Klopp tipped to rival Zidane for surprise job after Liverpool exit

Robin Bairner

• 13 Feb 2024 11:25 GMT
• 3 min read

Jurgen Klopp has announced that he will leave Liverpool in the summer, but what the German manager does after departing Anfield is still up for debate.

Wildly successful over his nine-year tenure on Merseyside, Klopp is likely to take a long period away from the game, but when he returns, he has been tipped to take up a surprise post.

The manager has thrived at Liverpool and Dortmund in the past because of the passion of the supporters at both clubs, and it is for this reason that it has been suggested that a switch to French football with Marseille might be an appealing job for him.

“Even if it’s going to be a while before we see him resurface somewhere, I would love the possibility of him coming and coaching Marseille at some point, especially if a takeover happens,” French football expert Jonathan Johnson wrote for the Daily Briefing.

“I think Marseille very much match the kind of clubs that appeal to Klopp - that emotional connection with the fans is similar to Dortmund and Liverpool.

“Marseille is also a club that’s been starved of success for some time now, but I think the only way for that to be appealing to Klopp would be with a takeover to happen. I wonder if they’d then be tempted to sound him out, and there have also been links with Zinedine Zidane.”

Marseille the Liverpool of France

Marseille find themselves in Ligue 1 in a not dissimilar position to Liverpool did when Klopp first took command of the Anfield club in 2015.

OM are struggling in eighth in Ligue 1, with head coach Gennaro Gattuso coming under pressure after a run of five league games without a win.

The Stade Velodrome side have already seen Marcelino depart early in the season after supporters slammed his brand of football for being boring, the very antithesis of what Klopp might bring to club if this dream move was to be completed.