Klopp to take break after Dortmund exit
ESPN FC’s Gabriele Marcotti talks Jurgen Klopp rumours following Borussia Dortmund’s loss to Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal Cup Final.
Jurgen Klopp gives his final news conference as Borussia Dortmund coach after his side lose 3-1 to Wolfsburg in the German Cup final.
Wolfsburg beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 to win the German Cup for the first time, denying Jurgen Klopp the perfect send-off in his final game as Dortmund manager.
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed he will take a break from football when he departs Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Klopp, 47, revealed in April that he and his coaching staff would be leaving Dortmund after seven years at the club, with Saturday’s 3-1 DFB Pokal final defeat to Wolfsburg their final match.
Amid links to Real Madrid, and Premier League clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool, he had previously said on several occasions since announcing his departure from the Westfalenstadion that he has not decided his future yet but had no definite plans to take time out.
Klopp has now announced that he is to take a break from football to reflect on his time at Dortmund, which has seen him transform BVB from a mid-table team to Bayern Munich’s biggest rivals in recent years former struggling to maintain that success this season.
“After seven intense and emotional years of “real love” [“echte liebe,” a motto often used by Dortmund] I think it makes sense to digest the numerous memories before my staff and I take on a new task fresh and full of energy,” Klopp said in a statement after a meeting with agent Marc Kosicke on Monday. “I’m going to take a break until further notice.”
Jurgen Klopp was given an emotional farewell by Dortmund fans at his final match at the Westfalenstadion.
Klopp joined Borussia Dortmund in 2008 after leaving Mainz, and led them to back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, also securing a domestic double in the latter of those two campaigns.
BVB subsequently reached the 2013 Champions League final — which they lost 2-1 at Wembley courtesy of Arjen Robben’s late winner — and lost two consecutive DFB Pokal finals, against Bayern Munich in 2014 and Wolfsburg in 2015.
Ahead of his last Bundesliga match as a BVB coach earlier this month, Klopp did not rule out taking over Bayern at a later stage in his career.
“Sure, why shouldn’t I be able to imagine that? I am a coach. And I want to continue working for a while,” Klopp said when asked whether he was open to a future appointment at the Allianz Arena. “But right now that’s difficult, but they also know that in Munich.”
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