Having spent most of the summer fending off interest in their players, Liverpool will be ready to do the same with their manager.
On Sunday, Hansi Flick had just finished the phone call that had freed him of his managerial responsibilities for Germany when Jurgen Klopp’s name was mentioned as a possible replacement.
After a few unsuccessful months that were made worse by a 4-1 defeat to Japan on Saturday night in the Volkswagen Arena, Flick was fired.
After the national team was ousted from the World Cup in Qatar in December, it may have been fortunate for the former Bayern Munich coach to remain in the position. However, after a recent run of three straight losses, Flick was ultimately fired, with the news being made public on Sunday evening.
With the decision coming slap bang in the middle of the void left by the international break, Liverpool supporters will have rolled their eyes and likely hunkered down for the beginning of more speculation.
Fortunately for them, there is little that appears ominous.
Earlier this year, influential German publication Bild published a piece about how much Klopp was the desired man to take charge of the four-time world champions, writing: “The premium solution [is] Jurgen Klopp.
The DFB (Germany national team) must fight for him with all its might. Klopp would put Germany in European Championship euphoria from one moment to the next.”
That led to Klopp’s agent, Marc Kosicke, dismissing suggestions his client could succeed Flick. “Jurgen has a long-term contract with the LFC and the DFB has a national coach,” he said. “So it’s not an issue for us at all.”
Those comments came a few months after Kosicke had stated Klopp’s intention to honour the Liverpool contract he signed in April 2022 when he dismissed the talk as simply “a media topic”.
“Am I available for the job in the summer? No,” Klopp said himself earlier this year. “I will not be available as a potential coach for the German team. I have three years left at LFC, don’t I? It’s simple.
You sign a contract and you stick to that contract. I stuck to contracts at Mainz and Dortmund.”
The noises from Klopp’s camp on this particular issue have been heartening from Liverpool’s perspective and the message seems to have finally seeped through to the other side given the short note about the Reds boss in another piece carried by Bild in the wake of Flick’s dismissal.
“Jurgen Klopp has already signaled: The Liverpool coach is not available for the home European Championship in 2024!” they wrote in a piece detailing the credentials of successors to Flick.
At a time when Liverpool have lost Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabia and Mohamed Salah’s a wanted man alongside tentative links away for players like Alisson Becker, Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, apprehension around Klopp’s future would be entirely understandable.
And the manager was back in Germany over the weekend but it was merely to see his new-born grandson and pay a visit to friends at former club Mainz, who played Duisburg in a friendly.
He remains as committed to the Anfield cause as anyone and has already spoken with trademark enthusiasm about his eagerness to lead the new-look Liverpool he has built in recent times. “We are less experienced but that is normal, but we are full of desire and I love this team,” he said.
Having come off his most testing term to date last time out, the restructuring of his team and the positive start they have made to the season have only renewed his determination to bounce back from a difficult 22/23 campaign and his demeanour around the AXA Training Centre in his media dealings has been one of renewed zest for the months ahead.
The idea of ending his trophy-laden association with Liverpool just a month out from his eight-year anniversary is something of a non-starter and it would be no surprise if Kosicke once more reiterated as much at some stage this week.
