BAD TIMING: GERMAN MEDIA CRITICISE JURGEN KLOPP AMID ARNE SLOT PRESSURE
As Arne Slot faces pressure at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp is being discussed as a potential replacement. German media urges the club to ask the legendary manager back.
The pressure is on for Arne Slot at Liverpool, leading to talks about his job security.
After a good start, Liverpool has struggled, losing nine of their last 12 games, including a 4-1 defeat to PSV in the Champions League. They're currently 13th in Europe, 12th in the Premier League, and out of the Carabao Cup. This slump is their worst in over 70 years. Slot says he'll keep fighting, but a few more bad results could mean he's out.
The media has listed possible replacements, with Jurgen Klopp as a top pick. He left the club after nine years, but now a return to Liverpool is being mentioned.
Klopp didn't rule out a Liverpool return.
In his goodbye video back in January 2024, Klopp said he wouldn't want to manage again right after Liverpool.
But, he recently said on The Diary of a CEO podcast that a return to Liverpool is theoretically possible.
I’ve said that I’ll never coach any other team in England. So if I do, it’ll be Liverpool.”
Because of these comments, he's now a potential replacement for Slot if Liverpool decides to make a change.
German media thinks Liverpool should at least ask Jurgen Klopp.
It's not just the English media and Liverpool fans talking about Klopp coming back. Swiss journalist Marcel Reif also brought it up on his show for German media outlet BILD.
Reif thinks Klopp's departure still hurts at Liverpool and that fans would love to have him back if they could.
About Klopp's comments on The Diary of a CEO, Reif said, This statement comes at the wrong time for Slot. He's [Klopp] hovering like a UFO over Anfield. All of Liverpool would carry him back on their shoulders. And it would be negligent if they didn't try Klopp.”
However, getting Klopp back might be hard. He left because he was running out of energy.
“I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again,” he said. Klopp is now the Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull.
Reif said Liverpool's situation is like Dortmund's after Klopp left in 2015. He said that if Liverpool can't get him back, they need to move on.
In Dortmund, they chased after ‘Saint Jurgen’ for what felt like 20 years after he left. Everyone was supposed to become Klopp 2.0. At some point in Dortmund, they realised: That time is over!
MOHAMED SALAH SET TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL: FENERBAHCE PREPARE STUNNING THREE-YEAR CONTRACT OFFER
After a decade at Anfield, Mohamed Salah's next move is the talk of football. Will he join Messi or stay in European leagues?
Mohamed Salah looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe. One of the hottest rumours right now is about Fenerbahçe; they’re ready to offer him a three-year deal worth around £52 million. That’s a huge pay packet, but probably not as big as what he’d get in Saudi Arabia.
Salah’s been on Merseyside for almost a decade, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he’s done for Liverpool. Since joining in 2017 with Jurgen Klopp in charge, he’s picked up two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cups. Pretty impressive, honestly. But this season hasn’t gone his way, and new boss Arne Slot dropped him for a few games after his form dipped. When Salah announced in March that he’d be leaving, people started up with transfer rumours right away.
In recent years, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have shown considerable interest. Last year, Al Ittihad went as far as slapping a £150 million offer on the table, but Liverpool turned it down.
Now the story goes that Salah wants to stay in Europe even though he’d pocket way more in Saudi Arabia. Reports out of Egypt claim Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho’s old club, have already sat down with Salah’s agent. They apparently laid out their big plans, offering £17.3 million a year with a three-year contract, and they want to build the team around him to end their league title drought stretching back to 2014.
There’s also talk of Real Madrid getting involved. Still, their transfer policy usually steers clear of handing massive contracts to players pushing the end of their careers, even superstars like Salah. Clubs in Italy, like Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan, are keeping tabs on him too. And just to make things more interesting, someone floated the idea of Salah joining up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS, though the league's salary cap throws a wrench into that.
At this point, everybody’s watching Salah’s next move; the only certainty is that he won’t be short of offers when he finally says goodbye to Liverpool.
WHY IS LIVERPOOL HESITATING TO HIRE XABI ALONSO DESPITE OVERWHELMING FAN SUPPORT?
Liverpool has contacted Real Madrid to investigate Xabi Alonso’s tenure, as pressure grows on current manager Arne Slot at Anfield.
Liverpool have reached out to Real Madrid to ask about Xabi Alonso, but honestly, there’s some debate going on behind the scenes. People have been talking about Alonso stepping in at Anfield, especially since Arne Slot’s season hasn’t gone over well. Fans let out some boos after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and the mood is pretty tense. Even though Slot led Liverpool to a league title last year, quite a few supporters seem fed up with him and would rather see Alonso take charge.
But Spanish outlet AS says Liverpool have contacted Real Madrid to get the inside scoop on what happened during Alonso’s time at the club. It sounds like the decision-makers at Liverpool are starting to feel unsure about him, and they might actually stick with Slot for another season.
Alonso landed the Real Madrid job last summer after doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, just six months in, Madrid let him go, reportedly because the locker room was falling apart. Liverpool’s relationship with Real Madrid is strong, and they apparently want some honest feedback – kind of like asking for a reference from a past employer, which isn’t unusual.
Liverpool’s spot in next year’s Champions League is almost locked in, but with two games left, it’s not guaranteed yet. When asked about the boos, Slot admitted he has some work to do to win fans over.
He said, “Not this season. Fans won’t change their minds now. But if we get the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next season. Results, style, everything. It’s not always easy, though. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but getting what you want isn’t so simple. This season, it’s been pretty clear what we’re missing. We’re trying to solve it, but one issue is simply having enough fit players. Still, our guys show every week in the second half that they’re giving everything they’ve got.”