Jurgen Klopp to leave Liverpool at end of the season: 'I realise my resources are not endless'
By Chris Bascombe & Sam Wallace
Jurgen Klopp said there is no way he will reverse his decision to quit as Xabi Alonso emerged as the frontrunner to replace him at Liverpool.
With echoes of Bill Shankly quitting in 1974 and Kenny Dalglish in 1991, Klopp delivered the bombshell news he will leave Liverpool at the end of this season. He vowed there will be no Sir Alex Ferguson-style u-turn, regardless of whether his side’s quadruple bid yields major honours before May.
Despite being informed of the decision in November, club owner Fenway Sports Group insist they have not yet zoned in on Klopp’s replacement.
However, just like Klopp when he took over from Brendan Rodgers in 2015, a clear fans’ favourite and seemingly ‘perfect fit’ has emerged from the Bundesliga.
Bayer Leverkusen coach Alonso, who spent five years at Anfield between 2004-09 where he won the Champions League and FA Cup, is in the process of mirroring Klopp’s early managerial successes by taking on the might of Bayern Munich with much more limited financial resources.
Alonso’s previous Kop connections, style of football and his wealth of experience playing under some of the greatest coaches of his generation means he is bound to be a strong candidate, but not the only one.
The 42-year-old was asked on Friday about the inevitable Anfield links and insisted his primary focus was on winning the Bundesliga title.
“At the moment I am really happy here, enjoying my work here. We are enjoying an intense but beautiful journey,” said Alonso.
“I am not in a moment to think about the next thing. I’m just thinking about what is now. What is going to happen in the future, I don’t know.”
In the Premier League, Brighton coach Roberto de Zerbi is another who will tick many boxes given his stellar work with a club punching above its weight.
Liverpool’s chief executive, Billy Hogan, said it is too soon to discuss who will replace Klopp.
“We won’t talk about other people or get into the name game,” he said.
Klopp also vowed to offer no input into the recruitment process.
“No, why should I? That is very important,” said Klopp.
“What we built in the last eight and a half years is an incredibly strong structure behind the scenes. That means so many people work here and with only one idea - to find a perfect solution for Liverpool. I am pretty sure that will happen and the last thing they need is advice from the old man.”
Klopp’s self-deprecating remark offered an insight into the reasoning behind his shock decision. A 40-minute press conference was hastily convened at the AXA Training Centre where he invited ‘1000 questions’ about his decision. The mood was sombre as he explained he no longer has the energy to prepare for another pre-season in the summer of 2024.
“With all the responsibility you have at this club you have to be at the top of your game,” said Klopp.
“I realise my resources are not endless. I prefer to pack everything this season and then have a break or a step back, because you realise we are not young rabbits any more and we don’t jump as high as we did.
“This club, especially with the team we have, needs a manager on his top game and when I cannot be that and I have to tell people. I told first the club and then the coaches and then today everyone knows it. I still think it is the right thing to do. I don’t take these things lightly.”
Ferguson famously announced similar plans to retire in 2001, only to reverse his decision. Klopp was not aware of that u-turn, but said there was no prospect he would change his mind.
“No. I respect Alex a lot so I don’t know what drove him,” said Klopp.
“I don’t want to hang around and do the job somehow. I want everything this season and it wouldn’t change my mind, and if we don’t win anything it wouldn’t change my mind.”
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner paid tribute to Klopp’s integrity in informing the club so soon to ensure they have plenty of time to plan for life without him.
“It has been a privilege to follow Jurgen on his remarkable journey at Liverpool,” Werner told Telegraph Sport.
“He not only embodies what it takes to be the best manager, but he has all the character traits one would want in a friend; honesty, joy, desire, thoughtfulness, charm and wisdom. What I treasure is his perspective on life. He once said ‘life is a present. We have to deal carefully with it and have fun with it’.”
Klopp announces he is stepping down with bombshell statement: As it happened
03:53 PM GMT
Emma Hayes reacts
What an amazing job that man has done, he really has been a fantastic servant to Liverpool Football Club, and I’m sure everybody can respect the reasons for his decision.
Not many people really understand what it takes to be a football manager and trust me, I can completely relate to the things he said.
The players have to put the work in on the pitch and we have to off the pitch. Often coaching teams work long, long hours and big commitment. So as I said, I respect his decision and I wish him well.
03:44 PM GMT
Klopp on this being a good time to hand over the reins
I want to win everything this season and if we don’t win anything it won’t change my mind. It’s independent of results. The big one is the development of the team. We have a good basis to work with and that’s really important, that’s why it’s a good moment to give it to someone else.
03:41 PM GMT
Klopp on his summer plans
I don’t know what a normal life is so I have to figure it out.
03:36 PM GMT
More from Hogan
The way we operate as a football club is to look at all the information, the data and with due diligence and then make our decision. I can’t put a time on it. It will happen behind the scenes. It’s not to be a distraction... it’s about the campaign continuing and the team continuing to perform.
When we have something to say, we will have something to say at that point.
03:32 PM GMT
Klopp not in the mood for reflection
I’m not in the mood to think about that [regrets].
I don’t have to remember anything now. The best memories are yet to come.
That’s not what today is about. I have no regrets but a lot of special memories.
03:30 PM GMT
Klopp on being an honorary Scouser
I knew about the size of the club, but that’s all I knew. I did not know about the people, because how can you know without experiencing it.
Being an honorary Scouser is one of the best things I that could have happened to me.
The way these people deal with difficulties is a role model for me, I learnt so much here.
03:27 PM GMT
CEO Hogan on the recruitment process
We’ll go through the same process that brought us Jurgen almost nine years ago.
We will do the process in private with, as Jurgen said, the ownership and when we have further news we can discuss it but it won’t be a running commentary. At this club we prefer to operate on only speaking when we know. We won’t get into the name game.
03:22 PM GMT
Klopp on working for FSG
By this time it would be so easy in this job to blame the owners if I said ‘FSG could have spent more’ but that’s not it.
We built two stands that will stay forever. We built this AXA training ground that will stay for the next 30, 40 or 50 years. We did it all the Liverpool way, which I love.
That we didn’t win the league with 97 points or the Champions League is fine. You could say we should have spent more money on a player, I understand that’s a fan view but that can never be a professional view.
If you want to blame someone for not winning the Champions League three times then you can blame me, no body else. Everyone else brought us to that point.
03:17 PM GMT
'I cannot do this job on three wheels'
In this moment I love each minute, and the team. But the stuff you have to do next to it, planning, the transfer window and pre-season you have to be spot on because it is really important. And that is the moment I realise.
I have done six press conferences a week for nine years it feels like, and I have no problem with you, but I cannot wait to not do it anymore.
You have to be the best version of yourself - it means so much to so many people. I cannot do this job on three wheels. It takes all of you and needs all of you.
03:12 PM GMT
Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan speaking
When Jurgen joined in 2015 he talked about leaving the club in a better place than when he found it, and he has absolutely done that.
The first time we had a chat about his decision - from a professional and personal standpoint - and I could see from my perspective that this was a decision that he was comfortable with and believed in. That’s something you support and respect.
03:10 PM GMT
Klopp will have no say about his successor
It looks like I do all the work, but I don’t. I can’t and I don’t. Over the last years we have built an incredibly strong structure behind the scenes, which means I can leave and the club will still continue to go in the right direction.
The last thing they need is advice from the old man walking out and I absolutely will not do that.
03:09 PM GMT
Klopp on the remainder of the season
To be distracted you need two parts: one to distract and one to let it happen, and we will not let it happen.
We were not guaranteed to win anything this season and there are still no guarantees. I cannot do the job in the future but I can do it very well right now.
03:07 PM GMT
The players did not ask many questions
The players, we have a really strong bond, so they didn’t ask questions because we are professionals. At the top level, there is an agreement between the manager and the players for a year, even if you have a long contract, things change, the club might sell you etc. But in the middle of the year you are committed.
03:05 PM GMT
'The club needs time to play the future while we are sorting the present'
The relief was there when I made the decision for myself, I did not realise it would be like that but it was the case.
The two important things I had to do was to tell the supporters and the players. The reaction of the players was top, really good, we know each other so long. They know I do not say stuff like that and walk away, when I am here I am really here.
There is not a lot of emotion there, I had some conversations in the last few days with people I had to tell before the public and there were some tears, but that is normal.
The club needs time to play the future while we are sorting the present.
03:03 PM GMT
'This club needs a manager at his top level'
With all the responsibility you have in this job you have to be absolutely at the top of your game. I have been doing this for 24 years now and when you have the career that i have had, it’s pretty much impossible to arrive at Liverpool. If it happens it is because I put everything I have into it.
I realised that my resources are not endless. I prefer to put absolutely everything into this season, and then have a break or whatever. We are not young rabbits anymore and we do not jump as high as we did.
I did not think about it on purpose, it just happened. Then I started thinking and that was the moment I knew this club, especially with the team we have, and the super things we have, needs a manager at his top level.
03:00 PM GMT
Klopp is here
Updates to follow.
02:45 PM GMT
Jurgen Klopp is holding a special press conference
It should begin in about 15 minutes and you can follow live updates here.
02:45 PM GMT
Tom Werner speaks to Telegraph Sport
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has spoken to Telegraph Sport about the bond between owners Fenway Sports Group and manager Jurgen Klopp
“It has been a privilege to follow Jurgen on his remarkable journey at Liverpool. He not only embodies what it takes to be the best manager, but he has all the character traits one would want in a friend; honesty, joy, desire, thoughtfulness, charm and wisdom. What I treasure is his perspective on life. He once said ‘life is a present. We have to deal carefully with it and have fun with it’.”
02:40 PM GMT
Roberto De Zerbi talking about the energy required to manage
You need energy. You have to push every day. You have to keep behaviour to improve every day. You can’t stop your improvement and studying the game and new coaches, development.
If you don’t work with the right energy you lose everything. I like him because of his energy, character... are great. If he changes country or league it is not a good thing.
02:25 PM GMT
Xabi is the man
Jason Burt writes that while Roberto De Zerbi is a strong candidate, Xabi Alonso is the right choice to succeed Jurgen Klopp. Read his reasons why here.
The Spaniard’s football also fits: quick, positive counter-attacking built with a mix of young players and a core of experience. “It’s not tiki-taka,” Alonso has said, although his team do also keep the ball well, and his dynamic, high-octane/ heavy metal approach (sound familiar?) appeals to Liverpool. He has also taken the best from Guardiola in possession and winning the ball back high up the pitch.
02:24 PM GMT
Former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton reacts
I didn’t think I was going to hear it today to be honest. I was at the midweek game, I’ve got to tell you, he was fist pumping with the fans, he joined in with the fans.
What he’s done for this club and his time being in charge, nothing short of phenomenal. To get them back winning the league, getting them to major finals, getting that pride back in the football club, the joy of playing for Liverpool.
02:13 PM GMT
Looks like a bar and hotel near Anfield is being named in Klopp's honour
Due to open in the year the Liverpool manager departs.
01:58 PM GMT
Marco Silva's reaction
A big surprise for all of us. Almost eight years and 500 games and it’s been a big success.
A really nice guy and I wish him all the best.
01:50 PM GMT
Former Liverpool CEO Peter Moore
Well this is news you didn’t want to wake up to on a Friday morning. So fortunate to have been present to watch in awe of the impact this man had on our club and to enjoy the success he and his staff created. “He was made for Liverpool, and Liverpool was made for him”#YNWA pic.twitter.com/UwwTucLZ5i
— Peter Moore (@PeterMooreLFC) January 26, 2024
01:41 PM GMT
Erik ten Hag has spoken
It’s no good for the Premier League. So he has made an era there, he built the club, he brought the club back to where they belong, so congratulations on that. He has done an amazing job in Liverpool.
I can understand that [Klopp running out of energy]. Nine years is a long time. I think it’s a period by building up, achieving targets but also I think setbacks and going into difficult periods. The Premier League is very intense, the combination with European club football, when you’re there nine years it’s a long period and I can understand he is running out of energy and that is one of his arguments to step down.
01:34 PM GMT
Xabi Alonso speaking for the first time since the news
I have huge respect for Jurgen, huge admiration before coming to Liverpool and during his years there it has become even bigger for what he has achieved and how he achieved it.
At the moment I am really happy here, enjoying my work here. Each day and each game is a challenge. We are enjoying an intense but beautiful journey.
I am not in a moment to think about the next thing. I’m just thinking about what is now. I’m in a great place and I’m enjoying it.
01:28 PM GMT
Sam Wallace with some exclusive news
Liverpool have no successor lined up to replace Jurgen Klopp following the shock announcement that he is to stand down. The club will run a recruitment process from now until the summer with the aim of making an appointment around the end of the season.
You can read the full story here, including detail on why Klopp decided the time was right to walk away.
01:25 PM GMT
Former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel on the task facing the club
Liverpool has less than 6 months to find someone that firstly have to understand or adapt asap to the LFC way of playing/culture.. but also has to try live up to the Jurgen Klopp standards… not an easy task 😰 #LFC #JurgenKlopp
— Ryan Babel (@Ryanbabel) January 26, 2024
01:14 PM GMT
Chris Kirkland speaking on BBC Radio 5Live
He treats everybody the same, he gives you that hug, the smile, he just makes you feel good when you’re around him. Just gives you a sense of ease when you’re around him. He’s just a wonderful human being. He’s certainly going to be missed. I’m sure it’s the right decision for him.
01:03 PM GMT
That mural will not be going anywhere at the end of the season
01:01 PM GMT
Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic reacts
Jurgen Klopp is an outstanding person. I was lucky enough to get to know him here. He has shaped our club and Liverpool like no other. I am sure that there will be another station in his coaching life, there will be a place where he will do a similarly good job.
01:00 PM GMT
Comeback kings
148 - Since Jürgen Klopp's first game in charge of Liverpool in October 2015, Liverpool have won more points from losing positions than any other side across Europe's big-five leagues (148). Monsters. pic.twitter.com/glcZelNfqm
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 26, 2024
12:49 PM GMT
Have your say...
12:48 PM GMT
Graeme Souness' reaction
I’m amazed, I just think the demands of that job, it’s one of the best jobs in the world if you get it right and he has done that. It would appear he has got a team again but it’s just the toll it takes on the individual.
When I look at Juergen Klopp he is such a perfect fit for Liverpool cause he is on it, he’s at it. He’s aggressive, he’s emotional and confrontational but that takes a toll. The pressure of being a manager at a big football club are enormous.
12:48 PM GMT
Thomas Tuchel's reaction
Kloppo is one of the best coaches of all time. He’s always managed to influence an entire club at all his clubs. It’s huge news.
12:46 PM GMT
Undoubtedly one of the best managers in the club's history
Klopp could finish with the highest win percentage of any manager in Liverpool’s history and still has the chance to climb from fourth place in terms of trophies won with the club.
As of the announcement of the German’s imminent departure he has won 60.7 per cent of matches, trailing only Sir Kenny Dalglish’s 60.9 per cent across two spells and narrowly ahead of the club’s formative managerial partnership William Edward Barclay and John McKenna who won 60.6 per cent from 1892 to 1896.
Only Bob Paisley, with 20 trophies including six league titles, Bill Shankly (11) and Dalglish (nine) rank ahead of Klopp’s trophy count with the club
12:33 PM GMT
United fans will be glad to see the back of him
7-0 + 5-0 - Jürgen Klopp has overseen both Liverpool's biggest win overall against Manchester United (7-0 in March 2023) and their biggest win at Old Trafford (5-0 in October 2021). Dreams. pic.twitter.com/LNQAvtE4zm
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 26, 2024
12:10 PM GMT
Fans are gathering at Klopp's mural
12:07 PM GMT
Liverpool's players only told this morning
Although Klopp told the Liverpool hierarchy of his intention in November, the players were only informed this morning. Naturally, they are as shocked as the supporters and the rest of the football world.
12:05 PM GMT
Another departure
Liverpool’s sporting director Jorg Schmadtke will leave at the end of the January transfer window.
Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon said: “We would like to place on record our gratitude to Jorg for the important role he has played since joining Liverpool last summer.
“He has made a valuable contribution, both in terms of the support he provided to Jürgen Klopp and the assistance and guidance given to our outstanding football operations department.
“As well as departing with our appreciation for his efforts, we would also like to take this opportunity to offer Jorg and his family our very best wishes for the future.”
12:01 PM GMT
Klopp kept the league competitive in the face of Man City's power
4 - The top four in the Premier League since Jürgen Klopp's first game in the competition (October 17th 2015):
716pts - Manchester City
671pts - Liverpool
583pts - Tottenham Hotspur
576pts - Arsenal
Fight. pic.twitter.com/D1y5aLdssx— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 26, 2024
11:47 AM GMT
Don't discount De Zerbi
Given the timing of the announcement and that Klopp says he told owner Fenway Sports Group in November of his intentions, one has to believe directors John Henry, Mike Gordon and Tom Werner already know who they want to replace Klopp. I suspect fans of Bayer Leverkusen and Brighton will be quite nervous. Xabi Alonso is the obvious frontrunner, but no opponent has won more praise from Klopp than Roberto De Zerbi…
11:39 AM GMT
Who could replace Klopp?
Luke Edwards looks over the runners and riders here. At this very early stage, Xabi Alonso feels the front-runner but the first name linked does not always get the job.
A hugely popular former Liverpool player and has excelled as manager of Bayern Leverkusen who have an excellent chance to end Bayern Munich’s stranglehold on the Bundesliga this season. Leverkusen, who operate on a fraction of the budget of Germany’s biggest club, are four points clear at the top of the table playing some scintillating football.
11:31 AM GMT
Have the players known?
Klopp says he told Liverpool of his plans in November. Did he also tell the players? You would have thought not, considering the news has been kept under wraps. But Liverpool have been on a strong run, and it is tempting to wonder if their players have been driven by the extra motivation.
11:27 AM GMT
Jurgen Klopp will speak at a press conference at 3pm
He has already given a lengthy interview with Liverpool’s website, but it will be interesting to see if any more detail about the decision emerges.
11:22 AM GMT
Klopp hints at retirement
“If you ask me, ‘Will you ever work as a manager again?’ I would say now no. But I don’t know obviously how that will feel because I never had the situation. What I know definitely – I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool.”
11:16 AM GMT
Memories revived of Bill Shankly's shock retirement
There’s a famous clip of former Granada TV presenter and Factory Records boss Tony Wilson on the streets of Liverpool on the day Bill Shankly quit Liverpool.
It was 1974 and Wilson found a couple of teenagers, the Mancunian suspiciously gleeful as he informed them of Shankly’s decision.
At first, there was denial: “You’re havin’ us on.”
As the truth sinks in, the youngsters’ faces whiten. They receive the news with bewilderment, and then the kind of shock that is more akin to a bereavement.
Fast forward to 1991 and there were similar emotions when an ashen-faced Kenny Dalglish sat alongside chief executive Peter Robinson and said he was leaving a team that was top of the league, bidding for another double.
It is testimony to Jurgen Klopp’s standing that today’s announcement immediately revived those memories. Klopp belongs alongside Shankly and Dalglish in defining an Anfield generation. He has only been at Liverpool for nine years, and yet it is impossible to imagine the club without him.
As in 1974 and 1991, the immediate question was ‘why?’ The follow-up, never fully answered in Shankly’s case, is ‘why now?’. For Dalglish, the circumstances were more obvious in retrospect as he later spoke about being drained in the aftermath of the Hillsborough tragedy of 1989.
Klopp’s explanation that he has run out of energy will no doubt resonate with fellow managers more than bewildered supporters who hoped he would stay for 20 years.
To be Liverpool manager, you need to be more than a coach - you are the emblem of the city in a way none but those who hold a post at a club of similar status can comprehend.
As the Shankly example showed, no-one is irreplaceable. But on a day such as this, it is impossible to imagine anyone more suited to being Liverpool manager than Jurgen Klopp.
11:12 AM GMT
Klopp's Liverpool record
Games played: 466
Games won: 283
Games drawn: 105
Games lost: 78
Goals: 972
Goals conceded: 469
Win per centage: 60.7
11:08 AM GMT
'Klopp was the manager who got Liverpool'
So Auf Wiedersehen Jurgen Klopp. You were the manager who arrived at Liverpool in Oct 2015 and described yourself as the ‘Normal One’ and proved to be far, far more than that. You have been the manager who gave Liverpool their Liverpool back, who brought back the good times, the confidence, the power and the trophies. You have been a modern-day great of a manager and the only one who went toe-to-toe with Manchester City and, on occasions, even had Pep Guardiola running scared with your relentless football and intensity.
The one regret will be that Liverpool probably did not win the number of trophies they deserved under your watch. They won a lot. They won the lot. But that City juggernaut is one daunting rival.
Above all, though, you proved to be the manager who got Liverpool: the club, the fans and, importantly, the city. The debt is huge and it will be the way that you so clearly and empathetically identified with Liverpool that will be your greatest legacy. That and the rare ability to harness the club’s storied history rather than being weighed down by it.
“Imagine being us,” read a banner in the away end at Craven Cottage as Klopp led Liverpool to another cup final, knocking Fulham out of the Carabao Cup. Less than 48 hours later the announcement of Klopp’s departure at the end of the season must have felt like the air being knocked out of those delirious fans. The noise that accompanied that announcement was of their hearts breaking.
There have been times when you have gone too far and those touchline antics have been too much. That cannot be ignored. But no-one doubts they were born of a fierce competitive instinct.
“Does anyone in this room think I can do wonders?” you asked at your unveiling nine years ago. A few in that room did and you have done just that, restoring Liverpool to their perch as they attack all four competitions this season. What a finale you have potentially set up. What a way to go it could be. What a legacy it already is. What a hard act to follow.
11:06 AM GMT
Telegraph Sport columnist Jamie Carragher:
This news was always going to be a body blow to the club whenever it came.
I just thought it would be another few years away.
What a manager, what a man, let’s go out with a bang Jurgen! https://t.co/ajw372IEWX— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) January 26, 2024
11:01 AM GMT
The big questions....
Where will Klopp manage next, if at all? Who do Liverpool replace him with? How will this affect Liverpool’s form in the remainder of the season as they fight on four fronts?
There are slight echoes of Sir Alex Ferguson announcing his intention to retire halfway through the 2001-02 season. United finished third behind Liverpool and Arsenal that year, and their trophyless campaign was partly pinned on the effect of Ferguson’s announcement.
Not quite the same situation, but you can bet your bottom dollar on what Liverpool’s next defeat will be blamed on.
10:58 AM GMT
Pep Lijnders will also be leaving at the end of the season
Liverpool say he will pursue his own ambitions in management. So it will be a completely new set-up on the Liverpool bench next season.
10:54 AM GMT
Klopp is currently English football's third longest-serving manager
He has been in post 8 years, 106 days. Only Accrington Stanley’s John Coleman and Harrogate Town’s Simon Weaver have been in post for longer.
10:50 AM GMT
Klopp says he told Liverpool his decision in November
“I told the club already in November. I have to explain a little bit that maybe the job I do people see from the outside, I’m on the touchline and in training sessions and stuff like this, but the majority of all the things happen around these kind of things. That means a season starts and you plan pretty much the next season already.
“When we sat there together talking about potential signings, the next summer camp and can we go wherever, the thought came up, ‘I am not sure I am here then anymore’ and I was surprised myself by that. I obviously start thinking about it.
“It didn’t start [then], but of course 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.”
10:47 AM GMT
Judging by the immediate social media reaction...
I think the words Xabi and Alonso are going to be trending as Liverpool fans speculate about who will have the unenviable task of replacing Klopp.
10:44 AM GMT
Klopp's statement
“I can understand that it’s a shock for a lot of people in this moment, when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it – or at least try to explain it.
“I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take.
“It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.
“After the years we had together and after all the time we spent together and after all the things we went through together, the respect grew for you, the love grew for you and the least I owe you is the truth – and that is the truth.”
10:41 AM GMT
Bombshell annoucement
Jurgen Klopp will step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season after almost eight years in charge.
The German, who has delivered a Champions League and the club’s first league title for 30 years, says he has “run out of energy”.
A message to Liverpool supporters from Jürgen Klopp. pic.twitter.com/l7rtmxgOzt
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 26, 2024
