Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who has won all major trophies with the English football club, has announced that he will step down.
He’s leaving his job after 8.5 years at the helm.
Source: Liverpool FC on X
Asked for a reason for his decision, he said he’s “running out of energy” and needs a break.
The surprising news of Klopp stepping down was delivered on Friday (26 Jan) by the man himself in a video posted by Liverpool on X (formerly known as Twitter).
The English Premier League (EPL) club later posted that its manager was leaving at the end of the current 2023/2024 season, which is on 19 May.
In a news release on Liverpool’s website, Klopp said he informed the club of his decision in November last year.
Assistant managers Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, and elite development coach Vitor Matos, will also leave the club at the same time.
Explaining his reasons for walking away, Klopp said he’s “running out of energy”.
While he’s “absolutely fine” now, he “cannot do the job again and again and again and again”.
In an extended interview given to Liverpool, he described himself as still “a normal guy” who hasn’t lived a normal life for “too long”.
He doesn’t want to wait till he’s too old to do so, he said, adding:
You go until as long as we have to go, but then you need a break.
This is the “right moment” for him and also the right moment for the club, he thinks.
Source: Liverpool FC on X
The news is being released now as the club and its staff need to make plans for next season, he said.
With Liverpool active in four competitions, Klopp said he’s still “100%” into the upcoming games.
Although he’s leaving, he still loves “absolutely everything” about the club, from the city to the supporters and his team and staff.
However, he hopes supporters will accept his decision and support the team fully, adding:
Let’s squeeze everything out of this season and have another thing to smile about when we look back in the future.
Klopp, 56, who was hired in October 2015, is the longest-serving manager working in the EPL at present.
He’s also the fourth-longest serving manager in EPL history, behind Alex Ferguson (Manchester United) Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) and David Moyes (Everton).
Klopp has had immense success at Liverpool, having won the following competitions:
Notably, his EPL win in 19/20 was Liverpool’s first in 30 years.
Source: Premier League on X
Under him this season, Liverpool have reached the League Cup final, against Chelsea, and are at the top of the EPL table.
His legacy means Klopp will undoubtedly be sorely missed by Liverpool, his players and their scores of fans worldwide.
Liverpool’s players were informed that Klopp would be leaving just a short while before it was announced to the world, reported Britain’s The Telegraph.
Even so, they didn’t ask many questions when their outgoing manager broke the news to them, he told a press conference on Friday (26 Jan), saying:
It wasn’t like the players were having a party when I told them, but they were out training as normal.
He has a “really strong bond” with the players, but they didn’t ask questions yet because they are professionals, he added.
Source: Liverpool FC on X
Liverpool fans have already made their feelings clear over social media, with one begging for the news to be a joke.
Another fan said the departure will hurt, as Klopp has been an influential figure in his life.
Source: X
Former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher said it’s a “body blow” to Liverpool and hoped the boss would “go out with a bang”.
Source: Jamie Carragher on X
Another former player Michael Owen described Klopp as “one of the greatest managers ever” and thought he would spend another two or three years at the club.
Source: Michael Owen on X
Also read: Liverpool Fans Flock Ritz-Carlton S’pore To Catch A Glimpse Of Salah & Klopp IRL
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Featured image adapted from Liverpool FC on X and Premier League on X.
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