Liverpool Football Club has been rocked by the announcement that its highly successful manager, Jurgen Klopp, will be leaving the club at the end of the current season, marking the conclusion of his remarkable nine-year tenure.
Klopp, 56, has been at the helm of Liverpool since his appointment in 2015 and has enjoyed unprecedented success during his tenure.
The German manager guided the Reds to Champions League glory in 2019, followed by the club’s first Premier League title a year later.
In a statement released on the club’s official website, Klopp expressed his deep affection for Liverpool, its supporters, and everyone associated with the club.
He acknowledged that the decision might come as a shock to many but explained that he is “running out of energy” and believes it is the right time to step away.
Klopp said: “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.”
Assistant managers Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, along with development coach Vitor Matos, will also be leaving the club. Lijnders, in particular, is looking to pursue a managerial role himself.
Klopp had signed a two-year contract extension in 2022, which would have kept him at Anfield until 2026.
