Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted: ‘I’ll be back.’ The German was given the freedom of the city of Liverpool two years ago, the highest civic honour possible, and insists his relationship with the Merseyside city is far from over even though he’s leaving the football club.
Klopp will oversee his final match as Liverpool manager today. The Reds face Wolves on the final day of the Premier League season which promises to be an emotionally-charged occasion.
The 56-year-old coach has been at Anfield since October 2015 and in nine years has won a slew of major honours including the club’s first league title in 30 years and the Champions League. Klopp also lifted the FA Cup, two Carabao Cups, a UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
His Liverpool tenure will go down in legend but though he walks away from the job, to be replaced by Arne Slot, Klopp is not done with the city itself. Discussing his farewell plans, Klopp explained: “So after is the party and the speech and then a week after the last matchday there is a ceremony I think.
“I will be there but I’m not sure you will call that an official whatever, and that’s then probably the last time. But again, I don’t see it like that.
“I will not be the manager anymore but in my mind – and it’s really important and that’s why I mention it so often – I stay the ambassador for the [LFC] Foundation, so I have to keep the key of the city and I don’t want to take that lightly.
“I’m pretty sure the club doesn’t need my help in the future but I might be able to help the city a little bit with a few things – with showing up, putting some attention on different things – and I would love to do that, to be honest. Not as a threat, but I’ll be back!”
He added of his plans during his sabbatical: “I can’t wait for life, for the life after the career and now let’s see what that means to me. People ask me, ‘What are you [going to do?]’ I just don’t know. I never had it, so let’s give it a try and then I tell you.”
On the pitch, Klopp is confident of a bright future for Liverpool under Slot, who also waves goodbye to Dutch giants Feyenoord today. He explained: “I told the boys it’s an incredible squad. So we didn’t make it [to winning the league] but nobody has to be overly critical about that.
“It’s a young team, we were unlucky with injuries and how players came back, a couple of things. There’s nothing [wrong] about the quality of the squad. The age group is fantastic, super-experienced players, world-class players, super-talented boys, positions twice everywhere.
“Yes, space for improvement if the club or the new manager wants to do that, for sure space for improvement here and there. But the quality that is there is absolutely outstanding, [the] character is really, really good.
“Everything is sad and emotional but it’s good for them to hear a new voice, to get new sessions, different meetings – that’s all good and opens up the mind and you can go with fresh legs again.
“I had players in my office in the last few days saying goodbye on a personal level, tears in the eyes, it’s so wonderful. But I’m not in doubt about our relationship, not at all – it’s fantastic, was fantastic all the time.
“But we cannot stay together just because we are used to each other. We must all constantly be pushing for the next step, and that’s an important part of my job. I can give energy to other people but for that I need to have it myself.
“And that’s not exactly like it was before. Maybe that will be different in a year or two or three, I don’t know, and then we will see what happens. We will see what happens.”
