Jurgen Klopp has closed the door on the possibility of coaching Real Madrid in the near future, emphasizing that he is very happy in his current role as head of football operations at Red Bull. He also mocked the sacking of Xabi Alonso and the administrative turmoil at the Spanish club.
The German is Florentino Perez’s preferred choice to permanently succeed Alonso starting next season, but Klopp has once again confirmed that he is not interested in returning to coaching after media reports suggested he was seriously considering an offer from Los Blancos.
“I feel at peace in my current position,” Klopp said at a press conference on Monday. “I don’t want to be anywhere else, and I’m not impressed if it’s said that Real Madrid are interested in signing me. These are just media reports that I don’t pay any attention to.”
He added, “Throughout my career, I’ve always been the one to decide when it was time for a change. I’m a steadfast person and I don’t change my mind overnight. I feel like I’m still at the beginning of my journey with Red Bull.”
The 58-year-old manager continued, “I wanted to try something different from coaching, and Red Bull gave me that opportunity. I don’t know what my thinking will be in two or three years, but right now, my answer to returning to coaching is no.”
He went on, “I can’t say I’ll never return to coaching, but right now I’ve had enough of standing in the stands and enjoying the spotlight during victories. I think my current (administrative) role suits me perfectly.”
He concluded, jokingly addressing Real Madrid, “My advice to you when sacking a coach is to be aware of who will replace him and to be realistic. If you think you can sign Pep Guardiola, I’d say your chances aren’t very high.”
