Klopp following Alexander-Arnold into DESTROYING Liverpool legacy with Real Madrid move

Muhammad Butt

17 Apr 2025 13:30 CDT
6 min read

Jurgen Klopp could be on the verge of a sensational return to football management.

The iconic German coach, who left Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season to go on sabbatical, has been linked with an incredible move.

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Sport are reporting that UOL Esporte are saying Jurgen Klopp is now open to a return to management but only for a project that interests him, of which there are currently just two: the Brazilian national team, and Real Madrid.

The Brazilian national team seems like a fantasy (a man who wants to return to management wouldn't pick a national team where you're barely working most of the year) but Real Madrid is a move with a sense of reality to it.

Current ETV

Jude Bellingham

AM (C), M (CL)

Real Madrid

Jude Bellingham

AM (C), M (CL)

Real Madrid

ETV Range

€128.6M - €157.2M

Los Blancos are one of the biggest clubs in the world, with a massive amount of financial power, and they just so happen to be on the verge of a coaching change.

There is a sense that Carlo Ancelotti has come to the end of his time in Madrid, and after a humiliating Champions League exit he may even be sacked before the season ends.

And of course as one of the most successful managers of the last 15 years, it makes sense that Real Madrid would go after someone the calibre of Jurgen Klopp. A manager who is as adept at man management as he is at tactical structure.

It doesn't make sense for Klopp to accept the offer, however.

Klopp and Real Madrid: the vibes are off

To be clear, Jurgen Klopp is free to do whatever he wants with no judgements cast on his decisions. He gave each of his previous clubs more than enough and led them to success they couldn't have dreamed of when he took over.

© IMAGO - Jurgen Klopp is one of the best managers this century.

But taking over at Real Madrid would run counter to his entire vibe. The kids today would say his "aesthetic" and perhaps there is an uncomfortable truth revealed by that word.

Klopp joining Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world, the boss of all bosses, would run antithetical to his entire career up to now.

For sure Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool are no minnows, they are gigantic clubs with a history of success running through them.

But neither are the biggest club in their country. They sit second behind an even bigger behemoth, one that wields (or seems to wield) extraordinary influence over the national footballing landscape from a cultural standpoint.

If Klopp had agreed to manage Bayern Munich or Man Utd (and he was asked to many times!) in the years since he left Borussia Dortmund, we could perhaps understand him then moving on to Real Madrid. That is a natural progression both in terms of club size but also club philosophy, club vibe.

The Rebel Position

But he waited and joined Liverpool, who, once again, are very much second biggest behind United. And while United are a pathetic circus on the field, Klopp's Liverpool were also second on the pitch too behind Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

© IMAGO - It would make more sense for Klopp to join Barcelona than Real Madrid.

And that suited Klopp. The rebel position. Chasing the top spot.

He never gave the vibe that he was much of a front-runner. Or that he even wanted to be. Liverpool entrenched the "values" he established at Dortmund.

A club that, even in this globalised game, is very much local. A club that is embedded in its city and has real, tangible roots not yet torn up by the soulless corporate nature of modern football.

The next "logical" step for Klopp, if there has to be one (and there really doesn't) would actually be Barcelona. They are a club in lock step with the Liverpool and Dortmund vibe. Bigger and more corporate than the Reds, sure, but still local. Very much tied to Catalunya, to La Masia, the identity there and all that stands for.

"This means more" is just another way of saying "Mes Que un Club" isn't it?

Klopp and Real Madrid: a tactical fit?

But Real Madrid? The Empire? Thanos? The Armies of Mordor? Emperor Shaddam IV? That's not the Jurgen Klopp we know and love! Although it would be very Paul Atreides of Klopp to end up at Madrid after Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool, to be fair.

Speaking purely about the football for a second, Real Madrid are actually quite well set-up to play Klopp's brand of football. They have a midfield packed full of world-class athletes, forwards with a frankly terrifying amount of speed, and they're about to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold to be their main creative force at right-back.

© IMAGO - Jurgen Klopp gave Trent Alexander-Arnold his debut in 2017.

All that's left is convincing Kylian Mbappe to press consistently (and if anyone could do that it would definitely be Klopp and his super hugs) and finding the next Virgil van Dijk to anchor the defence and Jurgen Klopp's Real Madrid could become Super Liverpool II Turbo: Hyper Fighting.

And you'd have Liverpool fans forever asking and wondering if it was Klopp that lured Trent Alexander-Arnold to Madrid in the first place, compounding the heartache and rage from losing the best Scouser in the side at the peak of his powers.

Current ETV

Trent Alexander-Arnold

D (R)

Liverpool

Trent Alexander-Arnold

D (R)

Liverpool

ETV Range

€49.9M - €61M

So... tactically? Yeah. Jurgen Klopp to Real Madrid kind of makes sense, but it would absolutely trash his legacy and reputation for him to take over there.

It would get so much worse with every press conference, too, as he used the same rhetoric he used at Dortmund and Liverpool for Madrid, a club where it palpably does not "mean more" and all you've got to do is win. You don't even need to win pretty anymore Jose Mourinho killed those expectations. Just win and they'll pretend it was pretty.

Once again, just to be clear: Jurgen Klopp is a grown man who is free to do whatever he wants to do; but that doesn't mean people have to like it.