This is how Jürgen Klopp explains his departure from Liverpool
Updated on January 26, 2024 – 1:45 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
In a complete surprise, Jürgen Klopp announced his resignation as coach of Liverpool FC. This is how he explains his departure.
At the beginning of his announcement, he had to take a deep breath: When Jürgen Klopp announced to Liverpool fans via video message that he would be stepping down as the club’s coach at the end of the season, he clearly knew what a shock this news would be.
“Jürgen, you have an important message to tell our fans. Would you tell them what it is?” the interviewer had previously asked him. “Yes, I have to,” Klopp replied. Then he started. It was the start of a 24-minute video. The crucial passage in the wording:
“I will be leaving the club at the end of the season. I can understand that this is a shock for many at this moment when you hear it for the first time. But I can of course explain it, or at least try to explain it. I absolutely love it everything about this club. I love everything about this city. I love everything about our fans. I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. The fact that I still make this decision shows you that I am convinced that it is the one I need to meet. It’s like, how can I say this? – I’m running out of energy. I’m obviously not having any problems at the moment. I’ve known for a while that I’ll have to announce it at some point, but Everything is perfectly fine right now. But I know that I can’t do the job again and again and again and again. And after all the years we’ve had together and after all the time we’ve spent together, and after all the things we’ve been through together, the respect for you has grown, the love for you has grown. And the least I owe you is the truth and that is the truth.
He later added that although he was still normal after all these years, as he said in his first press conference as Liverpool coach, he no longer led a normal life. “Unfortunately I’ve been doing this job for 24 years and at some point I have to take a look at what life is really like because I don’t know. I just don’t know,” said Klopp. “This is what I need to find out before it’s too late for me. I need to try it now.”
He also promised Liverpool fans that he would never coach another club in England. It even seems questionable whether he will even work as a trainer again. “If you ask me: Will you ever work as a coach again? Right now I would say: No,” said Klopp. But he caveats: “But obviously I don’t know what that will feel like because I’ve never experienced this situation before.” What is certain, however, is that he will not coach any club or country for a year.