Jurgen Klopp denies retirement claims but concedes he's 'empty' as Liverpool tenure comes to an end
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he's not retiring from working in football, though this may well be his last stint as a manager. The German boss coached his final game for the Reds in a 2-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday (May 19).
After the match ended, the former Borussia Dortmund boss was given a fitting farewell, as the 56-year-old made his final speech in front of the home fans.
He said (via Liverpool Echo):
"I will work. I have just finished this job. I don't know exactly why nobody believes I will probably not be a manager again, but I understand because obviously, it seems to be a drug."
"It looks like that as everybody comes back and everybody works until they are 70-something. I have always had the idea I won't do that. Other people are smarter and do it in different ways, but I have to be all-in. I have to be the spark, I have to be the energiser, I have to be all these kinds of things. And I am empty. That's it," he added.
Klopp came to manage the Merseyside outfit in October 2015 and was in charge of the club for 489 matches across competitions. The German has won the UEFA Champions League and Premier League titles once each, among other honors at Anfield.
It looks extremely likely that Feyenoord boss Arne Slot will replace Klopp at Anfield, with the latter even referencing the Dutch coach's arrival in his farewell speech.
Jurgen Klopp reveals what his wife has told him to do after Liverpool exit
Jurgen Klopp will be taking time off from football after completing his nine-year stay at Liverpool. In the meantime, Klopp's wife Ulla has asked the coach to learn cooking and enroll himself in dance classes, the latter revealed.
He added that he's no good in the kitchen at the moment, which means there's a fair bit for Klopp to learn. Speaking about this, Klopp told Sky Sports (via CaughtOffSide):
"There's a few things Ulla told me- I have to learn cooking and a dance class. I should learn cooking probably so I can at least make some breakfast or whatever."
On the trophy front, Klopp finished his time at Anfield with a Carabao Cup this season. However, his team finished third in the league standings, nine points behind winners Manchester City.