Next steps for Jurgen Klopp as he returns to dugout in new job after quitting Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp makes a return to football next month, but Liverpool supporters need not worry about their ex-manager returning to club management just yet. The mastermind behind Liverpool’s first Premier League triumph in the 2019/20 season will be taking charge of a testimonial match for his former Borussia Dortmund stars Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski at Signal Iduna Park on September 7.

After an illustrious nine-year spell with Liverpool, Klopp stepped down at the end of last season, admitting he was “running out of energy” and needed time away from the game to recharge. Despite being linked with various roles during the summer, Klopp appears content with his break from the competitive scene.

The question on everyone’s lips is what the future holds for Klopp and whether he’ll make a comeback to management anytime soon. The Express delves into the details…

Klopp bids farewell to Liverpool

In a poignant moment on the pitch following his final game in charge, Klopp shared with fans: “I thought I would already be in pieces, but I’m not, I’m so happy. I can’t believe it, I’m so happy about you all, the atmosphere, the game, about being part of this family, about us. How we celebrated this day, it’s just incredible. Thank you so much.”

In a moving farewell video, the German went on to say: “Last season was kind of a super-difficult season and there were moments when at other clubs probably the decision would have been, ‘come on, thank you very much for everything but probably we should split here, or end it here’.

“That didn’t happen here, obviously. For me, it was super, super, super-important that I can help to bring this team back onto the rails. It was all I was thinking about. When I realised pretty early that happened, it’s a really good team with massive potential and a super age group, super characters and all that, then I could start thinking about myself again and that was the outcome. It is not what I want to [do], it is just what I think is 100 per cent right.”

The new era dawned as Arne Slot stepped in as Klopp’s successor from June this year, successfully launching into the 2024/25 Premier League season with a sleek 2-0 victory against Ipswich at Portman Road, owed to decisive goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah.

Klopp vows never to manage another English team

Emphasising the finality of his journey with English football, he has resolved never to manage another English team. Ahead of his emotional exit from Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp made a heartfelt declaration of loyalty to the Anfield club, insisting his bonds prevent him from ever coaching another English team. He said: “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. I couldn’t. I couldn’t for a second think about it. There’s no chance. This is part of my life, we are part of the family, we feel home here. There’s no chance to do that.”

Discussing his next steps after Liverpool, Klopp said he needs a break but still feels energised by the prospect of future endeavours. He added: “I will find something else maybe to do. But I will not manage a club or a country at least for a year, that’s not possible, I cannot do that and I don’t want to. That’s all. It’s such a strange situation because I have to explain that I don’t have energy anymore, but now I’m sitting here and I have energy and I’m buzzing for everything that’s happening here.”

He ruled himself out of the England job

Klopp’s stepping down coincided with Gareth Southgate’s departure from the Three Lions following their devastating Euro 2024 final loss to Spain. Last month, Jurgen Klopp categorically ruled out taking up the newly available managerial role and confirmed there were no official offers.

Speaking at the International Coaches’ Congress in Wurzburg, he told the press: “At the moment, there is nothing at all in terms of jobs. No club, no country. England? That would be the biggest loss of face in the history of football if I said I’ll make an exception for you.”

A passion for Padel

Relishing his downtime post-Anfield duties, Klopp sought solace in Padel, a hybrid of tennis and squash, expressing previously how “addicted” he was to the sport, enough to have a court installed at Liverpool’s training grounds for some friendly matches with players.

After leaving Liverpool, Klopp took to Instagram with a video message updating fans about stepping back into his Padel passion. In his heartfelt spiel, he reflected: “So five days ago was the big goodbye. And I’m still trying to process everything that happened that day and then the days around it.

So I’m slightly settled now. But I’m actually not sure if I said clear enough: thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for the love. Thank you for the support. It was a wonderful day, the best experience I could’ve ever imagined, really outstanding. Now what I’m doing I try no, no, I follow my big passion. I try to improve my paddle game. Started two days ago, today is my third session, and I started on an extremely low level, didn’t play for a while and felt it immediately. But step by step, I will get there. Bye.”

The Liverpool manager is also known to be relaxing at his luxurious £3.4million Mallorca mansion, acquired in 2022. Klopp expressed his affection for the Balearic island to the Liverpool Echo, saying: “We are getting older and the medical care here is great. There are many German doctors and I would like to be able to understand every word, how I feel and so on, when the problems become bigger.

“I’ve dreamed of having a house in the south all my life. I like the weather, the climate, I like the people. There are lots of things I like here. And also people I already know. It’s not like I’m looking for new friends. I already have friends for life, and if some of them are here too, that’s cool.

“I don’t want to emigrate. We go on holiday here every now and then. But when I’m here, I want everything to be as I know it. That’s totally boring. But the point is that I want to get to know a different life, but not somewhere in the jungle or on the mountain.”

Aside from these personal indulgences, Klopp took the time to watch the Champions League final – which saw his old team Dortmund lose 2-0 to Real Madrid at Wembley – rounding off an otherwise regular period spent with his nearest and dearest.