Jürgen Klopp has announced that he will not be pursuing the position of England manager to succeed Gareth Southgate, stating that accepting the role shortly after leaving Liverpool would represent the “biggest loss of face in the history of football.”
Following England’s defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, Klopp’s name has been mentioned alongside other candidates such as Eddie Howe, Graham Potter, and Mauricio Pochettino for the national team role left vacant by Southgate. However, the German coach, who stepped down from Liverpool at the end of last season after a notably successful nine-year tenure at Anfield due to “running out of energy,” has now clarified his position on these rumors.
“Currently, there are no job offers coming my way. No club and no national team,” Klopp remarked at the International Coaches’ Congress in Würzburg. “It seems some people may have missed this point. It would indeed be the biggest loss of face in the history of football to say, ‘I’ll make an exception for you now.’”
“I intend to stay active. I’m too young to be doing nothing but playing padel tennis and spending time with my grandchildren. Will I coach again? I would currently rule that out. Let’s see what the future holds in a few months. Nothing is materializing at this point.”
“Perhaps we can revisit this conversation in several months. I still aspire to work in football and offer my experience and connections to others. We’ll see what other opportunities arise for me.”
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Also in contention for the role left by Southgate is Lee Carsley, the manager of the England Under-21s. The new coach will focus on securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in North America and Mexico.
