Klopp rules out U-turn; won’t help pick own Liverpool successor

Jurgen Klopp has said he will not help Liverpool identify his successor at Anfield after confirming his intention to leave as manager at the end of this season.

Klopp, 56, signed a four-year contract extension in 2022 that would have tied him to the club until the end of the 2025-26 season, but after taking charge of the team in October 2015, the The former Borussia Dortmund coach has announced his decision. resigning was because he no longer had the energy to do the job.

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Speaking at a press conference at Liverpool's training ground on Friday after revealing his decision to quit hours earlier, Klopp said nothing between now and the end of the season could make him to reconsider his decision to leave.

But despite his success in transforming Liverpool during his eight years in charge, which included winning the Premier League and Champions League, Klopp said he would have no input in the search for a new manager by the club.

“No why should I?” » said Klopp. The last thing they need is advice from the old man saying, 'By the way, make sure you bring him in.'

“I certainly won't do that. You know, for most things I have an opinion, and you won't believe that for most things I still haven't said everything and I have no problem with that.

“I wish the best for the future of this club and for now I am still here and can help them to be the best they can be.

In this world there are a few, in football especially, a few faces and most of the time it's the manager of the club and people like [CEO Billy Hogan] or others who are doing incredible work that we don't often see. This is how we live this business.

“It seems like I'm doing all the work, but I'm not, I can't. That means everything we've built over the last eight and a half years is an incredibly strong structure behind the scenes, so everything goes in the right direction. It's the right thing. It's one of the reasons why I can leave.

“My responsibility was so great that my idea was always to put everything in place to help everything, for this club to become stronger and stronger, and we did it not perfectly but as best as we could .

“So many people are working here with one idea: to find a perfect solution for Liverpool and I’m pretty sure it will happen.”

While Liverpool followed Klopp's resignation by announcing that sporting director Jorg Schmadtke would also leave his post at the end of the January transfer window, the search for the new manager will be led by Hogan and the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso, a former Liverpool midfielder, has become a serious contender after guiding the German side to the top of the Bundesliga this season, but Hogan said the club are now looking to of a manager far from the public eye. , with no deadline set for announcing an appointment.

“From our perspective, I wouldn’t want to set expectations,” Hogan said. “The way we operate as a football club is to make sure we look at all the information and all the data, we've done our due diligence and then make a decision and make an announcement at that time.

“I cannot commit to a timetable on this. It will take place in the background and we will ensure that we do everything we can to make the right decision for the future of this football club.

“This is how we have always operated and we will do so throughout this process and at the same time it should not be a distraction.

“It’s about making sure this campaign continues and the team continues to perform and, as I said, when we have something to say, we will have something to say at that time. “

Hogan admitted, however, that Klopp's decision – Klopp informed the club of his plans in November – came as a shock.

“Yeah, we were talking about it earlier,” Hogan said. “I had a conversation with my son who said, 'I thought he was going to be okay with this forever!' So I can understand the impact and, as he said, the shock.

“We're all in a position where we want to get back to playing and winning football games, but in terms of its impact it's been huge and as a colleague it's been an incredible eight-plus years and as a fan, just as much.

“So we hope that continues, we have goals in front of us and that’s where we’re going to focus.”

Klopp has said he wants to enjoy a “normal life” when he steps down at the end of the season and insisted he will not change his mind about his decision to quit.

When it was reported that Sir Alex Ferguson had reversed course on his decision to retire as Manchester United manager at the end of the 2001-02 season (Ferguson eventually retired in 2013 at the At the age of 71), Klopp has ruled out a similar reverse decision. .

“No. Alex Ferguson did that?” » said Klopp. “No nothing [will make me change my mind]. I respect Alex a lot and I don't know what motivated him. I really thought about it a lot, and thanks to our relationship – mine with the club – the situation is still clear.

I want everything this season and it won't change my mind, and if we don't win anything it won't change my mind. It's a decision I made regardless of any kind of results .

“The potential of the team is an important element. I really see that it's a very good base, no more, we are not better than other teams or anything, but we have a good base to work with and it It's really important, which is why it's a good time to give it to someone else.

“This team is built for the future. When I said Liverpool 2.0, that obviously didn't include me for the next 10 years, but the team is there, the foundation is there.

“Whoever arrives cannot guarantee anyone winning trophies, but can give a good chance to play very good football. That's very good.

“They will have a top manager here, there will be good football. What we have all learned, improved and done over the last few years, going from skeptics to believers and remaining believers in difficult times, if we keep everything that, then it's a wonderful future ahead.

“That’s all I want and I don’t want to be the passenger that disrupts that process.”