Jurgen Klopp sat in front of the media on Friday ahead of Liverpool's highly-anticipated Premier League showdown with West Ham, with the German boss opening up about his future at Anfield. Unfortunately, the manager offered fans a disappointing answer when asked how long he will remain in Merseyside.
When the former Dortmund boss signed a five-year contract back in 2019, he had stated that this would be his final deal for the English giants before eventually ending his marvelous spell. However, earlier this week, the 54-year-old suggested that he was unsure when he would be leaving Liverpool, hinting that he might stay beyond his current agreement.
Unsurprisingly, this led to celebration among portions of the Liverpool fan base, and for obvious reasons. The club have become one of Europe's best teams under Klopp's reign, winning a Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and—more recently—a Carabao Cup crown under the German.
However, is there any truth to those allegations? When probed about his future, Jurgen was quick to burst everyone's bubble, as the Reds boss reiterated that he will be leaving the club come 2024, which is when his currently deal expires.
"The plan, at the moment, is to get to 2024 and 'thank you very much," Klopp said in his pre-match press conference, as per Goal.
The Liverpool gaffer also added: "The plan is still the same. I realized when I gave the answer I couldn't get it back but I was just not in the situation.
"The plan is still the same, nothing has really changed. If I decide to leave in 2024 it has nothing to do with the quality of the squad: 'My God, I have to manage them' or 'Oh my God, I'd better stop managing them'. It's nothing to do with that.
"All we do is for the long term. This club must be even better, especially when I am not here any more and that's the plan, that's what we are working on. It's not so important how long I will stay, it is much more important what we do until then."
Klopp has been tipped to take a sabbatical rather than dive straight into another job once his time in England comes to an end. This looks the obvious choice as the manager admitted that his "energy level" will be the deciding factor behind his inevitable departure.
"If I have the energy level for it," Klopp went on to say. "This is important. I love what I do, but I said a couple of times that there must be something else out there in the world, apart from always thinking about very skilled, good-looking, fantastically-nice football players!
"In the moment I am full of energy, but we have to make sure that [remains] the case. You don't want to be sitting around tired more often than not, thinking 'wow, why is everyone bothered about things out there, I couldn't care less."
Liverpool are currently gearing up for a crucial Premier League showdown on Saturday. With only six points separating them and league leaders Manchester City, Salah and Co. prepare to take on David Moyes' tricky West Ham side. Given that Guardiola's men will face Manchester United tomorrow, the Reds know they can slash the gap should they triumph and the Cityzens slip up on Sunday.
