Is Jurgen Klopp retiring? Who will Klopp manage next?

Liverpool’s final game of the 2023/24 Premier League season will also be their last with Jurgen Klopp on the touchline. The German manager prepares to say goodbye to Anfield after a thrilling eight and a half years at the helm, winning every major trophy on the way.

Klopp’s decision to step down was announced in January and came as a genuine shock to Liverpool supporters around the world. The news was announced in a video posted online by the club, in which he admitted that he was “running out of energy” in his ninth season on Merseyside.

He explained: “I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again. After the years we spent together and after all the things we went through together... The least I owe you is the truth, and that is the truth.”

Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has been confirmed as the replacement, another disciple of the high-energy, counter-pressing style that Klopp popularised. But while the Anfield succession is already in place, many are wondering what is next for Klopp.

Is Jurgen Klopp going to retire?

The German made his managerial debut with German side Mainz 05 in February 2001 and has been in work every year since. After a 23-year coaching career and having admitted to feeling exhausted, some have speculated that the 56-year-old may be considering retirement.

But in a recent interview Klopp made clear that he will continue to coach, albeit after a break from the relentless cycle of elite sport.

“Will I ever work again? Of course, I know myself, I cannot just sit around. I will find something else maybe to do. But I will not manage a club or a country at least for a year, that’s not possible, I cannot do that and I don’t want to. That’s all.”

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Where will Jurgen Klopp go next?

After a stellar career as a manager, Jurgen Klopp will not be short of suitors. He helped Mainz to promotion to the Bundesliga in his first coaching role and led them into the UEFA Cup in 2005/06. He followed that up with a title-winning stint with Borussia Dortmund, who he took to the final of the Champions League in 2012/13. His success at Liverpool, lifting the Champions League and the Premier League, made clear his status as one of the finest managers of his generation.

And yet, it is difficult to know which team would provide a suitable fit for Klopp. His previous successes have been built on his ability to build an affinity with supporters. He took over at Mainz after spending more than a decade there as a player. At Dortmund and Liverpool he was able to tap into their passionate supporter culture and the two cities’ blue collar sensibilities.

In his two most recent jobs he took over teams that were struggling off the back of disappointing performances. The German national team is currently, comparatively speaking, in exactly that position. Die Mannschaft has fallen to 16th in the FIFA rankings and was knocked in the group stages of each of the last two World Cups. Germany will host this summer’s European Championships but come into the tournament with expectations at a low, despite some improvement under recently-appointed head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

The former Bayern Munich boss has a contract that should see him through the 2026 World Cup but his position with the national team is far from secure. Klopp has previously been the subject of interest from the German soccer federation. If things don’t go well for Germany this summer, don’t be surprised if the DFB once again comes knocking at Jurgen Klopp’s door.