Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, but if it weren’t for the intervention of his wife, Ulla, he may already have quit the job last year.
Friday brought the shocking news that Klopp has resigned from his position as Liverpool manager, effective the end of the current campaign.
It is one of the single biggest decisions in the history of the club, with those in its hierarchy now left to rebuild two years early – his contract running until 2026.
But he will leave Liverpool in a position of strength, and potentially with four more trophies in the cabinet, which is a stark contrast to last season.
According to the Times‘ Jonathan Northcroft, Klopp was “close to quitting midway through last season,” when it appeared as though his magic had dried up.
Northcroft explains that it was the German’s wife, Ulla, who convinced him to reconsider and stay to oversee the regeneration of his squad.
“She loves Merseyside and their life in the coastal village of Formby,” the journalist adds.
With that, Klopp “regathered his fight and threw himself into the job with fresh energy,” though his claims earlier this season that he had “enough energy for another 10 years” were clearly optimistic.
Liverpool supporters have a lot to thank Ulla for, then, with her influence on the club’s success no doubt going beyond persuading her husband not to quit when he had planned to.
Klopp has long been vocal in his appreciation of his wife’s support, and she has seemingly helped in keeping him settled on Merseyside for as long as he has.
But that also underlines his motivation to move on, admitting in his exit interview: “I don’t want to wait until I am too old for having a normal life.”
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