Jurgen Klopp announced recently that he will be leaving his post at Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season, bringing to an end a nine-year stay.
He cited his lack of energy to do the job anymore as one of the main reasons he’s stepping down. Speculation has been rife not only regarding who could take the Anfield job, but where he could end up.
While he’s stated outright he will never manage another English club, the German boss was not as definitive about the prospect of never managing again, though that seems a possibility.
Klopp is undoubtedly one of the best managers in the world, and lots of teams would be very happy to be able to call upon him. Here, TEAMtalk looks at six elite jobs the Liverpool manager could take.
Barcelona
Like clockwork, within hours of Klopp announcing his decision to leave Anfield, Barcelona boss Xavi stated that he would also be vacating his post. With an elite manager becoming unattached, attempting to fill the vacant Barcelona spot with him would seem too easy an opportunity to pass up.
It’s recently been reported that the La Liga side will ‘make an approach’ for Klopp in the coming weeks.
And while the report suggested it’s a move they believe will be difficult to pull off at least for next season, Joan Laporta retains hope that the Liverpool boss will see it as a great opportunity.
After winning La Liga last season, Barcelona are off the pace at the moment, so a winner like Klopp seems the perfect man to get them back to the level they want to be at.
Germany
Taking the national team job would surely be the highest honour in football for a German. Klopp might well be afforded the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of top World Cup-winning coaches such as Franz Beckenbauer and Joachim Low.
Indeed, current boss Julian Nagelsmann’s spell in charge of his country has not started out all too well, with Germany having lost twice and drawn once in the four games he’s taken charge of.
That Klopp will take on the Germany role is a decision that’s been mooted by some insiders already, with 2026 World Cup triumph the goal.
Having won 12 trophies in his time as a manager at club level, he might well want to go for the ultimate prize in international football next.
Borussia Dortmund
Klopp had a successful time of it with Dortmund – showing he could compete in a division that Bayern Munich tend to dominate no doubt told Liverpool he could get them back fighting for titles, and he won both Premier League and Champions League trophies with the Reds.
While he twice won the Bundesliga with Dortmund, Klopp never managed to pull off European glory. He guided them to the final in 2012/13, where they lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich.
It will have stung that it was his Bundesliga rivals that dumped his side out at the final hurdle, and returning in an attempt to win the competition is a possibility, with Dortmund having not passed the quarter-finals since Klopp guided them to the final.
They’ve also not won the Bundesliga since 2011/12, the second of two consecutive seasons in which they did with Klopp – Dortmund finished second last season, but on the same points as Bayern, and are currently off the pace in fourth.
That said, they might well welcome their former coach back in an attempt to return to the glory days.
Bayern Munich
Bayern accept nothing less than perfection. It’s why they’ve got the monopoly over the Bundesliga title, having won it in each of the last 11 seasons.
And still, eight different managers have taken charge of the serial title winners since the last time they failed to win it.
Nagelsmann learned of their ruthless streak the hard way, when in March 2023, with Bayern a point behind leaders Borussia Dortmund, he was sacked.
Thomas Tuchel currently has Bayern second, two points below Bayer Leverkusen. It seems almost certain that he won’t be in the job next season if he doesn’t deliver the title, and Klopp, as the last man to deprive them of it, could be next in line.
Indeed, Bayern want the best of the best, and since beating them to the title twice while in Germany, Klopp has carried on his winning ways with Liverpool, something they could be very keen on bringing to the Allianz.
Real Madrid
It was reported in April 2023 that Klopp had been lined up as the ‘number one objective’ of Real Madrid to replace Carlo Ancelotti. Alongside that, it was suggested the Liverpool boss knew it was ‘time to leave’ Anfield.
Well, the second half of that has come true, and with the baton of being Real Madrid manager having changed hands five times since 2018, who could rule out an Ancelotti exit despite the La Liga giants staring down the barrel of another title.
If that is to happen, with Klopp having been on their list previously, and no longer behind the obstacle of already being in a job, they might well come knocking for him.
He’s conquered Germany and England, so Spain seems the obvious next location to check off the list if he wants to stay in club management.
England
The Three Lions job never goes to a truly elite manager who has a habit of winning trophies these days. A lot of people wish that it would be given to someone with a proven record of winning.
Current boss Gareth Southgate was previously an England age-group manager with an unremarkable record in club football.
But many have suggested that the upcoming Euros will be his last chance to win some silverware, or his position will become untenable.
Why not Klopp, then? He’s shown he’s more than capable of not only winning trophies – Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello both did that over fairly long careers before managing England – but crucially, doing so in England.
Klopp has won the Premier League, the FA Cup, League Cup, and the Community Shield, showing he has a very good grasp on how to play football in England.
He’s won the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup for good measure, and would be one of the most qualified England managers in history – the FA would be silly not to approach him post Southgate if he’s out of a job.
