Jürgen Klopp has stunned Liverpool and the world of football by announcing he is to leave the club at the end of the season. The 56-year-old attributed his shock decision to “running out of energy”.
Klopp has been Liverpool manager since 2015 and is under contract until 2026 but, in an announcement via the club’s media channel, has revealed he will stand down two years early.
The news will come as a devastating blow to Liverpool supporters – who idolise the charismatic German – and also to the players and the owner, Fenway Sports Group, whose appointment of the former Borussia Dortmund coach transformed the club’s fortunes.
Liverpool insist no one has been approached about the possibility of replacing Klopp but the former midfielder Xabi Alonso, who has guided Bayer Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga, is likely to be under consideration.
Under Klopp Liverpool have won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Club World Cup. They reached another Carabao Cup final on Wednesday and have a five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, albeit having played one game more.
Klopp said he had told the owners in November of his intention to leave. “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 said.
“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.