Liverpool legend Graeme Souness reckons there are only four jobs that could tempt Jürgen Klopp back into management after he leaves Anfield. Klopp has announced he’ll be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, saying he’s “running out of energy” and plans to take a year off from football.
Klopp told club media: “What I know definitely I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool, 100 per cent,” and “That’s not possible. My love for this club, my respect for the people is too big.”
He added: “I couldn’t. I couldn’t for a second think about it. There’s no chance. This is part of my life, we are part of the family, we feel home here. There’s no chance to do that. But all the rest, will I ever work again?”
Klopp also said: “Of course, I know myself, I cannot just sit around. I will find something else maybe to do. But I will not manage a club or a country at least for a year, that’s not possible, I cannot do that and I don’t want to.”
Souness, who both played for and managed Liverpool, thinks Klopp would only consider returning to management for Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona or a national team. He wrote in his Daily Mail column: “Even if he takes five years away now, he’ll still be getting offers.
“Will he want to come back? I remember being in a taxi with the great Johnny Giles when I was working for Irish TV. He said to me, ‘Will you go back (into management)?’. I told him I wasn’t sure.
“He said, ‘Let me tell you what will happen. When you’re out of it a year, you’ll wonder why you ever did the job in the first place!’. He was right. When you step away from it, it changes you as a human being and changes your relationship with those close to you.
“Going forward for Jürgen, and if he decides to come back, I think there’s only three clubs for him — Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, depending on their financial state. And then there is international football that may be appealing, because of its fewer demands.
“As for Liverpool, he will leave behind enormous shoes for the next man to fill. But he is also leaving behind a dream job, and that is why it must have been a super difficult decision for him to come to.”
