Jurgen Klopp Now Open To Managing In The Premier League
In a recent BT Sport interview, Borussia Dortmund Manager Jurgen Klopp admitted that he would be open to an English Premier League move. Klopp, who has managed Dortmund since 2008, stated that England was “the only country where I should work, next to Germany.” Klopp’s playing career spanned from 1989-2001 with FSV Mainz 05 in the German Bundesliga; he was appointed manager at Mainz following his retirement from playing.
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Klopp led the club to UEFA Cup (Europa League) qualification in 2005, but they were relegated from the Bundesliga in 2007-08, with Klopp being retained as manager. Klopp would resign following the 2008-09 season when the club failed to win promotion. He was then appointed manager of Dortmund in May, 2008.
Klopp has turned down numerous offers from all over the world to remain with Dortmund. This past summer, Klopp was linked with the Manchester United opening before publicly stating his intention to remain with his current club. However, Klopp is widely perceived as one of the best managers in the world.
Operating as little brother to Bayern Munich, while still achieving success in Germany and Europe, is something to behold. Not long ago, Dortmund was arguably the second best club in the world, being only a few minutes away from winning the UEFA Champions League.
With Dortmund’s massive struggles so far this season, one has to ask whether Klopp will choose to remain with a side which will always play second fiddle to Bayern Munich.
Leaving Dortmund for a top Premier League club is something which would open him up to a world audience, and give him the chance to build a club into one of the worlds best. Less restrictive finances and the pull of the Premier League could easily bring Klopp over from Germany, giving him the keys to one of the biggest clubs on the planet.
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Which clubs would sign Klopp though? None of the smaller upper-table Premier League clubs — such as Tottenham, Southampton or West Ham — have the prestige to bring in such a manager. Only the big five, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal have the glamor and financial backing to bring in a manager of Klopp’s caliber.
Out of the five, Manchester United and Chelsea seem the most stable. Chelsea are top of the table, and have a real possibility of going a full season without a single league loss. Manchester United seem set to try to rebuild under manager Louis Van Gaal. The only clubs which may actually show some interest in signing Jurgen Klopp would be Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Manchester City would have to be the long shot of the three. The short rope given to the last two managers would be extremely troubling for any manager who wishes to spend a good amount of time with one club. Sacking one manager a year after winning the Premier League title, and right after finishing runner-up in the FA Cup proves how short this rope really is.
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Liverpool would be next, but that would still be considered a long shot. The club’s recent troubles with both form and transfers, show the problems within the once great club.
Liverpool currently seem content to try to get out of this turmoil under the leadership of Brendan Rodgers, but that could all change soon. Any manager who takes over at Liverpool would be looking at a complete rebuild, one which could take a long time, longer than the board would be willing to give.
Finally we look at who would have to be the favorites — Arsenal. Although Arsenal has the Premier League’s longest tenured manager in Arsene Wenger, the clock is ticking closer and closer to midnight. Seeing as Wenger realistically only has one or two more seasons with the club, Arsenal could line Klopp up as the club’s future manager.
The roster is almost title-worthy, only needing some fine tuning. Klopp could easily tweak the system in a couple of seasons, making the club into a title-contending club every season.
No matter what Klopp chooses to do, moving to the Premier League will be a risk. However, for one of the world’s best managers, managing in the world’s best league could just be too good to pass up. As for where he will go, no one knows, but a move seems more likely now than it has ever been before.