After Liverpool’s late FA Cup loss to Manchester United, Jurgen Klopp entered his press conference and discovered a signed contract in front of him.
The day after Liverpool’s FA Cup match defeat last month, Jurgen Klopp arrived at Old Trafford to discover a signed contract, shocking him.
A PR prank involving American rapper iShowSpeed, who recorded a video of himself receiving a Manchester United contract, led to the unpleasant scenario. In the press room, he signed a fictitious contract, but he left it on the bench where the managers hold their press conferences.
A short while later, Klopp entered the room to discover the fictitious contract on the bench. His team had just lost to a goal scored in the 120th minute. His expression was obviously bewildered as he wondered how it had happened.
Klopp’s aspirations of taking the quadruple away from Liverpool were dashed, and he too had to pick up the pieces. The Merseysiders were still participating in four competitions at that stage, but they were eliminated in dramatic fashion by their rivals after failing to hold onto an extra-time advantage.
At the London Stadium in September of last year, during the YouTube All Stars’ exhibition match against the Sidemen, iShowSpeed was featured. Unaware of his activities, which contributed to the making of a social media film, Klopp was taken aback to see the signed contract in front of him.
With Klopp having declared he will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, he will be unemployed come summertime. He will be in high demand, yet after his great stay at Anfield, he has hinted that he would end his time as manager.
When Klopp was first starting to gain recognition at Borussia Dortmund, Sir Alex Ferguson approached him about taking over at Old Trafford. There was a conversation and the Scot was about to retire, but Klopp never considered replacing the Scot.
He had already acknowledged: “We spoke. We didn’t talk much, but it felt like a lot to me. To be honest, the entire discussion seemed like a huge honor. But I was stuck in Dortmund. Now that April has here, you are deep in the planning stages for the upcoming season. This player and that player are on their way, but after that you’re gone? That is ineffective. Not at this point in my life.
“If there had been a genuine offer [from United], I could not have accepted it, but I didn’t hear about it. I had to get the Dortmund job done first, and only then could I consider other options. That may not be wise, but that’s how I roll.”
