Klopp's plan for after Liverpool as new theory emerges as to why he's leaving
The dust is still settling after Jurgen Klopp broke Liverpool hearts by announcing he is walking away as boss at the end of the season.
The German cited a lack of energy to do the job to the best of his ability as the driving force behind his decision to quit, admitting that he informed club chiefs in November of his plans to stand down.
It's not entirely clear what's next for Klopp, although the Champions League winner was certain of the fact he will never manage in the Premier League again unless he returns to Liverpool at some point.
But Klopp has already hinted at what he plans to do immediately after quitting Liverpool and actually got the ball rolling as far back as 2019 when he admitted he wants to take a sabbatical.
Speaking to Kicker magazine five years ago, Klopp said: "I have absolute energy. But I have one problem. I can't do 'a little bit'. I can only do 'all or nothing'. When I decide that I cannot do it any longer then I will take a break for a year."
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He later told SWR Sport in July 2020 that he has plans to move back home to Germany when he leaves Liverpool. "Definitely to live, after my career. Most likely even to Mainz," he explained.
Back in Germany, he said he plans to "do nothing for a year," but may consider going back into football management after that. "In five years the world can look very different again," he concluded.
Klopp spoke to the German publication SportBuzzer a month later in August 2020, where he suggested he could actually retire from football entirely. "I'll take a year off and ask myself if I miss football," he said.
The German cited a lack of energy to do the job (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)"If I say no, then that will be the end of coach Jurgen Klopp. If one day I am no longer a coach, there is one thing I will not miss: the brutal tension immediately before the game."
And finally, in September 2020, the German told Einfach Fussbal: "When I leave Liverpool, I won't take a new job the next day. That's for sure. I will take a one-year break after Liverpool."
Klopp announced his plans to leave Liverpool in January and explained his reasons for standing down, via the club's website. He said: "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.
"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.
Jurgen Klopp has rebuilt his Liverpool midfield (Getty Images)"It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. 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.
"After the years we had together and after all the time we spent together and after all the things we went through together, the respect grew for you, the love grew for you and the least I owe you is the truth – and that is the truth."
Since Klopp's announcement a new theory has emerged as to why the German is stepping down, with reports suggesting the 56-year-old no longer believes the players need him as they once did.
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Klopp oversaw something of a transition in the summer in which he rebuilt the Liverpool midfield, saying goodbye to Fabinho, Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson and bringing in Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch. The Reds boss also parted company with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, replacing them with Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.
Klopp anticipated a bumpy period while the new recruits settled in on Merseyside, and was prepared to wait until he was happy with the state of the squad. But his Liverpool side have hit the ground running this term and are currently top of the Premier League.
According to the Telegraph, Klopp is therefore confident he'll leave the Reds in a good place - giving the next boss all the tools in which to immediately compete for silverware. It's because of this that Klopp believes now is the right time to stand down.
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