Jurgen Klopp has announced he will step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season, saying he is “running out of energy”.
Klopp, 56, has brought huge success to Liverpool after arriving at Anfield in 2015 and leading the club to the Premier League title in 2020 and the Champions League in 2019. But this will be his last campaign in charge, and announced on Friday that he will leave Liverpool. end of season.
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Klopp will take a break from management and said he will not manage any club or country for at least a year. He also said that he will never manage another club in England other than Liverpool.
“I can understand that it's a shock to a lot of people at the moment, when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it, or at least try to explain it,” Klopp said in a video statement released by Liverpool.
“I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our fans, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still make this decision shows that I am convinced it is the one I have to make.
“It's just that I'm running out of, how can I put it, energy. I don't have any problems now, obviously, I've known for a long time that I'll have to announce it at some point, but now I'm absolutely fine. I know I can't do the job over and over again. again and again and again.”
He added: “If you ask me now if I will ever manage again, I would say no. But obviously you don't know, as I have never had this situation. But I do know definitively that I will never manage a different club in England than Liverpool, it is impossible.
“I'll find something else to do. But I won't be managing any club or country for at least a year.”
In an emotional statement, Klopp said he owed Liverpool fans an explanation as to why he is taking a step back now. He said it was a difficult decision, but he also felt “relief” when he made it, saying it's the right time to try a “normal life” and see if he misses management.
“It would be great if they accepted my decision as a difficult decision, but a correct one,” Klopp said. “I need to find a different purpose and pursue it.”
“I already told the club in November,” he said. “I have to explain a little bit that maybe the work I do people see from the outside, I'm on the touchline and in training sessions and things like that, but most things happen around this kind of thing. That means a season starts and you're already practically planning for the next season.
“When we sat together talking about possible signings, the upcoming summer camp and whether we can go wherever, the thought came up: 'I'm not sure I'm here anymore,' and that surprised me. Obviously I start to think about it.
“It didn't start [then], but of course last season was a super difficult season and there were times when at other clubs the decision probably would have been: 'Come on, thank you very much for everything, but we should probably part ways here, or end this here.' 'That didn't happen here, obviously.
“It was super, super, super important to me to be able to help get this team back on track. It was all I was thinking about. When I realized pretty early on what had happened, it's a really good team with huge potential and a super age group, super characters and all that, then I was able to start thinking about myself again and that was the result. It's not what I want. [do]”It's just what I think is 100 percent correct.”
Klopp joined Liverpool in October 2015 and took them back to the top of English and European football. Under Klopp, Liverpool won their first league title in 30 years in 2020, the Champions League in 2019, the FA Cup in 2022 and the Carabao Cup in 2022. He also led them to the Champions League finals in 2018 and 2022, as well as the Champions League final in 2018 and 2022. Europa League final in 2016. They won the UEFA Super Cup in 2019 and the FIFA Club World Cup title in 2019.
After a difficult 2022-23 campaign, Klopp has helped Liverpool return to the top of the Premier League this season, five points clear of second-placed Manchester City after 21 games.
Liverpool is still in the fight for four competitions (the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and the Europa League) and Klopp will look to win titles in what will be his last campaign at Anfield.
Klopp signed a new contract with Liverpool in 2022 and his original contract was due to expire in 2024. The deal was due to take him until 2026, but Klopp decided to leave in the summer.
“We will have a moment, maybe the last matchday here or somewhere else, I mean in other countries or other competitions,” Klopp said. “There is enough time to do this kind of thing. Let's do it now. The outside world wants to take advantage of this decision, laugh at it, wants to bother us.
“We are Liverpool, we went through harder things together. And you went through harder things before me. Let's make it a strength. That would be really great. Let's squeeze everything we can out of this season and have something else to smile about when look back in the future.”
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group paid tribute to Klopp and said it will be business as usual until the end of the season.
“First and foremost, on behalf of John Henry and Tom Werner, I would like to express our deep gratitude to Jürgen,” said Fenway Sports Group President Mike Gordon. “Needless to say, we will be greatly saddened to lose not only a manager of such caliber, but a person and leader for whom we have enormous respect, gratitude and affection. At the same time, we fully respect his wishes and his reasons. That is why has decided that the current season will be his last at Liverpool.
“In line with Jurgen's expressed wishes, we will save full tributes for a more appropriate time but we would nevertheless be remiss if we did not take this opportunity to reaffirm that his appointment remains one of the greatest blessings of our time as owners .
“The incredible achievements of the intervening years speak for themselves, as does the joy that Jürgen and his team have brought to all of us fans. His many achievements will never be taken for granted. To appropriate a saying synonymous with another great coach Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp 'made people happy' and we have every confidence that he will continue to do so until his eventual departure.
“It is a testament to Jurgen's unwavering professionalism and his continued commitment to the best interests of Liverpool FC that his decision has been made in a way that allows business as usual to be maintained for the remainder of his tenure while also creating an opportunity for us. to prepare for the future.
“Our priority now is twofold. First, to ensure that the progress that has been made on the field this season is maintained in the final months of the campaign. Second, to continue the behind-the-scenes due diligence that will allow our Football Operations Department to adapt to a future without Jurgen. As always, these ambitions will be pursued in the best interests of the club and its supporters and we will update fans as significant developments occur.
“Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to record our gratitude to Jurgen for everything he has done and continues to do for Liverpool Football Club. Thank you, Jurgen. When the time comes, you will never walk alone.”
Next season Liverpool will have a new coaching team and assistant coaches Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz will also leave the club at the end of the campaign. Lijnders wants to pursue his own career in management.
The club also said sporting director Jorg Schmadtke will leave after the January transfer window.
