Klopp rules out Premier League return but leaves Liverpool door open as Germany reign begins

Jurgen Klopp has returned to management as Germany’s new head coach, succeeding Julian Nagelsmann following Germany’s last-32 exit at the World Cup, and will take charge for the first time against the Netherlands in the Nations League. He has signed a contract through the 2030 World Cup.

The appointment draws a line under Klopp’s post-Liverpool chapter, during which he served as Red Bull’s Global Head of Football — an executive advisory role that saw him mentor coaches and oversee tactical philosophy across the Red Bull network, including RB Leipzig and the New York Red Bulls.

When Klopp stepped down as Liverpool manager after nine years, he pledged he would never manage another Premier League club, insisting his bond with the supporters and the city of Liverpool meant he could not take a job with a domestic rival. He added that if he were ever to coach in England again, it could only be a return to Anfield.

That door, he has since suggested, remains ajar. Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast, Klopp said a return to Liverpool is “theoretically possible” in the future, noting that his age gave him the flexibility to reassess in a few years rather than make any final lifetime decision immediately.

He has been candid, however, about what he does not miss. Klopp admitted he has no desire to return to the daily grind of club management, specifically citing the prospect of standing in the rain for hours and conducting press conferences as things he is happy to leave behind — for now, at least.

His focus is firmly on the Germany job. Having introduced four new rules to the squad ahead of his first camp, Klopp appears intent on stamping his identity on the national team with the same directness that defined his time at Liverpool and, before that, Borussia Dortmund.