Image Credits: Imago Images
Jurgen Klopp is enjoying his summer in the United States.
The former Liverpool manager is front and centre as a World Cup pundit for MagentaTV.
H has been analysing games, cracking jokes and catching up with familiar faces like Jordan Henderson and Virgil van Dijk in front of the cameras.
His new media role has been painted as a relaxed sabbatical from the pressure cooker of elite coaching, but events back in Germany show that Klopp’s influence on club football is still being felt.
RB Leipzig reportedly find themselves in the middle of a power struggle behind the scenes.
The club’s decision to sack head coach Ole Werner after just one season, despite a respectable campaign and Champions League qualification, has caused major unrest at the Red Bull Arena.
Werner’s dismissal was quickly followed by the move to appoint Martin Demichelis, with the Argentine lined up as the new man on the touchline.
According to reports in Germany, sporting director Marcel Schafer was deeply unhappy with both the decision itself and the way it was pushed through.
He is said to feel that his authority has been undermined with key calls on the coaching position made over his head.
Klopp is understood to have been one of the driving forces behind the change, strongly supporting Werner’s removal and Demichelis’ arrival.
But Klopp was not alone in this.
The final decision is believed to have been taken by a small group of at least three senior figures in the Red Bull football structure, with the former Liverpool boss only one powerful voice among several at the conglomerate.
Even so, the episode has reportedly left Schafer questioning his future.
He has not ruled out leaving RB Leipzig with immediate effect if he concludes that his role has been reduced to rubber‑stamping decisions made elsewhere.