Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool in the summer of 2024 but had a special clause in his deal with the Anfield side
Jurgen Klopp had a unique clause in his contract with Liverpool that ensured the club would assist him in managing his departure. Klopp bid farewell to the Reds in the summer of 2024, having initially announced his exit in January of that year, after a successful nine-year stint at Anfield.
Klopp took the reins at Liverpool in October 2015 and then signed a new contract in December 2019. A clause was included in his contract extension, stipulating that the club would aid the German in relocating back to his homeland once his tenure at Anfield concluded.
In essence, the clause guaranteed that Klopp’s move to Germany would be facilitated by Liverpool to ensure a seamless transition.
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Current manager Arne Slot signed a three-year deal when he joined the club in 2024. There was an anticipation that the Dutchman would secure a lucrative extension after guiding Liverpool to the Premier League title in his debut season, and perhaps such a clause could have been incorporated then, given there are no reports of such a clause existing in his current deal.
However, the Reds’ faltering title defence has not only put any discussions of Slot’s extension on hold but also cast uncertainty over the Dutchman’s future at Liverpool.
In July 2020, Klopp told SWR Sport that he planned to return to Germany when he left Liverpool, a statement that followed his 2019 contract where the clause was reportedly included. His words came true as Klopp assumed the role of Red Bull’s head of global football after leaving Anfield.
“Definitely to live, after my career. Most likely even to Mainz,” Klopp revealed regarding his post-Liverpool plans. Klopp’s unusual contractual provision isn’t completely unprecedented, as clubs frequently assist managers or players in settling into new environments when they sign.
Supporting a manager’s departure is somewhat uncommon, but demonstrates the connection and mutual regard between Klopp and Liverpool.
Such is the strength of that relationship between Liverpool, both as a city and as a football club, with the legendary German that speculation about Klopp making a dramatic comeback at Slot’s expense has persisted throughout the latter’s recent difficulties.
Klopp himself has already responded to speculation regarding a potential return to Liverpool. He indicated that he would never take charge of another English team but didn’t completely dismiss the possibility of returning to Anfield.
“I said I will never coach another team, a different team, in England,” he said on The Diary of a CEO podcast. “So that means if then it’s Liverpool…yeah. Theoretically, it’s possible.”
Meanwhile, Slot, when questioned about his own contractual situation in October last year, remained guarded. “This is the last question that I was expecting,” he responded.
“My focus is completely on getting Liverpool back to winning ways. That is my first answer and my second answer, contract talks, if they are even there, we never speak about this here.”
Despite speculation about Klopp returning to Liverpool in their hour of need, any such move would hinge on the German being freed from his current position, in any case. Oliver Mintzlaff, managing director of Red Bull, hinted that Klopp is content in his present role.
“Jurgen Klopp feels completely at home with us and has already learned a tremendous amount here,” he told to German publication Welt. “There’s no release clause in his contract, and he’s clearly committed to us.
“He has no intention of looking for anything else. If something were to come along, we’d have to deal with it. But there are absolutely no indications of that.”
