Last Friday came shocking news: Jurgen Klopp, who was expected to lead Liverpool until June 2026, announced that he will step down at the end of the season. Through the club’s official website, he explained the background behind his decision.
The public is now talking about who will succeed Klopp. Various names have surfaced, including Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi, but the German had been considering stepping down as manager as early as midway through last season, when he was in the midst of a poor run of form.
According to Jonathan Northcroft of The Times, it was the manager’s wife, Ulla Kropp, who convinced him to stay on to step down in the middle of last season.
As a result of his persuasion, the team began a midfield revamp during last summer’s transfer window, which resulted in a major team makeover.
The German coach said that his energy was beginning to burn out, but it is easy to imagine that he would tire after years of busy seasons under immense pressure.
Furthermore, it is no wonder that he is suffering from burnout, having won the Premier League, Champions League, and other titles that he could have won.
He decided to delay the time and take charge at Anfield until the end of the season. In an interview, he said that he had explained his decision to his wife and that she understood it well.
“I had to explain it [to Ulla], of course, I had to.”
“It was not like, ‘Oh, thank God.’ You must not misunderstand. Not at all. She asked me why and I explained it like I explain it now to you, with a few more maybe private details, but besides that it was pretty similar.”
“And, obviously, Ulla wants me to do well and be fine, and when she realised that I’m really clear about that – and she knows I don’t take these kind of things lightly – she is happy for me, that I’m happy with the decision. Because that’s the truth.”
“When people tell me now all the different things we do in the moment and what’s going well with the team and stuff like this, I enjoy it like crazy. But I enjoy it as well because I know I will not have to do it forever.”
Liverpoolfc.com