Jurgen Klopp has revealed he left Borussia Dortmund earlier than planned to help the German club land Thomas Tuchel as his successor.
Dortmund announced Klopp would leave the club at the end of the season in April 2015 - three years before his contract was due to expire. That allowed Dortmund to lure Tuchel to the Westfalenstadion two months later and Klopp to join Liverpool in the October.
Klopp's admission may hint at plans he could do the same at Liverpool. The Reds boss' contract doesn't expire until June 2026, yet he'll be approaching 11 years in charge of the club by that point and may fancy a break from the relentless job.
Therefore, a repeat of his Dortmund strategy could be a possibility. However, Klopp will only be 59 when his existing deal expires and he may want to stay at Liverpool for the rest of his career. Much will also depend on whether the Reds can find the right successor.
"I can still remember the reason for the timing back then - Thomas Tuchel was about to go to HSV," Klopp told WDR. "'Wait a minute! Tuchel is going to HSV? Then we have to get it out there now!' That's why it was a little earlier than planned at the time."
Klopp enjoyed seven successful years at Dortmund - winning two Bundesliga titles, the DFB-Pokal and two DFL-Supercups. The German coach lasted seven-and-a-half years at first club Mainz and celebrated his seven-year anniversary at Liverpool in October.
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The catch with Klopp's statement is managers of Tuchel's calibre don't come around often. Tuchel won the DFB-Pokal at Dortmund and later lifted nine trophies at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea - including two Ligue 1 titles and the Champions League.
It's also very hard to succeed a long-term manager in the Premier League. The most notable example is Manchester United icon Sir Alex Ferguson, who was succeeded by David Moyes in May 2013 after 26-and-a-half years. Moyes lasted just 10 months in the job.
Unai Emery was also dismissed after only 18 months in charge after taking over from Arsene Wenger after his trophy-laden 22 years at Arsenal.
Liverpool fans will be aware of how destabilising losing a long-term manager can be. Champions League-winning boss Rafa Benitez left Anfield after six years in June 2010. He was replaced by Roy Hodgson, who was shown the door six months later.
For a while it seemed as if Steven Gerrard would be Klopp's long-term successor at Liverpool. The former Reds skipper is one of the club's greatest players after winning nine trophies - including the 2005 Champions League - and playing more than 700 games.
Gerrard also made a good start to his managerial career by leading Rangers to their first Scottish Premiership title in a decade in May 2021. Yet his first Premier League job didn't go to plan, as he was sacked after just 11 months by Villa.
Another potential candidate is Klopp's assist Pep Lijnders, who has helped his German boss win all seven of his trophies at Liverpool. Yet the 39-year-old has only managed one club before - Dutch side NEC - and he was sacked after just four months in charge.
