Jurgen Klopp has announced he is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season; the 56-year-old informed the club’s ownership of his decision to stand down, having taken charge at Liverpool in 2015; Klopp has won six trophies with the Reds, including the Premier League and Champions League
Jurgen Klopp says he is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season because he is “running out of energy”.
Klopp, who has won 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 their best efforts.
“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.”
Former Liverpool midfielder and current Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has been installed as the early frontrunner to replace Klopp.
“This news was always going to be a body blow to the club whenever it came,” responded Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher. “I just thought it would be another few years away. What a manager, what a man, let’s go out with a bang Jurgen!”
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.
The 56-year-old was appointed Brendan Rodgers’ replacement in October 2015, having forged his reputation at Borussia Dortmund.
Under him, Dortmund won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012 and he took them to the 2013 Champions League final, where they lost to Bayern Munich at Wembley.
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.
For me it was super, super, super-important that I can help to bring this team back on to the rails. It was all I was thinking about. When I realised pretty early that happened, it’s a really good team with massive potential and a super age group, super characters and all that, then I could start thinking about myself again and that was the outcome. It is not what I want to [do], it is just what I think is 100 per cent right.”
Klopp has also ruled out coaching another team in England.
“If you ask me, ‘Will you ever work as a manager again?’ I would say now no,” he added. “But I don’t know obviously how that will feel because I never had the situation. What I know definitely – I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool.
