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Why is Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool and when will Arne Slot take charge?

Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool after nine years at the end of the season.
Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool after nine years at the end of the season. -Credit:Photo by Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images


Jurgen Klopp will bid farewell to Liverpool as they host Wolves at Anfield on Sunday.

May 19 had been a date in the calendar that was earmarked as a day when the Reds could clinch the Premier League title, however following the German's announcement in January, it has been noted as the final match of his tenure.

It has been a long farewell for Liverpool to their most successful manager in recent history. Since then, the Reds have added another trophy to Klopp's glittering collection after beating Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final after extra-time.

Their hopes of a quadruple-winning farewell didn't come to fruition as they were knocked out of the FA Cup and Europa League before their Premier League push faded following a slump at the business end of the campaign.

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Despite that, Liverpool secured their path back into the Champions League and irrespective of the disappointment, the closing months of the season have been celebrated in a bid to give Klopp the send off that his nine-year tenure deserves.

Why is Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool?

Klopp announced that he would step down from his role as Liverpool manager on January 26, in an unexpected announcement, admitting that he no longer had the energy to maintain the role.

"I have to [say] I will leave the club at the end of the season," Klopp said. "I can understand that it's a shock for a lot of people in this moment when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it or at least try to explain it.

"I love absolutely everything about this club. I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters. I love the team. I love the staff. I love everything.

"That I still take this decision it shows you that I am convinced it's the one I have to take. It is that I am, how can I say this? I am running out of energy and I have no problem now, obviously, I think I know it for already longer that I will have to announce it at one point . But I am absolutely fine now but I also know that I cannot do the job again and again and again.

"And after all the times we've had together after all the time we've spent together, the things we went through together, the respect grew for you, the love grew for you and the least thing I owe you is the truth. And that is the truth."

Who will replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager?

At the end of April, Liverpool reached an agreement with Feyenoord manager Arne Slot to replace Klopp.

The Dutchman led the De Kuip to the Eredivisie title in 2023 before finishing second in their title-defending season. The Reds had been on the managerial lookout for a number of months having been informed by Klopp as far back as November that he would be stepping down from his post at the end of this season after nearly nine years in charge.

The 45-year-old's contract does not contain a release clause meaning Liverpool were forced to hold intensive talks with the Eredivisie side in recent days to agree on a fee and an initial offer of around £7.7m was rebuffed with the Dutch club holding out for closer to somewhere between £10-12m.

The final compensation agreement could be worth up to £9.4m (€11m) for Feyenoord which would make Slot one of the most expensive managerial recruits in European football history.

When will Arne Slot be Liverpool manager?

Slot dropped the clearest hint since news of the agreement surfaced on Friday (May 17). He announced in his final news conference in Holland that he would become Liverpool manager.

It means that his final match will be at home for the Rotterdam club as they take on Excelsior. He said: "I can confirm that I will become the trainer there next year," after being asked about the Liverpool job.

Up until then, Slot was coy on the links with the vacancy on Merseyside. But with the curtain coming down on respective seasons on Sunday, an announcement - you would suspect - is imminent.