31 January 2024 , 02:00
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Liverpool will host Chelsea this evening in their first Premier League game since manager Jurgen Klopp announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
The Reds are currently top of the table and will be hoping to give Klopp a fitting send off by winning the league. They are strong favourites heading into the match as a result, although things could have been very different if former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had managed to tempt Klopp to Stamford Bridge.
According to the Athletic, Abramovich 'coveted' Klopp multiple times, but the German is said to have had no interest in working for him. The report states that he was 'put off by the hire-and-fire culture' at Chelsea.
During Abramovich's 19 years at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea went through 15 different managerial reigns. Klopp, however, has enjoyed long-term stints at each of the three clubs he has managed in his career.
Klopp spent almost seven years in charge of Mainz, before enjoying seven years at Borussia Dortmund. He will leave Liverpool at the end of the season after almost nine years in charge, with the German simply "running out of energy" to do the job.
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"I can understand that it's a shock for a lot of people in this moment, when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it – or at least try to explain it," he told club media. "I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff.
"I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take. It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy.
Klopp rejected Chelsea as he did not want to work under Abramovich (Paul Currie/REX/Shutterstock)"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. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again."
Current Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has paid tribute to Klopp, admitting "English football will miss him". Pochettino said: "When I was sacked from Tottenham, the first message I received was from him. The job he has done with Liverpool is amazing.
"He wishes to rest and go away for a little bit. I think he deserves but it is sad for people who love football. He is a great character and Liverpool and English football will miss him. When he arrived, his first game was against us at White Hart Lane. We drew 0-0. His legacy is massive."