Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has announced that he will step down from his position at the end of the current season.
Since taking over in 2015, the German has overseen one of the most successful eras in the club’s history, notably winning a Champions League title and Liverpool’s first league title in 30 years.
“I can understand that it’s a shock for a lot of people in this moment, when you hear it for the first time, but obviously, I can explain it – or at least try to explain it,” Klopp told the club’s media department.
“I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take.”
The announcement will come as a shock to Liverpool fans who have had no prior indication of Klopp’s decision.
Explaining his reasons for stepping down, the 56-year-old said he was determined to do so “slightly early” rather than “too late.”
He said he told the club of his decision back in November, after realizing he was running out of steam when attending meetings about next season.
“It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy,” he added.
“I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now.
“I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.”
Liverpool announced Klopp’s assistant managers Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, as well as elite development coach Vitor Matos, will also step down.
“This news was always going to be a body blow to the club whenever it came,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher wrote on X, formally known at Twitter.
