Jürgen Klopp has already given Liverpool his word but Barcelona truth should be clear
“It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy,” Jürgen Klopp said when explaining his decision to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the current season. That news has only just begun to sink in for many connected to Anfield.
“I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now,” he told Liverpool’s official website. “I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.”
As the search for a replacement ramps up, with Xabi Alonso perhaps the leading contender, speculation about where Klopp might head next, despite his pretty clear intentions, is inevitable. In fact, that has already begun.
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Journalist Gerard Moreno, reporting via Twitch, has suggested that the German could be tempted to move to Barcelona, where Xavi has announced he too will be stepping down in the summer. Former Liverpool defender Stephane Henchoz is among those to believe that Klopp could pitch up at Bayern Munich next season, with Thomas Tuchel under pressure.
But the reality is clear: Klopp will be taking a break. The only reason that he is cutting his stint at Liverpool short by two years (his contract was set to expire in 2026) is that he is tired. He needs a rest and has explained that several times.
“I will not manage a club or a country at least for a year; that’s not possible,” Klopp said when announcing that he planned to leave. “I cannot do that and I don’t want to. That’s all.”
That seems simple enough, though, at the same time, the desperation from some involved with Barcelona for Klopp to move to Camp Nou is equally understandable. Xavi decided that he was leaving shortly after Klopp’s announcement and there would be no better replacement available than the German.
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That will not be happening this summer, however, despite some putting two and two together. But what about in the future? It is not inconceivable that Klopp might want to return to management at some point, even if he has given Liverpool his word that he won’t be moving straight into another role.
He has not ruled out retirement but while the German national team job seems more likely, there would surely be an appeal to coaching Barcelona. The Catalan side is in a mess, but it remains an iconic footballing institution. It also has some supremely talented young players like Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal and remains competitive enough in Spain.
Is it that ridiculous that after taking a year off, Klopp might be ready for a return, even if only for two or three years? He has never been away from the intensity of life outside of football and it will be a substantial change to get used to. Even he himself has not termed this a retirement, which suggests that is in the back of his mind as well.
If he were to make a return — even though Barcelona will need a successor for Xavi in the meantime — then a move to Spain would make sense to some degree. He has already been in Germany and England and it could complete a nice set. There would be no cold and windy training sessions like in Kirkby, either.
The German national team job is far more likely to be appealing to Klopp in some ways, but nothing should be ruled out. While a Barcelona switch this summer can be taken out of the equation, it doesn’t take that much of a stretch to imagine that it might be appealing again in the future. If Klopp does return to management, after all, it is going to need to be a big job for such an iconic name.
