Jurgen Klopp made history as Liverpool manager when he led the Reds to a sixth Champions League trophy after defeating Tottenham in Madrid. It was his first trophy he has lifted with Liverpool and was seen as the springboard to a potentially special era at Anfield.
With Klopp making no secret of his desires to take a 'break' from managing once his contract on Merseyside finishes, questions have been raised about which season at Liverpool will be his last – and it seems to be sooner rather than later.
When does Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool contract expire?
The German's deal at Liverpool currently expires in the summer of 2022, seven years after signed his first contract in 2015.
Fresh terms for a contract extension had been drawn up following Liverpool's Champions League triumph in June, but no deal is in place yet.
He has remained coy about his intentions on staying at Anfield past 2022, not ruling out the possibility of a contract extension, but also remaining unfazed about a new deal.
In the past, he has spoken of how he plans to follow through with his tendency of spending seven years at a club he has managed. He spent seven years coaching Mainz, seven years at Dortmund, and potentially seven years at Liverpool.
So, with three years left to go on his contract, it's safe to say that more than half of Klopp's time at Anfield has come and gone.
“Stay here 20 years? I don’t know. So far after seven years [at a club] I’ve felt maybe I should move on," Klopp said in 2017 after Arsene Wenger celebrated 21 years as a manager at Arsenal.
“I don’t feel I am close to that moment and everything is fine. But it would be quite difficult to become the record coach at Liverpool."
In the summer of 2019, Klopp revealed he was in no rush to enter fresh contract negotiations, and insisted it was too early for contract talks with three years remaining on his deal.
"I don’t want ever to be in a situation where people are annoyed that I am still here. That’s the truth. You have that situation in football. It must always be a win-win situation," he said.
“At the moment, it is 100 per cent and we will see how long that will be. Whatever discussions came up … I saw a few headlines that I will finish for sure in three years, that I will sign a contract and all that stuff. I have three years. It is all good. The age group of the boys is good, my age is good for what I have to do. It’s strange that we talk about it three years before.”
Will Jurgen Klopp take a sabbatical?
Klopp hasn't ruled out the idea of extending his time at Liverpool beyond 2022, but he has always maintained that his decision would be based on his energy, mental health levels and his family.
Speaking to Kicker earlier in the summer, Klopp revealed that he plans to take a break from the club when his existing deal runs out, citing a need to restore "energy levels".
“I will take a sabbatical after my time at Liverpool,” Klopp said. “When I decide that I can’t give everything anymore I will quit. Who can say three years from now whether he can do everything or nothing? When that happens I will take a break for a year."
He did, however, state that he was already sure that his energy would be boosted following a one-year break.
“If I decide for myself that I can’t go on anymore, I’ll take a break," he continued.
"I have absolute energy, but I have one problem: I can’t do ‘a little bit.’ I can only do ‘all or nothing. But the chances are very high that my energy levels will go up again [after a break].”
Could Jurgen Klopp return to Liverpool after taking a sabbatical?
There's no ruling out the idea that Klopp could return to coaching following his one-year break from football in 2022. What remains to be seen, then, is if Klopp intends to resume his coaching career at Liverpool following his sabbatical or move to another club, and who Liverpool would hire as manager in the event of Klopp's one-year absence.
According to ESPN, Klopp has previously stated that he could envision himself finishing his career at Liverpool, but obviously, things could change.
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