Christian Falk has shared details of a conversation he had with Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl regarding Jurgen Klopp.
The Liverpool manager is stepping down at the end of this season, and the Bundesliga champions are also on the lookout for a new head coach to take over from Thomas Tuchel once the current campaign ends.
That has inevitably led to some whispers that the Bavarian giants could seek the 56-year-old to come in at the Allianz Arena, but in truth such a move isn’t likely to materialise in the foreseeable future.
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Writing in his Fact Files for Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, Falk revealed: “I recently sat with Max Eberl, FC Bayern’s new sports director, for an hour and a half. In Munich, the fans continue to hope that Eberl will try out Jürgen Klopp after all. Bayern needs a successor for Thomas Tuchel, who will leave early in the summer. But Eberl will not pick up the phone for Klopp.
“Eberl told me: ‘I know what it means when you make statements like Kloppo, who said: ‘I have no energy left.’ Few people can judge that better than me, because I’ve been through it. That’s why I won’t call him.’ Eberl had experienced burnout and had to quit as manager of Mönchengladbach.”
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In making the bombshell announcement about leaving Liverpool, Klopp attributed his decision to ‘running out of energy’, which didn’t make the shock news any easier to absorb but simpler to understand, with the German having been in management almost non-stop since 2001.
It therefore seemed illogical that he’d duly take up one of the most pressurised roles in European football as Bayern boss, and when Eberl – who’s able to relate because of his own experiences – dismisses the idea of the 56-year-old coming to Munich, it’s safe to say that Bavarian chiefs will be looking elsewhere for Tuchel’s successor.
Similar to Pep Guardiola after he left Barcelona in 2012, the Reds manager looks set to take a year out of football, after which he might possibly return to the sport if the right opportunity comes up.
Klopp is a person who lives off a passion and energy for his work, and when that begins to subside and he no longer thinks he can bring his full self to the role, it’s natural that he wants to step away.
One thing is for sure – Bayern Munich isn’t the place to go for a manager who needs a break due to burnout.