Jurgen Klopp has made it clear he will never manage another English club besides Liverpool, reinforcing his stance that football clubs should not prioritise commercial interests over the sport. The 58-year-old German, who left Anfield in 2024 after nearly nine years, currently serves as Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer.
In a 2018 interview, Klopp explained why he chose Liverpool over other suitors, stating: 'It is a football club. A FOOTBALL club. I had talks with other clubs and they didn't sound like a football club. It sounded like marketing, image, you need to sign this, you need to sign that. And I thought, 'Wow, that's not the game I love'.' He emphasised that Liverpool took him as he was and allowed him to focus purely on football.
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler revealed in 2019 that Klopp had turned down both Manchester United and Real Madrid after his time at Borussia Dortmund because of their heavy commercial focus. Fowler quoted Klopp as saying he appreciated Liverpool's balance between necessary funding and preserving the club's history and identity.
Speaking in 2024, Klopp definitively ruled out a return to Premier League management with any other team: 'What I know definitely – I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool, 100 per cent. That's not possible. My love for this club, my respect for the people, is too big.'
Since leaving Liverpool, Klopp has been linked with various managerial roles but has not returned to the dugout. His conditions for any future club remain clear: no overriding commercial priorities and minimal interference from the hierarchy.
