Jurgen Klopp to leave Liverpool at the end of the season in bid for 'normal life'

• Granada Reports Sports Correspondent Chris Hall takes a look at how Klopp won hearts, minds and silverware

Jurgen Klopp has announced he will stand down as Liverpool manager at the end of this season.

The 56-year-old has informed the club’s ownership of his decision to stand down, having taken charge at Liverpool in 2015.

Klopp has won six trophies with the Reds, including the Premier League title in 2020 and the Champions League trophy the year before.

In a tweet posted by Liverpool FC Klopp said being Liverpool manager had been a "fairytale" but he wanted a "normal life".

"I came here as a normal guy, I am still a normal guy, I just don't live a normal life for too long now," he said.

"I don't want to wait until I'm too old to have a normal life and I need to at least give it a try at one point to see how it is.

"I need to give it a try and it's the right moment for me, and the right moment for the club."

Klopp said the a video released on the club’s social media channels that his explanation for leaving is the “truth” out of "love and respect" for the fans.

“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”, Klopp added.

“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.”

Klopp was appointed Liverpool manager in succession to Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, having forged his reputation at Borussia Dortmund.

Under him, Dortmund won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012 and he took them to the 2013 Champions League final, where they lost to Bayern Munich at Wembley.

Since moving to Anfield Klopp has won the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

Klopp said he had told the club’s bosses about his intention to stand down back in November 2023.

“I have to explain a little bit that maybe the job I do people see from the outside, I’m on the touchline and in training sessions and stuff like this, but the majority of all the things happen around these kind of thing," he said.

"That means a season starts and you plan pretty much the next season already,” he told the club’s website.

“When we sat there together talking about potential signings, the next summer camp and can we go wherever, the thought came up, ‘I am not sure I am here then anymore’ and I was surprised myself by that. I obviously start thinking about it.”

Klopp also admitted that given the Reds’ struggles in the 2022/23 season, he may not have lasted the campaign at another club.

“Last season was kind of a super-difficult season and there were moments when at other clubs probably the decision would have been, ‘Come on, thank you very much for everything but probably we should split here, or end it here’ That didn’t happen here, obviously,” he added.

“For me it was super, super, super-important that I can help to bring this team back onto the rails. It was all I was thinking about.

"When I realised pretty early that happened, it’s a really good team with massive potential and a super age group, super characters and all that, then I could start thinking about myself again and that was the outcome. It is not what I want to [do], it is just what I think is 100% right.”

Klopp said he expected supporters of other clubs would use his departure as an excuse to “laugh at” and “disturb” Liverpool, but called on everyone connected to the club to push for a glorious finale to the season.

“Let’s now really go for it. The outside world want to use this decision, laugh about it, want to disturb us,” he said.

“We are Liverpool, we went through harder things together. And you went through harder things before me. Let’s make a strength of it. That would be really cool. Let’s squeeze everything out of this season and have another thing to smile about when we look back in the future.”

Mike Gordon, the president of the Fenway Sports Group which owns Liverpool, said the club would take a “business as usual” approach to Klopp’s exit.

Gordon said: “It goes without saying that we will be hugely saddened to lose not just a manager of such calibre, but a person and leader for whom we have enormous respect, gratitude and affection.

“At the same time, we fully respect his wishes and the reasons why he has decided the current season will be his last at Liverpool.

“In keeping with Jurgen’s expressed wishes, we will save the comprehensive tributes for a more appropriate time but, nevertheless, we would be remiss if we did not take this opportunity to reaffirm that his appointment remains one of the greatest blessings of our time as owners.

“The incredible achievements of the intervening years speak for themselves, so too does the joy that Jurgen and his team have brought to all of us supporters. His many accomplishments will never be taken for granted.”

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