Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remains highly sought after but has clearly expressed his views on a possible return to coaching.
Since leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season, Klopp has not taken up another managerial role. He actually stayed at Anfield an extra year beyond his initial plans to ensure the club was left in a strong position.
That strategy paid off, as his successor Arne Slot led Liverpool to a Premier League title in his very first season following Klopp’s departure. Although Klopp has stepped away from management, he continues to stay involved in football through his 2025 appointment as Head of Global Soccer at energy drink company Red Bull.
However, a potential return might be on the horizon if Portuguese club Benfica gets their way. The 38-time Portuguese champions are currently holding an election to choose Rui Costa’s successor, and one candidate, Cristovao Carvalho, has promised to replace current coach Bruno Lage with Klopp if elected.
Speaking to SIC Noticias, Carvalho said: “Bruno Lage won’t stay beyond his contract. I need a top-level coach who has won the Champions League and wants to win it again with Benfica. The only name that fits is Jurgen Klopp. Klopp has even mentioned that Benfica is a great club he’d like to manage one day. Someone who says that clearly has a special connection to the club.”
Klopp’s position on returning to coaching, however, appears firm. Despite his huge achievements, it seems he has no intention of going back to day-to-day management, which may leave Benfica disappointed.
Since taking on his Red Bull role, the 58-year-old has repeatedly emphasized how much more satisfied he is overseeing the company’s football operations worldwide and enjoying aspects of life that coaching previously prevented.
In June, Klopp told German media outlet Welt: “While I had many visitors in Liverpool, I barely had time for them. In the last four months, I’ve attended two weddings—something that didn’t happen for 23 years.”
“But I don’t want to manage anymore. I have a job now that fulfills me and is demanding but better balanced. I don’t sleep in the mornings or stay up late, and I can organize my work better. My wife is very happy because we can plan things now that we couldn’t before.”
“I enjoyed coaching a lot. Sometimes I couldn’t believe my luck—look where I came from and then making it to Liverpool FC, which worked out well. But if I went back to coaching, it would be the same intense involvement again, and I just don’t see that happening.”
Klopp also shared anecdotes about other coaches still wanting to manage in their later years, like Roy Hodgson and Jose Mourinho, but emphasized he was never addicted to coaching.
For now, fans should expect to see Klopp more often in the stands rather than on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
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