May 19, 2024 will forever be remembered as something of an emotional day for Liverpool fans.
Jurgen Klopp, the most successful Reds manager of the Premier League era, took charge of his last game against Wolves at Anfield, winning 2-0. While their title hopes were already over, the final day of the 2023/24 Premier League season was still a special one for supporters on Merseyside and across the world as they saluted the man who ended their 30-year wait to become league champions and delivered their sixth UEFA Champions League title.
Klopp spoke at length of a need to rest and recharge after a highly intense time in England since replacing Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, but his successes at Liverpool — not to mention Borussia Dortmund previously — will make him a hugely in-demand coach when he turns his attention to a new adventure.
Of course, that's assuming he still wants to do the job. In July 2024, Klopp suggested he had actually come to the decision to retire, having "coached the best clubs in the world" during his illustrious career.
So, is that really that? The Sporting News looks at the latest around Klopp's post-Liverpool plans.
MORE: Why Arne Slot is the man to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool
Where is Jurgen Klopp going after Liverpool?
Klopp always insisted he planned to take a sabbatical after leaving Liverpool. A return to coaching is not anticipated until at least 2025.
Klopp himself said so, when he announced his Liverpool exit. "I know myself, I cannot just sit around [after leaving]," Klopp said. "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."
His immediate focus was on attending the UEFA Champions League final, after which he went to some games at Euro 2024 in Germany. "We have tickets for a few games at the Euros but besides that we didn't plan anything," he told The Guardian. "Being in Germany for a long time, meeting friends, nothing spectacular. Just easy-going, not planning a preseason or being involved in any transfer talks."
Naturally, there has been fevered speculation around Klopp's potential next job despite his insistence he wanted a break. Bayern Munich's chaotic search for a head coach for 2024/25 saw them linked with the former Borussia Dortmund boss, but there is little concrete evidence that they had any sincere discussions over the role. There was also talk of a possible move into international management with the United States or England, but either move feels fanciful at this stage.
The only thing Klopp has been clear about is that he will not take another manager job in the Premier League. "I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool, 100 per cent," he said. "That's not possible. My love for this club, my respect for the people is too big."
Is Jurgen Klopp retiring?
Klopp turned 57 in June 2024 and has been in coaching since 2001, the year that he ended his long playing career with Mainz. Based on comments made in late July, it appears he may have decided to call time on his days in the dugout.
When he was asked to clarify a suggestion he could retire after leaving Liverpool, he said, "So, I think some other people used that word [retirement] when I had my announcement and I thought, 'That's the right way to say it'. I just step aside here, so that's the idea. I don't know what is happening after."
However, speaking at the International Coaches' Congress, Klopp said: "As of today, that's it for me as a coach. I didn't quit on a whim, but it was a general decision. I've also coached the best clubs in the world."
Time will tell whether he truly meant those words.
What was Jurgen Klopp's reason for leaving Liverpool?
Klopp is not likely to take a new job any time soon because of the very reason he chose to leave Liverpool — quite simply, he is exhausted, drained of energy from a taxing job year after year.
When he announced this year that he would be stepping down after eight and a half years at Anfield, the German explained to fans: "That I still take this decision probably shows you that I'm convinced it's the one I have to take. It is that I'm… how can I say… I'm running out of energy.
"I have no problem now. I think I know it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point. I'm absolutely fine now, but I also know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.
MORE: Klopp's full explanation for leaving Liverpool
"After all the years we had together and all the time we spent together, all the things we went through together, the respect grew for you and the love grew for you. The least I owe you is the truth. And that's the truth."
Klopp's explanation drew comparisons with Pep Guardiola when the Catalan coach left Barcelona in 2012. After four years in the Camp Nou dugout, which included a gruelling battle for La Liga supremacy with Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, Guardiola admitted he had nothing left to give.
"The reason is simple: four years is enough," he said when asked why he would not renew his contract.
"I'm drained and I need to fill up. The demand has been very high and a manager must be strong."