did. This club, especially with the team we have and all the super things we have, needs on top of that a manager in his top game and top level. I cannot be that any more. I wish this club for the future the very, very best.”
Klopp confirmed he had told the club’s bosses about his intention to stand down back in November last year and his mind could not be swayed despite all their efforts to keep him. “I still think it’s the right thing to do,” he added. I don’t take these things lightly. I’m convinced it’s right. I have no regrets but a lot of special memories”, he said.
Klopp has won six trophies with Liverpool, including the Premier League title in 2020 and the Champions League trophy the year before. Liverpool currently lead the Premier League and reached the Carabao Cup final in midweek, while they are still in the Europa League and the FA Cup.
Klopp had signed a two-year extension to his contract at Anfield in April 2022, which was scheduled to keep him at the club until 2026, signifying that he’s happy at the club and he doesn’t see himself anywhere else at the time, also stating that his wife was influential when he wanted to make the decision.
Klopp admitted that given the Reds’ struggles last season, he may not have lasted the campaign at another club. “Last season was kind of a super difficult season and there were moments when at other clubs probably the decision would have been, come on, thank you very much for everything but probably we should split here, or end it here. That didn’t happen here, obviously,” he added.
Former Liverpool midfielder and current Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has been installed as the early frontrunner to replace Klopp. Klopp’s backroom team of Pepijn Lijnders, Peter Krawietz and Vitor Matos are all also set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
