Jurgen Klopp's confirmed Liverpool return, demands for next job, wife's thoughts on decision

Jurgen Klopp spent almost a decade as Liverpool's manager, winning plenty of silverware during his time at Anfield

Jurgen Klopp is returning to Anfield this month for a charity match against fellow former club Borussia Dortmund. Klopp will manage alongside Sir Kenny Dalglish during the March international break as the Liverpool Legends take on BVB.

This game will raise money for the LFC Foundation, a charity close to the German's heart. Since leaving Anfield in 2024, Klopp has been busy working as Red Bull's head of global football and has been spotted at various sporting events across the globe.

Liverpool didn't slow down in the pursuit for glory after Klopp left and Arne Slot took over, with the Dutchman winning the Premier League title at the first time of asking. However, the 2025/26 season has been a different story at Anfield.

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Poor league form coupled with some iffy results in Europe, albeit the Reds are through to the Champions League quarter-final, plus an early exit in the Carabao Cup to Crystal Palace, have placed the Dutchman under pressure.

Some have even called at various points for Klopp to return to the club to steady the ship. While this remains extremely unlikely, the German hasn't completely ruled it out at some point in the future.

Here, the ECHO has taken a look at the latest stories involving the iconic Liverpool legend and what he has said regarding a potential Anfield return.

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Klopp's return to Anfield

Klopp will be making a long-awaited return to the Anfield dugout on March 28th. However, he will only be managing a charity game against Borussia Dortmund in a bid to raise funds for the LFC Foundation.

The Liverpool Legends will meet Dortmund in a match that will include former club legends, Steven Gerrard and Sir Kenny Dalglish. Klopp still works with the official charity as an honorary ambassador and will manage the Reds alongside Dalglish during the March international break.

Speaking ahead of the match, the German said: "I'm really proud to be an Ambassador for the LFC Foundation. It means a lot to me, honestly.

"To be back at Anfield for the Legends game, alongside Sir Kenny and his team, playing against the BVB legends, that is something special. It's going to be a very emotional and special day for me, for the LFC Foundation and for everyone involved. I can't wait and I really hope to see you all there."

Demands outlined

Should Klopp return to management at any point, he has outlined that he would be looking for a club with football at the heart of its purpose. This was the key reason he initially joined Liverpool in 2015 after speaking with other teams that were more focused on the commercial aspect of the game.

Manchester United and Real Madrid are among the clubs to have expressed interest in the German before he joined the Reds. Speaking in 2018 about how Liverpool convinced him to make the move to England, the 58-year-old said: "I love the history.

"I really am a football romantic. I knew I probably can help. They maybe really need me, in this time. I know what I'm good at. When they told me about the problems they had I thought, 'OK, yeah, I am probably the really right manager for that club'.

"They took me like I am, they didn't ask me to do anything else, so I could focus from the first day completely on football. It is a football club. A football club. I had talks with other clubs and they didn't sound like a football club. It sounded like marketing, image, you need to sign this, you need to sign that. And I thought, 'Wow, that's not the game I love.'"

Since leaving Anfield, Klopp has also confirmed he would not manage another club in England. Interestingly, however, he didn't altogether rule out a return to the Reds at some point in the future.

Speaking in 2024, he added: "What I know definitely – I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool, 100 per cent.

"That's not possible. My love for this club, my respect for the people, is too big.

"I couldn't. I couldn't for a second think about it. There's no chance. This is part of my life, we are part of the family, we feel at home here. There's no chance to do that."

Asked again last year if he would ever return to Liverpool, Klopp said: "I said I will never coach a different team in England so that means, if [I did return], then it's Liverpool. So, yeah, theoretically it is possible."

Wife's thoughts on Liverpool decision

Klopp kept wife Ulla Sandrock in the loop with his decisions throughout his time at Liverpool and will likely consult her regarding whatever move he makes in the future. The former Reds manager married Sandrock in 2005, when he was still at Mainz, and they have remained a tight partnership throughout his time in the dugout.

In fact, Klopp's wife played a major role in convincing him to sign a contract extension with the club until 2026 in 2022. Although he ultimately left early, Klopp said at the time: "The most important contract I signed in my life was the one with Ulla.

"And that's why it started again, because actually we sat at the kitchen table and Ulla said, 'I can't see us leaving in 2024.' I said, 'What?' That's how it all started and when that started I thought, 'Let's have a think.'"

While Klopp did end up leaving Liverpool, Sandrock's time spent in the community had a major impact - especially during the coronavirus pandemic. She made a substantial donation to Formby Community Football Club during lockdown in 2020.

It was also reported that Klopp's wife gave out £1,000 worth of food vouchers to supermarket workers around the same time. This gift was said to be a thank you to those who looked after her and a Waitrose staff member made their feelings known.

They said: "This was an incredible thing to do. Typically, Ulla didn't want to make a fuss, or receive any recognition, and just wanted people working in shops to get the recognition they deserve."

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