Friday saw Jurgen Klopp announce that he’ll be bringing his time at Anfield to an end when the current season wraps up. Although it was obvious the German manager wouldn’t continue at Anfield for many more years, he had been expected to stay for a couple more.
Believing he’s given all he can give at this stage, Klopp is set to take a break from the game and explained he’s increasingly tired due to the demands of the way he does the job on a day to day basis.
It took only a day for another high profile managerial announcement. Barcelona managed to lose a thriller to Villarreal, and after the match Xavi Hernandez said that he’ll be exiting the Blaugrana on June 30th.
That’s largely seen as a jump-before-pushed kind of situation, and Xavi had been under increased scrutiny for his team’s performance this season, with Barcelona ten points behind Real Madrid in La Liga.
Sunday’s edition of AS looks at various options to replace Xavi, and Jurgen Klopp gets a mention. It’s stated the manager has long been a ‘fantasy’ for Barca president Joan Laporta, and now, albeit a long shot, an opportunity has been presented.
AS say it’s ‘not ruled out’ that Laporta gives it a go despite Klopp’s insistence that he needs a break. Indeed, it seems just like something the club official would try.
Laporta could call Klopp to ‘test’ those sabbatical ideas, but even the Spanish media accepts the chances of success aren’t high.
