Jurgen Klopp wants to stay at Liverpool forever, and you should believe him
Jurgen Klopp wants to stay at Liverpool for the long haul. The 49-year-old German is in his second year at Anfield, and he says he can't see himself working anywhere else.
"I asked myself, ‘Where do I still want to work?’ rather than ‘What do I still want to win?’ and couldn’t think of many places. Do I want another club in Germany? No. In England? No. In Asia, Russia or the United Arab Emirates? No, no, no," Klopp told Stern. "And then I thought that I am already at the right club and why should I worry about how long I am here for. If I am at the end of my career has managed only three clubs, then at least they were great clubs.”
Plenty of managers have said the same before, but you should believe Jurgen Klopp. Why? His track record speaks for itself.
Klopp's only coached at two other clubs before Liverpool. He stayed at Mainz from 2001-2008 before moving onto Dortmund, where he remained for a further seven years. During his time at Dortmund, Klopp fought off interest from a number of clubs around Europe, instead preferring to stay loyal to Die Schwarzgelben. Even then, Klopp never lied about his England ambitions.
Liverpool did call him. And since he's arrived at Merseyside he's been full of smiles and happiness, but he's pointedly and deliberately gone about dismantling much of the typical rhetoric that comes with a new coach. In his 10 months as Liverpool boss, he's set realistic, long-term goals, preached nothing but patience, and trashed talk about Liverpool's immediate title credentials. Long story short, he's talking like he wants to be here for a very long time.
Plenty of managers have talked the same talk. And to be fair, many managers have felt the same. The nature of this sport means turnover, turnover, turnover, and some coaches who felt they might stay in one place for a decade have seen themselves quickly ushered out the exit door (see: David Moyes). Some have simply hit the "eject" button themselves due to a variety of different reasons.
That doesn't seem to be the case at Liverpool. After a long period of turmoil for the Reds, Jurgen Klopp looks like the perfect man to patrol the sidelines at Anfield for the next half decade or more. Only time will tell if things work out according to plan for Herr Klopp.
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