Surprisingly, Jürgen Klopp did not have to answer any questions about the DFB at his first press conference after the international break. But he did it in an unambiguous way anyway
The questions Jürgen Klopp had to answer on the day before Liverpool’s away game at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday were certainly creative. For example, whether he feared another offer in the winter for goalscorer Mohamed Salah, who had recently resisted advances from Saudi Arabia. “Are you kidding?” was the expected response. “A week after the end of the summer transfer window, you are asking me about the January transfer window? I’m not worried at all at the moment, I haven’t even thought about it before you reopened the wound.”
There had also been rumours surrounding Klopp himself in recent days, but the coach did not have to comment on the exit of national coach Hansi Flick and the speculation afterwards on Friday: nobody asked about it. Nevertheless, he made it more than clear what had already been communicated via his advisor: Klopp is not available to the DFB.
“This is not my eighth year – this is the first “
“I love this team,” he said at one point about his Reds, “and we’re still early in the season. I think it’s easy for people to love this team as well. I’ve said that to my players as well: this is not my eighth year. This is the first year of this team. And that’s how we approach everything. We want to be a new team, not a copy of an old one. And I’m all in. This is the first year of whatever. “
Eight years ago in October, Klopp took over at Liverpool, and although many would like to see him as Flick’s successor, he is not going anywhere for the time being; his contract runs until 2026. His jumper spoke a similarly clear language at his first public appearance after the international break: when a media representative wanted to know what was written on his chest before the question and answer session began, Klopp uncovered his gaze and read out: “Liverpool FC.” That already answered the question about his commitment. Klopp nevertheless explained for safety’s sake: “This is a football club.
