One of Jurgen Klopp’s former teammates, Miroslav Tanjga, has claimed that the Liverpool legend once told him two teams that he wanted to manage before he retires amid links with the Real Madrid job.
Carlo Ancelotti is expected to move away from the Bernabeu in the summer after a disappointing campaign with Los Blancos. The Real Madrid boss is in no rush to leave his current role but he might have no choice — with the Brazil job a nice enough consolation that is sitting and waiting for him.
And Tanjga, who played with Klopp at Mainz, has suggested that the former Reds boss could be keen to move to Real Madrid. Klopp has been linked with the vacancy, though Xabi Alonso is another obvious candidate.
“What Klopp told me when he left Liverpool was that he had two wishes: to be the coach of the national team and of Real Madrid,” Tanjga is quoted as saying in AS. “I don’t know if either of them will come true.
“He’s certainly one of the candidates for the Real Madrid job, but for now, all of this is pure speculation. I also know that he never saw himself as the coach of any other team in England, except Liverpool. He doesn’t want to go to Serie A or France, and at some point, I think he’ll become the German coach.”
(Image: Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Klopp, who now works for the Red Bull group, will have a keen eye on the game between RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich this weekend. A win for Vincent Kompany’s side will wrap up the Bundesliga title.
His agent has recently moved to calm speculation that he could be set to move roles again. “Jurgen is very happy with his new role as head of global soccer at Red Bull,” Marc Kosicke told Sky Germany earlier this month. “He’s fully focused and happy there.”
Liverpool.com says: Real Madrid might be the level of club that could tempt Klopp back into management, but it would be interesting to see the reaction from Liverpool fans. Trent Alexander-Arnold could move there in a few weeks and that won’t go down well, with many pointing out that the Spanish giant is a rival of the Reds, having played them so often in recent times.
