Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hasn’t been back to take in a match at Anfield since leaving at the end of last season. That could soon change, though, with the German expected back on Merseyside before the end of the current campaign.
Klopp took a break from football after leaving the Reds, having led them to a third-place finish in his final campaign. He has not come close to taking another managerial job, but he has returned to football in a different kind of role after joining Red Bull as global head of soccer.
The ex-Dortmund manager’s Anfield successor, Arne Slot, has enjoyed a flying start. His Liverpool team sits 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table with just seven games remaining, and also reached the final of the Carabao Cup before falling short at Wembley.
Slot’s Reds could have the title wrapped up with time to spare, allowing Klopp to join for the celebrations. He is due in town two days before the season finale against Crystal Palace, and The Athletic reports that he has been invited to take in the game.
Klopp is due to attend the LFC Foundation gala dinner, which will take place at Liverpool Cathedral on May 23. He became an honorary ambassador of the foundation upon leaving his post as manager last summer.
Speaking at a fundraiser in Cape Town in March, Klopp indicated he would attend the Palace game if the title is already wrapped up. “Yes, the plan is [to be in Liverpool] but not on the bus, I will be there with the people I saw on the bus,” he said.
“That’s the idea to be honest, but we will see. I think I will be there for the last game… I didn’t want to go earlier to be honest because I didn’t want to jinx it all the time. If I’m in the stadium for the first time and they lose, ‘oh f*** sake’. So I go there when it’s decided.”
After suffering their second league defeat of the season last time out against Fulham, Liverpool have a chance to get back on track against West Ham on Sunday. Speaking after the reverse at Craven Cottage, captain Virgil van Dijk recognised his team can’t afford to take their foot off the gas during the run-in.
“We all know as players [that nothing is won yet], I’ve mentioned it every week,” the centre-back said. “But what is important is that there’s seven games left and on to West Ham next Sunday, we have to go all in at home, as a team, as players with the fans and to get the three points.
“We will be training quite a lot and we are in a very good position but games like this, especially in the first half, show the job is not done and I’ve been saying it every week. That’s definitely the mentality in our group that the job is not done.”
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