It’s official. Jurgen Klopp will leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season.
His seven-year spell at the club has had its highs (back-to-back Bundesliga titles) and its lows (that ridiculous ‘divorced dad taking his kids to the beach’ hoodie), but he will leave the club stronger than when he took over.
https://twitter.com/CoqKnee/status/588297147541512192
The former Mainz coach has denied rumours that he is set to take a sabbatical, leaving us free to speculate wildly about where he’ll end up next. After all, do you ever really take a break from football?
Manchester City
Manuel Pellegrini is a dead man walking, with City launching the weakest title defence since – well – Manchester United the year before them. This leaves the door open for a fresh approach, a manager with a long-term vision.
After championing youth at Dortmund the challenge of overhauling an ageing squad could pique Klopp's interest – maybe he’ll even bring Shinji Kagawa with him to England just to prove a point. Or not.
Bayern Munich
Hear us out for a moment. Mario Gotze wasn’t going to leave Dortmund for Bayern, then he did. Robert Lewandowski wasn’t going to…well, you get the picture.
Pep Guardiola’s contract runs out in the summer of 2016, and perhaps Klopp could be tempted if he's prepared to wait around.
Surely he couldn’t do that to those lovable Dortmund fans. Or does he have an evil streak hidden behind that charismatic façade?
Arsenal
This one is a non-starter. Arsene Wenger will remain at the club through years and years of continued top-four finishes, going on well into his 90s when Arsenal are clinging on to their Champions League place behind Red Bull Leeds, Hull Tigers and Chelsea (Spurs will forever be a point behind in fifth).
Sorry Jurgen, you might have to look closer to home, which brings us to…
Germany
Die Mannschaft will only get stronger after their World Cup victory, taking to the field in Euro 2016 with Marco Reus back in the fold alongside a wealth of other talent. If Jogi Low secures a second successive major title, what will there be left for him to achieve?
Enter Klopp. The results will keep coming (of course they will, just look at that squad), but he’ll add a layer of charm in press conferences that Low just hasn’t been able to provide.
West Ham United
Sam Allardyce is on his way, the club are moving into a shiny new stadium, and The Academy of Football is definitely a world-leading production line and not a dated marketing ploy for something that’s produced no one better than James Tomkins in the last five years.
Perfect for Klopp to cut short that sabbatical, surely.
He’s always wanted to manage at the Olympic Stadium (probably – we haven’t actually checked with him), he loves a lunch of jellied eels before a game (who doesn’t?) and he has long been an admirer of Joey O’Brien (ok, even we know that one was a stretch).
What do you reckon, Jurgen?
Ok, maybe West Ham aren’t ready for him just yet. Or is it that he’s not ready for West Ham?
