Jurgen Klopp agrees to new job just weeks after dismissing managerial return

Jurgen Klopp has always been a man who refuses to sit still for too long. After leaving Liverpool in the summer of 2024, he promised himself a long break from the madness of football management. He wanted peace, time, and distance from the touchline that had defined his life for decades. But even for a man like Klopp — who once said he could live happily without football — it seems that destiny has other plans.

Just sixteen months after his emotional farewell to Anfield, Klopp has quietly returned to football in a new capacity. This time, not as a roaring coach on the sidelines, but as a thinker, a strategist, and an influencer of the sport’s future. The German Football League (DFL) has appointed him as part of an expert panel tasked with improving the nation’s football system, youth development, and club structures.

For many fans, this marks an intriguing new chapter for the charismatic coach who led Liverpool through one of the most memorable eras in the club’s modern history. Klopp, now 58, will combine this DFL role with his current position as Global Head of Football for the Red Bull Group — a role he accepted in January 2025. That position alone surprised many, given his previous insistence on taking a long break. But as it turns out, Klopp’s version of “rest” still involves shaping football from behind the scenes.

When the news broke, social media erupted with nostalgia and admiration. Liverpool fans flooded timelines with pictures of Klopp’s broad smile and that famous fist pump. To them, he will always be the man who brought belief back to Anfield — the man who turned doubters into believers. And now, it seems, he is channeling that same energy into helping German football rediscover its strength.

The DFL’s statement described Klopp’s new role in detail. It said the expert panel will “address the training and integration of talented players as well as the further development of club standards and structures.” The group’s findings will be presented to the league committees in spring 2026, followed by discussions with all 36 clubs across Germany’s top two divisions.

That means Klopp’s impact could shape the very foundation of the Bundesliga and its future direction. Alongside him on the panel are respected figures such as Sami Khedira, Jochen Sauer from Bayern Munich, and Markus Krosche from Eintracht Frankfurt — all individuals with deep roots in German football and experience at both domestic and international levels.