Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expressed hope on Tuesday that Mohamed Salah will sign a new contract to stay at Anfield beyond the end of this season. “I hope he stays. He is a fantastic player, a fantastic human being, an outstanding athlete, the best ambassador your country could have. So I hope he will stay at Liverpool,” Klopp replied to a question about Salah from an Egyptian journalist during a press conference in Austria.

Klopp was speaking at his unveiling as Red Bull’s head of global soccer, a role in which he will oversee the energy drinks conglomerate’s football empire.

The German is starting out in the position having left Liverpool at the end of last season, after close to nine years as the club’s manager.

Red Bull controls clubs in several countries around the world, including RB Leipzig in Klopp’s native Germany, while it recently acquired a minority stake in French second-tier side Paris FC.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have enjoyed a seamless transition to life without Klopp, as they sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League and top of the Champions League standings under his successor Arne Slot.

Klopp reiterated that he felt it was the right time to step down at Anfield and said he did not miss the daily grind of club management.

“I am more than happy not to be there,” he said.

“It is really great that they are doing so well, I wish them all the best. I watch as many games as I can.

“It is great football. Even if you don’t support Liverpool right now you had better watch them because it is really top football, maybe the best balanced in the world right now.”

The former Borussia Dortmund coach added that he hoped Salah’s fellow stars Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold would also choose to extend their contracts, which expire at the end of the season too.

“I am so happy I am not in charge in that situation, having to answer these questions,” he sighed.

“From my point of view I would love all three of them to extend their contracts but I don’t know, they didn’t tell me.”

Asked if he could try to sign any of them for the Red Bull empire, which includes New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer, he responded with a touch of irony:

“Oh yeah. Virgil I am sure would love to have five more years at Liverpool and then play from 41 to 44 for New York Red Bulls because he probably underestimates US football.

“Mo, yes I would love to, but I don’t think we have a chance to pay him to be honest.

“I am just really happy I am no longer a part of it.”

Fans of Bundesliga side Mainz unveiled banners slamming former coach Jurgen Klopp’s decision to join Red Bull in Saturday’s 2-0 home loss against RB Leipzig. Using a play on words with Klopp’s last name, the home fans asked “Are you crazy?” and used a quote from their side’s former boss: “I like people until the point they disappoint me.” A larger banner, in big red letters, asked Klopp if he had “forgotten everything we gave you?”. A former player at the club, Klopp coached Mainz for seven years, taking the team to the top flight for the first time before moving to Borussia Dortmund and later Liverpool. 

Klopp stepped down as Liverpool manager in the summer having won several titles, including the Premier League and Champions League. 

In October, Klopp announced he would join energy drink company Red Bull, which owns clubs in Leipzig, Salzburg and New York, as their global head of football from January 2025.

His decision to take up the job at Red Bull has annoyed supporters in Germany — particularly at ex-clubs Dortmund and Mainz — who have a long-standing dislike of RB Leipzig.

Some fans believe Leipzig, founded in 2009, are not consistent with Germany’s 50+1 rule, which requires member control of clubs, while others have hit out at the multi-club ownership model used by Red Bull.

Leipzig’s win at Mainz sent the club, who are yet to lose in the league this season, top of the table — at least until Bayern Munich’s match against Stuttgart at home later on Saturday.

Leipzig coach Marco Rose, who played under Klopp for several years at Mainz, dismissed the fans’ criticism as a minority opinion. 

“There are 35,000 people in the stadium, many of whom have an opinion. I believe that around 34,936 people love Kloppo for the fact that he shaped an era here, that we achieved something great together,” said Rose. 

“He was here in Mainz for a long time.

“Everyone has their own life somewhere and the right to decide things freely and for themselves. Not everyone has to love it.”

Rose added that: “(He) didn’t even notice (the banner), so it can’t have been that wild.”

Borussia Dortmund fans have reacted with anger and frustration after former coach Jurgen Klopp’s announcement he will take over as head of football operations at Red Bull. The energy drink company, which owns Dortmund’s Bundesliga rival RB Leipzig along with teams in Salzburg and New York, made the surprise announcement on Wednesday, with the former Liverpool coach starting his role in January. Klopp became a local hero in Dortmund, delivering two Bundesliga titles and a German Cup during his seven years at the club while also taking them to the 2013 Champions League final.

The Dortmund fanzine Schwatzgelb, however, said that Klopp had destroyed his reputation and “torn it down with a bang”.

It also took issue with Klopp’s self-label of ‘the normal one’, a tongue-in-cheek reference to Jose Mourinho’s declaration he was ‘a special one’ on arriving at Chelsea.

“The normal one, unfortunately (is) normal on all levels. Normal like everyone else in this dirty business,” the magazine wrote.

“Jurgen Klopp’s decision to support Red Bull has ruined his life’s work, at least for a large proportion of fans in Dortmund and in Germany,” it said while adding he had given a “well-mannered middle finger” to Dortmund fans.

The 57-year-old had retained his reputation in Dortmund in spite of leaving for Liverpool in 2015 where he went on to win several titles, including the Champions League and Premier League, before stepping down in the summer, citing a lack of energy.

He was given a rousing reception at a testimonial match in September in front of 81,365 fans at Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion.

His willingness to speak out on social issues — including commercialism in football — has also formed part of his legacy, as has his ‘everyman’ appeal.

In England, he spoke out against match time slots being determined by TV networks as well as the broader issues of populism and Brexit.

He was openly critical of the European Super League in 2021, despite support from Liverpool’s ownership for the breakaway competition.

His decision to take up the job at Red Bull has annoyed Dortmund supporters who, like many fans in Germany, have a long-standing dislike of RB Leipzig.

Some fans believe Leipzig, founded in 2009, are not consistent with Germany’s 50+1 rule, which requires member control of clubs, while others have hit out at the multi-club ownership model used by Red Bull.

‘No surprise’

Surprise at Klopp’s decision was not uniform however, even at Dortmund where managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke wished him “good luck in his new job”.

“It was no surprise to me because we talked about it personally,” he told AFP’s German sports subsidiary SID on Wednesday.

Klopp had previously defended the Red Bull model while calling himself a football “traditionalist”.

In an interview with the DFL, who organise the Bundesliga, Klopp said he “understood how RB Leipzig was criticised by football traditionalists — of which I am one.

“But I find that Leipzig hasn’t taken anything away from traditional clubs, they’ve just gone their own way.

“They don’t earn more money than Dortmund, or Bayern. They develop young players — the whole idea is a football idea and not a money idea.”

Former Manchester United coach Ralf Rangnick, who held the same position Klopp will take over in January, said: “It will certainly be exciting to see what Jurgen can contribute.”

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has a new role as head of football operations at Red Bull, which owns the Leipzig, Salzburg and New York clubs, the company said Wednesday. Klopp left Liverpool at the end of last season after nine years in charge, during which he breathed new life into the club and won the Premier League and Champions League. His announcement in January that he was leaving came as a shock to the club’s fans but Klopp said he was exhausted by the role. The 57-year-old’s new job with the Austrian energy drinks giant does not involve hands-on coaching.

According to a statement released by the company, “Klopp will not interfere in the day-to-day business of the clubs, but rather take on a higher-level strategic position.”

Klopp himself said: “I see my role primarily as a mentor for the coaches and management of the Red Bull clubs.

“After nearly 25 years on the sidelines, I couldn’t be more excited to be involved in a project like this.”

The 57-year-old will start his tenure on January 1, 2025.

Sky Germany reports Klopp’s contract includes an exit clause which allows him to take over as manager of the German national side should he be approached.

Klopp spends much of his time at his home on the Spanish island of Majorca and retains a sponsorship role with German sportswear maker Adidas.

Hans-Joachim Watzke, the managing director of Klopp’s former club Borussia Dortmund, told AFP’s German sports subsidiary on Wednesday he had discussed the Red Bull role with him. 

“As always, I wish Jurgen good luck in his new job,” Watzke said.

“It was no surprise to me because we talked about it personally,” he added.

Earlier this month, Klopp was presented with Germany’s Federal Cross of Merit.

In addition to their extensive football interests, Red Bull are the principal sponsor of the reigning Formula One champion team of Max Verstappen. 

File photo of Jurgen Klopp.
| Photo Credit: AP

Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a return to coaching in the near future, including for the vacant England job, saying on July 31 “as of today, that’s it for me as a coach”.

Speaking at a German Football Coaches Association meeting in Wuerzburg, the former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund mentor said: “I didn’t decide to stop on a whim, it was a general decision.”

Klopp stood down as Liverpool boss at the end of the 2023-24 season citing exhaustion after 23 years in club management.

The 57-year-old was almost immediately linked to several vacant jobs, including as England coach when manager Gareth Southgate stood down the Three Lions lost the Euro 2024 final in Berlin.

“I’m looking for peace and quiet, I’m one hundred percent in the here and now and I’m enjoying it.

“It was just time to step aside and put the whole thing to rest,” said Klopp, adding that making a special exception for a club or country “would be a great loss of face.”

The coach said he was enjoying retirement but would work again in football at some point, even if his days in the dugout were over.

“I’m too young to just play padel tennis and spend time with my grandchildren.

“Will I be a coach again? I would actually rule that out at the moment. Let’s see how it looks in a few months. At the moment, there’s nothing in the pipeline.

“We can perhaps talk about it again in a few months.

“I still want to work in football and help people with my experience and contacts. Let’s see what else there is for me,” said Klopp, who added he had “already coached the best clubs in the world.”

Klopp played 325 games for Mainz before stepping up to the role of coach in 2001.

He moved to Dortmund in 2008, winning two league titles and taking the club to the 2013 Champions League final before signing with Liverpool in 2015.

At Liverpool, Klopp ended the Reds’ 30-year wait for the Premier League title. He also took the club to three Champions League finals, winning one, delivered an FA Cup, two League Cups and a UEFA Supercup.

The coach joked that anyone linking him with a return to coaching had not been paying attention.

“At the moment there’s nothing job-wise. No club, no country. A few people must not have heard that part.”

Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a return to coaching in the near future, including for the vacant England job, saying Wednesday “as of today, that’s it for me as a coach”. Speaking at a German Football Coaches Association meeting in Wuerzburg, the former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund mentor said: “I didn’t decide to stop on a whim, it was a general decision.” Klopp stood down as Liverpool boss at the end of the 2023-24 season citing exhaustion after 23 years in club management. The 57-year-old was almost immediately linked to several vacant jobs, including as England coach when manager Gareth Southgate stood down the Three Lions lost the Euro 2024 final in Berlin.

“I’m looking for peace and quiet, I’m one hundred percent in the here and now and I’m enjoying it. 

“It was just time to step aside and put the whole thing to rest,” said Klopp, adding that making a special exception for a club or country “would be a great loss of face.”

The coach said he was enjoying retirement but would work again in football at some point, even if his days in the dugout were over. 

“I’m too young to just play padel tennis and spend time with my grandchildren. 

“Will I be a coach again? I would actually rule that out at the moment. Let’s see how it looks in a few months. At the moment, there’s nothing in the pipeline.

“We can perhaps talk about it again in a few months. 

“I still want to work in football and help people with my experience and contacts. Let’s see what else there is for me,” said Klopp, who added he had “already coached the best clubs in the world.”

Klopp played 325 games for Mainz before stepping up to the role of coach in 2001. 

He moved to Dortmund in 2008, winning two league titles and taking the club to the 2013 Champions League final before signing with Liverpool in 2015. 

At Liverpool, Klopp ended the Reds’ 30-year wait for the Premier League title. He also took the club to three Champions League finals, winning one, delivered an FA Cup, two League Cups and a UEFA Supercup. 

The coach joked that anyone linking him with a return to coaching had not been paying attention. 

“At the moment there’s nothing job-wise. No club, no country. A few people must not have heard that part.” 

File picture of Arne Slot coaching Dutch side Feyenoord. Slot replaces Jurgen Klopp as manager of Liverpool
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Arne Slot will take on one of the most daunting challenges in football by replacing Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager.

Slot was confirmed on Monday after he signed a long-term contract with the six-time European Cup winner and 19-time English champion.

ALSO READ | Manchester City win historic fourth straight Premier League title

He will follow in the footsteps of an Anfield icon in Klopp, who ended Liverpool’s 30-year wait for the English title in 2020 and won a full set of major trophies in his time at the Merseyside club.

Slot comes in with a winning record of his own after leading Feyenoord to the Dutch title last year and following that with the Dutch Cup this season.

He will formally take up his role on June 1 and his contract runs through to 2027, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details of the contract have not been made public.

Slot’s appointment was expected for some time, as the 45-year-old Dutchman said he was in talks with Liverpool in April and announced he would be Klopp’s successor last week.

Slot has coached Feyenoord since 2021 and was previously with AZ Alkmaar. His work with both clubs has seen his reputation rise for his coaching methods and achievements in a short time.

Klopp’s legacy

Klopp stunned the world of football when he declared in January he would step down at the end of the season. The German established himself as one of the finest managers of his generation.

He won the Champions League in 2019, the Premier League in 2020, and the English League Cup and FA Cup in 2022. He departed with one final trophy, the League Cup in February.

Under his watch, Liverpool also won the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup and was a beaten finalist in two more Champions Leagues.

Liverpool took its time identifying Klopp’s successor.

Michael Edwards, its former sporting director, returned in March as chief executive of football for the club’s American owners Fenway Sports Group and led the search.

Edwards was a key figure in Klopp’s success — overseeing the signings of star players like Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker, and Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool fans can only hope he is as adept at identifying coaching talent after putting his faith in Slot.

Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso was a leading contender for the job until he announced in March he was staying at Bayern Leverkusen after its unbeaten run to the German title.

Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim was among other potential candidates.

Kyle Walker of Manchester City lifts the Premier League Trophy after their team’s victory over West Ham United at Etihad Stadium on May 19, 2024 in Manchester, England.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Manchester City created English football history on May 19, overcoming West Ham 3-1 to win their fourth straight Premier League title and break Arsenal’s hearts as Jurgen Klopp made an emotional Liverpool exit.

Phil Foden scored two early goals at an expectant Etihad to put his side on the brink of the title before Mohammed Kudus pulled one back with a spectacular overhead kick. But Rodri struck just before the hour to restore City’s two-goal cushion and the home side rarely looked troubled as they coasted to the win.

Arsenal started the day two points behind their rivals and praying for a miracle to deny City their coronation, knowing that a win against Everton would not be enough if the champions won on home turf.

The Gunners, without a Premier League title since 2004, came from a goal down to beat Everton 2-1 but had to content themselves with second in the table for a second straight season.

City, who have now won six titles in seven years, stand alone as the only English team to have won four straight top-flight titles, eclipsing the achievements of the great Liverpool and Manchester United teams of the past.

“It is so hard to put into words what we’ve done today,” Foden told Sky Sports. “No team has ever done it [won four in a row]. We have put ourselves into the history books. You see what it means to the fans and to us players working all year for this moment. A special moment to share it with the fans.”

Elsewhere on the final day of the Premier League season, Luton’s relegation was confirmed with a 4-2 loss at home to Fulham. They will join Burnley and Sheffield United in the Championship next season.

Tottenham beat relegated Sheffield United 3-0 to seal fifth spot and a place in next’s season’s Europa League while Chelsea guaranteed a sixth-place finish with a 2-1 win against Bournemouth.

Newcastle’s 4-2 win at Brentford condemned Manchester United to an eighth-place finish — their lowest since 1990.

Foden magic

Foden, 23, has enjoyed his most impressive season yet for City, taking his tally to 27 goals in all competitions on Sunday, together with 11 assists.

The England man opened the scoring on Sunday after just 79 seconds with a vicious left-footed shot from outside the penalty area, settling nerves among the home fans. He then passed the ball into the net in the 18th minute after an assist from Jeremy Doku.

City appeared to have one hand on the trophy and news then filtered through that Everton had taken the lead at Arsenal, leaving Mikel Arteta’s men leaving an unlikely sequence of events to come out on top.

But the title race came alive again within the space of a few minutes when Takehiro Tomiyasu side-footed home to level at the Emirates before Kudus pulled one back for West Ham.

The atmosphere became more subdued at the Etihad but the visitors rarely threatened again in David Moyes’s final game in charge and Rodri’s goal in the 59th minute eased the pressure.

Arsenal fell behind to Idrissa Gueye’s 40th-minute goal at home but Tomiyasu levelled just three minutes later and Kai Havertz sealed a 2-1 win in the 89th minute.

Klopp’s emotional send-off

Klopp was given an emotional send-off at Anfield after nine trophy-filled years.

Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring in the 34th minute and Jarell Quansah netted six minutes later for the Reds, who ended the season in third place.

Dejan Kulusevski scored twice for Tottenham against Sheffield United while Moises Caicedo scored a spectacular goal from the half-way line to set Chelsea on their way against Bournemouth. The win for Mauricio Pochettino’s men means they seal a European place after a topsy-turvy season.

Erik ten Hag’s United beat Brighton 2-0 in Roberto De Zerbi’s final game in charge of the south coast club but it was too little too late to save a disastrous league season.

Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp hugs goalscorer Harvey Elliott as he leaves the pitch during the English Premier League match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, on May 5, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

The smile is back on Jurgen Klopp’s face — even if his Liverpool players seem intent on testing his nerves right to the end.

The Premier League title may be all but beyond the Merseyside club, but that doesn’t mean the drama is over for Klopp, who will step down at the end of the season.

Last week he was arguing on the sideline with Mohamed Salah as Liverpool effectively dropped out of the title race. And while Salah opened the scoring in a 4-2 win against Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday, it was Harvey Elliott who appeared to bring the broadest smile to Klopp’s face with a wonderful long-range goal in what looked like being a cakewalk for Klopp’s team.

“What a goal,” the Liverpool manager said. “In the game you only see it flying in and I thought, That was a good shot.’ The goal I saw afterwards, there was not a lot of space left or right. It went exactly where it should be be. Top goal.”

Elliott’s strike, after goals from Salah, Andy Robertson and Cody Gakpo, fired Liverpool into a 4-0 lead before the game had even reached the hour mark. What followed was the unlikeliest of fightbacks from Spurs that might have made this another frustrating day in what has ultimately been a disappointing finale for Klopp at the end of nearly nine trophy-filled years.

Goals from Richarlison and Son Heung-min made it a much closer contest than it had ever looked like being. And it needed two outstanding saves from Alisson, a goal-line clearance from Joe Gomez and a VAR call to prevent it from being closer still.

“It’s a little bit of a mirror of the season. Really, really, really, good until we were really rubbish and then, we were okay again,” Klopp said.

A nervy finish didn’t stop the home fans from beckoning Klopp to produce his trademark post-match triple fist pump to the crowd after his penultimate home game in charge, with Feyenoord coach Arne Slot set to take over next season.

Mathematically, at least, it is not over for third-place Liverpool, which sits five points adrift of leader Arsenal with two games remaining. But, in reality, a late-season slump has killed Klopp’s hopes of walking away with a second Premier League crown of his reign.

His team had been heavily rebuilt over the past two seasons and was not expected to contend at the top so soon. But this season at one point offered Liverpool the hope of a quadruple of trophies. Now it feels like it is ending on an underwhelming note.

Still, Klopp, who delivered the English League Cup in February, will walk away from a team that is on the up and leave his successor with plenty of young talent to work with.

The 21-year-old Elliott is a prime example and he showcased his ample potential with an assist and a goal as Liverpool threatened to run riot.

His perfectly placed curling cross provided Gakpo with the simple task of heading in Liverpool’s third and then he swept an unstoppable shot from around 20 yards (meters) into the top corner and beyond Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

“Harvey is exceptional. Still so young. So exceptional,” Klopp said. “In the midfield position, it was probably one of the top three performances from him today. The goal was exceptional. Everyone needs moments to gain more confidence. It was a good moment. That helps definitely.”

Aston Villa slips

A bad week for Aston Villa got worse after a surprise 1-0 loss at Brighton.

Unai Emery’s team lost 4-2 at home to Olympiakos in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semifinal on Thursday. And on a day when it could have secured its place in next season’s Champions League, it suffered another setback when Joao Pedro headed home a rebound in the 87th after seeing his penalty saved by Robin Olsen.

Only Spurs’ loss at Anfield prevented it from being a bigger blow after the result at the Amex Stadium had given Ange Postecoglou’s team hope in its pursuit of Villa in fourth.

But Villa still missed out on the chance of making certain of a top-four finish.

Chelsea routs West Ham

Chelsea’s troubled season could still end on something of a high after Mauricio Pochettino’s team boosted its chances of European soccer next season with a 5-0 rout of West Ham.

The win at Stamford Bridge moved Chelsea up to seventh in the standings and two points behind sixth-place Newcastle. Only the top six teams in the Premier League will be guaranteed a place in Europe next season.

“We need to keep this momentum and belief going,” Pochettino said.

While Chelsea’s exorbitant spending under U.S. owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital was supposed to put the 2021 Champions League winner back in contention for the biggest prizes, qualification for Europe would represent progress after finishing in the bottom half of the table last year and another season of struggle this term.

After a morale-boosting 2-0 win against Tottenham on Thursday, Chelsea followed it up by thrashing West Ham.

Nicolas Jackson scored twice in the second half after Chelsea had raced to a 3-0 lead by the break through goals from Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher and Noni Madueke.