Jurgen Klopp opened up about the emotional reason why he rejected a managerial offer at Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp speaking in an interview
Jurgen Klopp opened up about rejecting a job offer at Liverpool
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Jurgen Klopp once rejected an offer to leave Liverpool and take charge of the German national team back in 2023. The Reds failed to secure Champions League qualification in the 2022/23 season, having to settle for a Europa League place after finishing fifth in the Premier League.
Speaking earlier this year, Liverpool's legendary former manager Klopp admitted he needed a fresh challenge at the time but believed he couldn't leave after such a disappointing campaign. The 58-year-old, who now serves as Head of Global Soccer for the Red Bull group, explained that he felt it was his responsibility to rectify matters at Anfield before pursuing other opportunities.
Klopp told Welt: "The season before that [final one] didn't go so well for Liverpool - and in the summer after this season, Germany was looking for a new national coach. I could have said 'yes' because it might have been better to do something different.
"I didn't want to. And the decision was not about the job of the national coach itself. I couldn't leave Liverpool like that. There was a team, there were people with whom I had a relationship. I've never been so cold not to remember the good things I said to a player a week earlier.
"We had brought in new players like Endo, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister. With them and the core team, I wanted to fix it again. That was important to me. We managed to do that. Nevertheless, the decision to stop in Liverpool matured.”
Jurgen Klopp manager of Liverpool walks his "Guard of Honour" at the end the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on May 19, 2024 in Liverpool, England.
Klopp left Liverpool in 2024(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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He then explained how he eventually parted ways with the club in 2024. The German shockingly announced in January of that year he would be stepping down at the end of the season, citing fatigue as the primary reason.
Klopp continued: "I communicated this internally early on, until we went public in January, also at the request of the owners. You talk about a perfect handover, but there are others who say that perhaps Liverpool would have become champions if we had only made it public later. But for me it felt right, just like it did back then in Mainz and later in Dortmund."
Discussing his decision to step away from coaching after nearly a quarter of a century, Klopp added: "I don't want it anymore. I now have a job (as Red Bull's global head of soccer) that fulfils me and is also intense. I don't sleep longer in the morning and I don't go to bed later in the evening, but I can organise my work much better.
"My wife, for example, is totally happy with it because we can plan things much better that we couldn't plan before. For me, it was never about not doing anything anymore, but about doing something else. I've coached 1081 games, and that's not including the friendly matches. If we add those from 23 years, we might come to 1200.
"Then the press conferences, the media appointments. I always just reacted. And in Liverpool there were also the tasks as manager. That was a lot, a lot.”
Liverpool's Dutch manager Arne Slot reacts during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on November 22, 2025.
Arne Slot is under pressure(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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Despite his comments, Liverpool's recent troubles have sparked speculation that Klopp might make a comeback to Anfield in some capacity.
Following a dream debut season where he clinched the Premier League title, his successor Arne Slot has experienced first-hand how quickly life in England's top division can turn. Despite splashing out around £450million on new talent in the summer, Slot's team suffered their sixth loss in seven league matches against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, losing 3-0 and now languishing in 12th place.
The scrutiny on Slot will only intensify if results don't pick up quickly. And there are those who would welcome Klopp back to Liverpool if the managerial post ever becomes available.
Klopp, speaking recently on the Diary of a CEO podcast, said some form of a return is 'theoretically possible', but it's doubtful that it would be in a managerial capacity and it's still unlikely that there are any serious plans to dismiss Slot.
Liverpool next take on PSV at home in the Champions League on Wednesday, followed by a trip to east London to face West Ham on Sunday in the league.