Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admits he could stay at the Premier League club beyond 2024 if he still has the energy for top-level management.
The German’s current deal expires in two years and, when he signed the extension in 2019, he said he wanted to “leave the club in a better place”.
But he has left open the possibility of renewing his stay, which has so far brought Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and – most recently – Carabao Cup success to Anfield since 2015.
“If I have the energy levels for it. It is is important. I love what I do,” he said.
“At the moment I am full of energy but we have – I have to – make sure that is the case.
“I don’t want to sit around and be more tired than not and think ‘Wow, why is everyone bothered about the things out there because I couldn’t care less?’
“But I’ve told you a couple of times, there must be something else out there in the world to be honest apart from always thinking about very well properly skilled, good-looking, fantastically nice players.
“But I really don’t think about it. My future will be OK. I don’t have to plan. I could book last minute – let’s put it like this.
“The plan is things will be good, it will be fine whenever it will be after I leave. The plan is at the moment to do 2024 thank you very much.”
Klopp may be managing the best Liverpool squad since the greats of the mid-1980s but he insists that the quest for more trophies will not have any bearing on a decision about his future.
“If I decide to leave in 2024, it is nothing to do with the quality of the squad: ‘My God, I have to manage them’ or ‘Oh my God, I’d better stop managing them’ (as they are not as good),” he added.
“It’s nothing to do with that. All we do is for the long term. This club must be even better, especially when I am not here any more and that’s the plan. That’s what we are working on.
“It’s not so important how long I will stay, it is much more important what we do until then.
“It’s a long time (to 2024), there are a lot of trophies out there so we will give it a try.
“The only problem we have is there are many other teams who want to do it as well, in Europe.”
Jürgen Klopp discussed the importance of strength in depth and the challenge West Ham will pose this weekend during his pre-match press conference 🗣— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 4, 2022
Part of Klopp’s problem is in Manchester City they have opponents who are regarded as one of the very best in Premier League history.
“Imagine it if were not for City, how many trophies we would have won already. It’s no problem, we really push each other on high levels,” he said.
“We don’t set ourselves a limit – why should we – but we know it’s really difficult.
“It’s always a question of perspective. I heard, and I don’t think it’s right, that we didn’t win enough but you can always think we could have won more here or there and we were unlucky in moments.
“Now we have won the Carabao Cup and all of a sudden we are missing one, the FA Cup, and then we have the whole collection.
.@LFC manager Jürgen Klopp on the chasing of @ManCity “Enjoying the situation. What I don’t enjoy are the questions about it. We want to win tomorrow but if we lose you al sit here and tell me the title is over. The only thing I do is think about @WestHampic.twitter.com/4wNBTbww4J— Carl Markham (@carlmarkham) March 4, 2022
“But I couldn’t be bothered about it. We try to win it and if not we try to be the best version of ourselves.
“You can be a spectacular second, which we were unfortunately (when they finished a point behind Manchester City in the 2018-19 title race) after a really good season and it helped us a lot for our future.
“So just learn to play as often as somehow possible, your absolutely best football and that gives you a proper chance to win something. Unfortunately (there are) no guarantees.”
