Jurgen Klopp unimpressed with the idea which could have a bearing on Arne Slot tenure at Anfield
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has consistently advocated for player welfare.
He has often spoken out against the introduction of additional games and competitions and supported allowing teams to make five substitutions when many in English football were hesitant to change.
If Klopp continues managing after leaving the Reds this summer, he will likely maintain this perspective.
However, the game in England will evolve without him, and on Friday, he was asked about a Premier League proposal that first emerged almost 20 years ago.
The potential of playing league games overseas, particularly in the USA, has resurfaced.
The idea of adding a 39th match to the season and playing it abroad was initially proposed in 2007. It’s safe to say Klopp would have opposed the idea then, and he certainly does now.
The current proposal varies slightly. NBC Sports reportedly pays $450 million (£356 million/€418 million) a season for exclusive Premier League coverage in the USA. Consequently, it seeks to stage two matches from the opening weekend of a season in the US, which could impact Klopp’s likely successor, Arne Slot.
Fans are against the idea, and their influence was evident when the proposed European Super League was quickly withdrawn in 2021 due to strong opposition.
Klopp has ridiculed the notion of hosting matches abroad and confessed he couldn’t imagine himself working in football administration when the idea was presented to him.
“No, I never thought about it, but they will need people in a normal age knowing the business,” he stated (via Daily Mail). “But imagine me becoming FIFA president? It is obviously a well-paid job, that is why they all want to do it — not the official part obviously. I don’t think I will spend my lifetime on these kinds of things.”
“In the end, one person cannot fix things if everyone else thinks, ‘Ah, it’s fine, they earn millions, let them play there,'” Klopp continued, discussing the possibility of matches overseas. “‘Let’s do the first three matchdays in America’—all really good ideas,” he remarked sarcastically.
“Alone, you can’t change anything. I probably wouldn’t survive in that sea of sharks. That is not the plan. I don’t think I will do that.”
Given Klopp’s opposition to most changes during his time in England, his comments should not surprise Liverpool fans. He has consistently offered noteworthy quotes and has often been proven right.
Jurgen Klopp unimpressed with the idea which could have a bearing on Arne Slot tenure at Anfield