Footie Mashes: Klopp Chooses Liverpool Over Germany's Top Job
DFB considers Klopp for coaching role: "Would've gladly taken the offer"
Berlin (dpa) - Jürgen Klopp might've been the nation's beloved German national football coach for the home Euro tournament, but when the DFB was on the hunt for a new coach in 2023, the cult gaffer stayed put with the struggling FC Liverpool. Now, the 58-year-old has given the deets on why he turned down the offer.
"The season prior wasn't goin' so hot for Liverpool, and post-season, Germany was in need of a fresh coaching face," Klopp told "Die Welt am Sonntag". "I could've hopped on board, 'cause a change could've been better, circumstances-wise," he acknowledged. But Klopp wasn't feelin' it. "I wasn't down for it. And it wasn't just about the national coaching gig, tbh," he elaborated. "I couldn't skedaddle from Liverpool like that. There was a squad, there were mates, I'd built connections with," he explained.
He planned to mend things with new blood and the core crew in Liverpool. "That was vital," Klopp stressed. "We managed to sort things out, yep. But the call to stay put in Liverpool had already been made."
In late January 2024, Klopp came clean about his plans to skedaddle at the season's end, and the team eventually closed shop in third place in the Premier League, hauling in the League Cup along the way. The following season, Liverpool took the championship under the new boss, Arne Slot, while Germany's boys made an early exit in the Euro quarters under Julian Nagelsmann, despite leaving a rollercoaster of thrills for the football enthusiasts[2][3][4].
Come January 2025, Klopp hopped ship to Red Bull as the Global Head of Soccer, and when asked about a possible return to the coaching bench, he said: "My gut feeling says nay. I enjoyed the grind. But I ain't pinein' for it."
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"Although he had the opportunity to coach Germany in the Euro tournament, Jürgen Klopp opted to stay with Liverpool's football team, where he had built connections and a squad, rather than switching to coach the national team."
"Jürgen Klopp, despite facing a struggling season with FC Liverpool, remained committed to the team and refused the offer to coach the German national football team, choosing to focus on mending things with his Liverpool squad instead."
