Jurgen Klopp, who recently left Liverpool, has been linked with a position of authority within Red Bull, the new owners of Leeds United.
Jurgen Klopp has been linked to a surprise comeback to football as head of global soccer for new Leeds United investors, the Red Bull Group, according to Austrian reports.
The energy drink behemoth has a global athletic empire, which includes a network of football clubs in Europe and the Americas. Leeds were most recently added to their roster when Red Bull was unveiled as new minority shareholders in the team at the end of last month, along with a multi-year arrangement as principal front-of-shirt sponsor.
However, the present day signals a watershed moment for Red Bull and football. The organization is currently without a head of global soccer as Oliver Mintzlaff left to take up one of three full CEO posts following the death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022.
Salzburger Nachrichten has reported that former Liverpool manager Klopp is set to make a spectacular return to the sport, just weeks after leaving his last role. According to reports, Red Bull hopes to acquire the flamboyant German and put his management skills to work in a new capacity, combining their Leipzig, Salzburg, New York, and Bragantino clubs with Leeds to build a more efficient system of luring elite talent.
When meeting Salzburg in previous pre-seasons, he expressed appreciation for the Red Bull idea, saying: “What Red Bull is doing is a really interesting project, I have to say.” The team is really young, yet extremely talented.
“They change every year, and they sell players, yet they still have a solid team. They’re doing something quite fascinating. The football philosophy is similar to Liverpool’s.
“So it will be intense, it will be high press everywhere, it will be counter-press, we have to find solutions and that’s why we are here.”
The 56-year-old spent nine trophy-laden seasons on Merseyside, with the highlights being Champions League glory in 2019 and the Reds’ first Premier League title in three decades. Shortly before winning his final trophy, the Carabao Cup, in February, Klopp said he was stepping down due to burnout in that demanding post.
His farewell Anfield encounter was last month against Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the Liverpool fans stayed long after the game ended to pay tribute to their beloved coach.
However, any hopes of seeing Klopp stationed around Elland Road in the near future were promptly crushed. He had made it plain that he intended to take an extended period of leave after leaving Liverpool, but the’several independent sources’ that supported the story in Austria have since been refuted by Red Bull and the man involved.
“This is complete nonsense,” a Mintzlaff spokesperson told the tabloid, while Marc Kosicke, the German manager’s agent, told Sky Sports Germany: “Total nonsense.” “There is nothing to it.”
Nonetheless, the Red Bull Group and Liverpool’s relationship is solid. This summer, Klopp’s highly rated assistant Pep Lijnders was chosen RB Salzburg’s new head coach, with former Reds assistants Vitor Matos and Andreas Kornmayer joining him.
Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate, Takumi Minamino, and Dominik Szoboszlai have all moved to the Premier League, while Fabio Carvalho spent six months on loan with Leipzig last season.
Recently, and even before Red Bull’s Leeds investment, the Reds were linked with Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville.
